Quail in the apartment: is it possible to keep and how to properly, care and breeding

Quails are small birds, they can live in small cages. This makes it possible to grow them not only in a private house, like other poultry, but also in a city apartment. Consider the features of keeping quails in an apartment, which breeds to choose, how to care for them, how to feed adults and chicks. How to treat frequent diseases and their prevention.

Can I keep quails in an apartment?

The quail cage does not take up much space in the apartment, it can be placed in a room or on a balcony. The main problem for those who want to breed these birds in an apartment is the smell that will inevitably be present in the room, and dirt near the cage.But it is solved by frequent cleaning in the cage.

Otherwise, caring for quails in an apartment is not at all difficult. They do not eat much, care for them does not take much time, and cultivation is cost-effective. From quails living in an apartment, you can get tasty and he althy eggs (females lay almost every day) and meat.

Suitable Breeds

First of all, you need to decide which breed to grow in an apartment - egg or meat. Quail egg breeds rush from 2 months of life for 10 months. Then you need to replace the livestock with a new batch. Quail meat is fattened for 2 months, during which time they manage to grow and gain weight sufficient for slaughter.

Popular egg-laying breeds of quail - Japanese, English, Estonian, famous meat breed - pharaoh. Carcasses of pharaohs weigh 2 times more than carcasses of egg-bearing quails. Poultry farmers who want to get eggs and meat at the same time can opt for universal meat and egg breeds.The number of eggs they can lay is about a third less than that of egg-layers, and the weight of the carcass approaches the weight of meat quails.

If it is planned to get eggs for food from quails in the apartment, you can buy only females for growing. Males should only be kept if you intend to breed your own birds.

Many poultry farmers want to find an odorless breed of quail, but there are none, there will be no unpleasant smell in the room only if it is constantly cleaned.

Content requirements

It is easy to create temperature conditions in the room, because the apartment is not cold even in winter. Quails love heat, they need to be kept at a temperature not lower than 18 ˚С. There should be no drafts in the room. If possible, it should be kept in a room where people rarely visit, household appliances rarely work, so as not to create noise that unnerves the birds.Ventilate the quail room every day to eliminate odors that accumulate from bird droppings. Ventilation also regulates humidity, which should be at the level of 60%.

Quails are special in that they need a long, 17-18-hour daylight hours. This is achieved by installing a red lamp near the cage, which must be turned on in the morning and evening. The brightness of the light should not be strong.

The same conditions can be created in an apartment on an insulated balcony. A warm balcony is even preferable, the birds will not annoy the owners with their squeak and smell.

Bird care

As already mentioned, it is necessary to clean the quail droppings every day and ventilate the room, then there will be no smell in the apartment.Cleanliness contributes to the preservation of the he alth of birds, the preservation of their productivity. So that the litter can be easily removed, it is recommended to make the floor of the cage mesh, through the cells the litter will wake up into the tray installed below. It is easy to remove and clean, and then put back. You can also add cat litter to the tray to absorb odor and moisture.

Inventory

For 1 family of quails in the amount of 5 pieces (1 male and 4 females) in an apartment, a cage of 0.4 m by 0.3 m by 0.25 m is enough. 3-4 dozen birds grown for eggs or meat, you can settle in a cage with dimensions of 1 m by 0.6 m by 0.3 m. These are the minimum requirements for the amount of space for quails, but if you put them in a larger dwelling, they will only be happy. Quail cages can be stacked one on top of the other to save space. You also need to have one small additional cage where sick or pugnacious individuals will need to be deposited.

In all cages with quails, feeders are installed (preferably bunkers, if it is supposed to feed the bird with dry food), they are hung not inside, but outside. The birds will poke their heads through the net and peck at the food. Drinkers are better to buy nipple automatic. There is no need to put perches inside.

If there is a goal to independently breed quails in an apartment, and not to buy young animals, then you will also need an incubator, since females almost do not tend to incubate themselves.

Diet

Quail nutrition needs to be taken seriously. There are 2 ways to feed - self-composed mixtures or ready-made feed for quails or laying hens and broilers.

Adults

Amount of food for 1 adult quail per day - 30-35 g. You need to feed 2-3 times a day, at the same time. Calculate the volume of the mixture so that the quail eats it completely, leaving nothing. If residues still remain, they must be removed.

Cereal mixtures for quails are prepared from crushed grains of any cereals and legumes. The composition should be changed frequently, combining grains of different plant species in different ways. Grass, germinated grain, a little vegetable oil, fish and meat and bone meal are added to the grain. As well as grated vegetables and root crops (except nightshade), green onions, boiled potatoes. Chalk and s alt are added from additives to grain mixtures for quails.

Chicks

Quails are first fed, like chickens - with a mixture of boiled eggs and greens, cottage cheese. Then gradually begin to accustom to the grain, adding it to the mixture in a volume of 1/3. From 3 weeks of age, they are completely transferred to adult food - grain mixers or compound feed.

Disease prevention

Infections that lead to digestive disorders, reduced productivity and death of birds can be avoided by constantly cleaning the cages. Once a month you need to disinfect them, treat inventory with boiling water. Solder birds with vitamins, antibiotics in prophylactic doses, and vaccinate. By such measures, in most cases, it is possible to prevent infectious diseases. Against lice and fleas, quails are treated with antiparasitic drugs.

What problems might you encounter?

In addition to diseases, the poultry farmer may be faced with the fact that the birds will not lay well. This is the result of a violation of the temperature and humidity regime, incorrect, unbalanced in nutrients and mineral components, nutrition or overfeeding (obese females are in no hurry to rush).

Growing quails in an apartment is quite possible. You need to choose a room or a balcony, purchase cages and an incubator, young animals or a hatching egg. They eat little quail, rush every day and grow very quickly, so their cultivation is considered profitable.

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