How much does a quail chick cost? A detailed guide to breeding techniques
The quail, also known as the quail bird or running quail, is a migratory bird commonly found in hills, wastelands, and by streams. Because its eggs are highly nutritious and inexpensive, it is deeply loved by people. At present, many people are farming them artificially, and to raise quails well, you need to select good breeding stock. So roughly how much does a quail chick cost? What are the breeding techniques?
I. Introduction to the quail:
1. Where are quails distributed?
The quail has a wide distribution range, being found both domestically and abroad. Abroad, it is distributed in places such as Denmark, Finland, Egypt, Austria, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bulgaria, India, Israel, and Iraq; domestically, it is distributed in places such as Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Anhui, Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan, and Sichuan. Generally, wild quails breed in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, overwinter in western Tibet and southwestern Lvdu, and then migrate south through Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Henan to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
2. What does a quail look like?
The quail is very small and round in body size, with brownish stripes tinged with grass-yellow on its body, as well as some irregular markings. They often move in pairs and are commonly seen in places such as dense wild grass, low scrubland plains, and hillsides. Quails are ground-dwelling birds that like to hide in the grass, and they eat some beans, tender leaves, and grains.
II. Roughly how much does a quail chick cost?
The market price of quail chicks is not expensive, roughly around 0.6 to 1.2 yuan each, but due to differences in origin, market, and selling time, there will be certain price differences. For example, at the Xiangyan Hatchery in Da'an Township, Hengyang County, quail chicks sell for roughly around 1 yuan each; at the Changyuan Poultry Hatchery in Zhengxiang District, Hengyang City, they sell for roughly around 0.8 yuan each; at the Babu Poultry Hatchery in Hezhou City, they sell for roughly around 0.8 yuan each; and at the Linyou Quail Farm in Nanchang County, they sell for roughly around 0.5 yuan each. So the specific price still needs to be checked at the local market.
III. What are the quail breeding techniques?
1. Site selection and building the housing: What places are suitable for breeding?
Quails are suitable for growing in places with sufficient water sources, a quiet living environment, and good ventilation. Therefore, when selecting a site, try to choose a place away from factories or urban areas but with convenient transportation for breeding. After choosing the site, build a quail house two meters high, install lighting equipment, then lay the crossbeams on top, enclose the surroundings with netting, and place some netting at the bottom so that after the female quail lays eggs, they can roll out conveniently. If using breeding cages, it is best to place a mesh opening at the bottom so that quail droppings can fall through, and at the same time the bottom of the net should be lower in front and higher in back, so that after the female quail lays eggs, they can roll out conveniently.
2. Seed selection and mating: What kind of quails are good to choose?
When selecting breeding stock, try to choose chicks with glossy feathers, full muscles, a small head, and a long neck, weighing around 130 to 150g, for breeding. After selecting the stock, choose female quails aged 3 to 12 months and male quails aged 4 to 6 months for mating. Generally, sexual desire is strongest in the morning or evening, so it is best to let them mate after the first feeding in the morning. If using artificial incubation, mating and breeding can be carried out at any time.
3. Incubation management: How is it managed?
After mating, quails will naturally enter the incubation period. At this time, 4 hours of additional lighting should be added at night, the room temperature should be controlled at 20 to 23 degrees, and the humidity at around 65%, to increase the egg production rate. About one week after laying eggs, select eggs with smooth shells and clear mottled patterns as breeding eggs, and store them in an environment with a temperature of 15 degrees and humidity of around 80%, and when the embryos are about to break the shell and hatch, rotate the breeding eggs every two or three hours to help them hatch quickly. Generally, breeding eggs begin to hatch on the 17th day, and 12 hours after hatching they can begin drinking water and eating.
4. Feeding management: How are they raised?
(1) Feed requirements: Quails have omnivorous feeding habits. Generally, feeding them some soybean cake, fish meal, cornmeal, cabbage, carrots, alfalfa, and rice bran, plus some multivitamins, antibiotics, and trace elements, is enough for healthy growth. Generally, feed four times a day, with regular and fixed amounts supplied.
(2) Stocking density: Generally, for 1-week-old young quails, raise 100 per sq m; for 2-week-old young quails, raise 85 per sq m; for 3-week-old young quails, raise 70 per sq m; for 4-week-old young quails, raise 50 per sq m. In a word, do not make it too dense, to avoid causing disease.
(3) Group management: Try to raise male and female quails in separate pens to increase the fertilization rate of breeding eggs. Of course, mixed raising is also possible, but when mixed, the best ratio of male to female quails is 1:3, and the quails left after mating should be treated as meat quails.
(4) Pest and disease control: During the growth period of quails, diseases such as pullorum disease, coccidiosis, ulcerative enteritis, diphtheria, Marek's disease, colibacillosis, and scaly leg disease may occur, so prevention and control measures should be taken well. For those that have already developed diseases, medicine should be given promptly according to the symptoms to reduce the occurrence of diseases.
The above is a detailed introduction to the market price of quail chicks and breeding techniques. I hope it is helpful to everyone.