Quail Phoenix: breed description and characteristics, breeding and care

The phoenix quail variety is considered the subject of serious controversy among poultry farmers. In appearance, these birds are similar to the birds of the Manchurian breed. Therefore, many people are sure that an independent phoenix breed does not exist. However, this is not true. It's just that the representatives of the two breeds differ in similar appearance. At the same time, the Phoenix breed is characterized by some features of behavior and productivity.

Description and characteristics of the bird

Quails of this breed have a number of features. This helps distinguish them from other bird species.

External Features

For birds of the golden phoenix breed, beautiful feathers of a light yellow hue are characteristic. Under the influence of lighting, they appear golden. This is the main similarity with the Manchurian breed.

In this case, the main difference between the phoenix is the body weight. It is 400 grams. These birds are considered broilers. Therefore, they are characterized by a fleshy chest and strong paws. Females weigh 50-150 grams more than males. Quail grow to the final size 2 months after birth. At the same time, females begin to give eggs after 1.5 months. On average, the mass of an ordinary egg in birds of this breed is 15 grams. If you feed the birds with quality food, this parameter can be increased to 20 grams.

It should be borne in mind that too large eggs adversely affect the he alth of quails and the breeding of young animals. However, it all depends on the purpose of cultivation. Quails may be kept for egg sales or breeding.

Egg production

Female quails of this broiler breed eat approximately 40 grams of food per day and bring up to 300 eggs per year. The final performance parameters depend on the he alth of the birds and the characteristics of their content. In general, quails are undemanding to care for. However, when growing them, it is important to control temperature, light and humidity.

Character

Quails are characterized by a calm disposition. The birds are calm and do not fight. At the same time, sometimes males still come into conflict. Therefore, it is important to control their behavior. If necessary, birds should be planted.

Pros and cons of golden phoenix quail

There are many benefits to golden quails.

Pros and consHigh fertility parameters of eggs. Under optimal incubation conditions, the hatchability parameters are 85%. Farmers note that in order to obtain the desired effect, it is necessary to use eggs no more than 8 days old.High productivity parameters - meat and egg.Undemanding to care and ease of growing birds. When breeding such quails, it is worth monitoring the cleanliness in the house and paying attention to the state of he alth.Attractive appearance of the carcass after processing. After removing the feathers, the skin does not become covered with dark spots.Lack of maternal instinct in females. This means that it will be possible to bring out the young only with the help of an incubator.The need for the use of large cages and pens. This is due to the large size of birds.

How to keep and care for quails?

Quail breeding is not difficult. These birds are considered undemanding and do not need special nutrition.But when growing them, you still need to follow some rules. This will help increase productivity and minimize the risk of he alth problems. The main recommendations include the following:

It is important to maintain optimal humidity parameters. Normally, they should be 55-70%. High humidity provokes a decrease in quail egg production. In addition, young birds may begin to lag behind in development and not gain weight too quickly. Often, birds develop skin pathologies. To regulate the level of humidity, air ionizers are used.
Be sure to control the temperature parameters. Chicks after birth should be warm. Therefore, they are usually planted in a brooder. For quails up to 1 month, the temperature should be + 30-35 degrees. For older quails, + 22-26 degrees is enough. Reduce the temperature gradually, avoiding strong fluctuations.
For 3 weeks after birth, it is important to provide constant lighting in the brooder.Adult birds have enough daylight hours at the level of 16-17 hours. At the same time, it is important to avoid the penetration of direct sunlight into the house. Too bright light can irritate quails. Therefore, light bulbs of 40-60 watts are placed in the house. Broilers will need 70-90 square centimeters per 1 bird. Layers need more space. 1 female needs 100-120 square centimeters.

The main difficulty in growing phoenixes is getting young ones, so the chicks should be bred in an incubator or bought from special farmers.

What to feed the breed?

Quails of this breed are considered very unpretentious in nutrition. Feathers do not require specific food. For individuals that are raised for meat, it is recommended to feed broilers. The remaining diet of quails can be easily diversified with simple food.

If there is no opportunity to feed birds with compound feed, they should be given chopped cereals and legumes. It is also acceptable to use a moderate amount of greens and vegetables. Birds are allowed to give potatoes, carrots, beets.

To normalize the growth and development of quails, it is worth including vitamins and minerals in their diet. Feed chalk, crushed shells, sand are recommended as useful additives.

To improve digestive functions, birds should definitely be given fine gravel. Since phoenixes are predominantly bred for the purpose of obtaining meat, they are encouraged to give dairy products and animal feed. These include cottage cheese, whey. It is also acceptable to use fish and meat and bone meal.

Reproduction rules

Quails of this breed do not have a pronounced maternal instinct. Therefore, to obtain offspring, you can use an incubator. There are 2 main types of incubators:

Manual. In such models, survival parameters do not exceed 50%.
Automatic. In this case, the output parameters reach 80%.

Experienced farmers use incubation material aged up to 7 days. In this case, the chicks are born 17-18 days after laying. Immediately after the birth of the chicks, it is recommended to settle in a brooder and maintain a temperature of + 30-35 degrees in it. After 2 weeks, the parameters can be gradually reduced to + 23-25 degrees.

Immediately after the birth of the chicks, it is recommended to give boiled eggs, mixing them with herbs and cottage cheese. After a week, you can use chopped millet and wheat groats. Once the birds are 1 month old, they can be switched to adult food.

As a rule, farmers breed females. They manage to get eggs. In addition, quails provide more meat. To control the composition of the livestock and the number of males and females, it is recommended to determine the sex of birds. This can be done already 1 month after birth.

The males have a dark mask on their heads. Sometimes they have white eyebrows. At the same time, there are no inclusions on the chest of quails. Feathers in this area have a uniform color. Quails are characterized by the absence of a mask. At the same time, they have spots all over their bodies.

Diseases and prevention

The main causes of pathologies include the following:

malnutrition;
wrong vaccination schedule;
violation of sanitary and hygienic standards.

Most pathologies are latent.They can be detected only when the main part of the livestock is affected. In such a situation, it is pointless to treat diseases. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on the rules of prevention. Infected birds should be isolated from he althy birds in time.

When keeping quails in cramped cages, there is a high probability of traumatic eye injuries. Birds also suffer from mallophagosis, pseudo-plague, ornithosis. They are susceptible to aspergillosis and quail pox. Viral infections are spread from sick birds. Infection through food or water is also possible. Phoenix quails are distinguished by high productivity parameters. They are a source of quality meat and produce many eggs. To do this, the birds need to be well looked after.