Choosing a breed of quail for keeping
Quails are unpretentious to the conditions of detention. The breeds of these birds are divided into three groups:
- egg;
- meat-and-meat;
- meat.
Quail breeding began in the 12th century. In Russia, quail dishes were considered royal, and in Japan these birds are raised to obtain eggs. There are over 250 breeds. Consider the most popular and unpretentious breeds.
Japanese quail
Japanese quail belong to the group of egg breeds. The female Japanese quail are brown with black and yellow stripes. The beak of females is pink. For a year, a female Japanese quail lays up to 300 eggs weighing 15 g. Live weight of males reaches 120 g, females weigh up to 150 g. The quail begins to lay at five weeks of age.
White english quail
White English quail is considered one of the most promising meat breeds. This breed was bred as a result of a mutation of Japanese quails in England. Females of this breed begin laying eggs at the age of one and a half months. Up to 280 eggs are laid per year, the weight of which is 10 g. With home content and a balanced feed base, quails gain weight of 300 g by the age of six months.
Marble quail
The marble quail got its name from the light smoky color of the feathers. This breed was developed by the All-Russian Institute of the Poultry Industry. The live weight of males is 150 - 180 g, females weigh up to 250 g. The egg production of quails reaches up to 320 eggs annually. The eggs weigh 18 g. Because of their unusual color, marble quails are used as decorative birds.
Quail Pharaoh
Pharaoh quails are meat quails. They gain weight quickly and are ready for slaughter within three months.
The weight of a broiler quail depends on the conditions of detention and the variety of the diet. You can feed the birds with a grain mixture, then the gutted carcass of males will weigh 160 g, and females - 100 g.
There is also a separate subspecies of the Pharaoh breed with white plumage. These birds are very difficult to find, but they are considered a meat-eating breed, as they lay up to 230 eggs weighing 12 g annually.
To breed quails in an artificial way in an incubator, eggs of two-month-old quails are used.