How to raise egg-laying quail? A detailed explanation of the key points of breeding technology

    Quail is a special economic poultry species with the advantages of fast growth, early maturity, high egg production, low feed consumption and a short production cycle. Quail meat is nutritious, rich in protein, iron, calcium and phosphorus, and is praised as a delicacy of wild game; quail eggs are rich in lecithin, cephalin and hormones, and the protein molecules of quail eggs are smaller than those of chicken eggs, making them easier to digest and absorb, with special therapeutic effects on allergies and gastrointestinal diseases and a special nutritional effect on the human nervous system. The meat, eggs and blood of quail can all be used as medicine. A female quail can start laying at 45—50 days of age, producing 200—300 eggs per year, equivalent to 2.4—3 kg, with an average laying rate of over 80%. Each quail consumes only 0.75 kg of feed from hatching to laying, only 20—25 grams per day per bird, and 9 kg for the whole year, with a feed-to-egg ratio of 2.6—2.7:1. The incubation period of quail is only 17 days, and they can breed all year round. Raising quail has high comprehensive benefits and a stable market. At present, the domestic breeding volume is second only to chickens and ducks. 
I. Living habits of quail
        1. Quail prefer a warm and dry environment. Below 15 degrees Celsius and above 30 degrees Celsius, the laying rate declines; the optimum temperature for laying is 20—22 degrees Celsius.
2. Quail are timid and easily startled, so the breeding room must be kept quiet. At present they are all kept in cages, with the cage height at 15—25 cm, to prevent them from injuring their heads by flying up when startled.
3. Quail grow and develop quickly and have a short lifespan. At hatching they weigh only 78 grams, and by 45—50 days of age, when sexually mature, their body weight can reach 120 grams.
II. Breeding of breeding quail
1. Selection of breeding quail. Whether male or female, breeding quail should be selected from within three generations, well developed, disease-free, weighing over 120 grams and of full body shape. In male quail, the seminal package, a red ball-shaped structure above the vent, is large and bright red; in female quail, the abdominal volume is large, the distance from the free end of the pubic bone to the rear end of the sternum is three fingers wide, and the distance between the left and right pubic bones is two fingers wide. Male and female breeding quail are kept together in a ratio of 1:3 and mate naturally.
2. Incubation. Select breeding eggs laid within one week, with obvious speckling, moderate size and normal egg shape. After disinfection, place them with the blunt end up in a room at 25 degrees Celsius to pre-warm for 6—8 hours, then begin incubation.
Incubation management is as follows:
a. Temperature: During the incubation of quail eggs, the principle of “high in the early stage, level in the middle stage, low in the late stage” should be followed, while flexibly applying “adjusting temperature according to the embryo” in light of the incubation season, outside temperature and embryonic development. Generally it is kept between 38—39 degrees Celsius.
b. Relative humidity: The relative humidity in the incubator is kept at 60—65%. On the day before hatching, the humidity can be raised to 80%.
c. Ventilation: The embryo's demand for oxygen is low in the early stage and high in the late stage; low in winter and high in summer. During the first 8 days of incubation, the vent should be opened regularly for air exchange, and during the last 8 days, air should be exchanged frequently.
④ Egg turning: From the start of incubation until 2—3 days before hatching, when the eggs are transferred to the hatching tray, turn the eggs 4—12 times per day and night.
d. Cooling the eggs: Open the door of the incubator to lower the egg temperature. Each cooling should be flexibly adjusted according to the specific situation; it is enough to feel a slight coolness when testing the temperature with the eyelid.
e. Candling the eggs: The first candling is carried out 5—7 days after incubation to eliminate infertile eggs and eggs with dead embryos; the second candling is carried out 12—13 days after incubation to eliminate eggs with mid-term deaths.
f. Hatching: On day 15 of incubation, transfer the eggs from the egg tray to the hatching tray, increase the humidity in the incubator to 80% until hatching, and the newly hatched quail can be taken out once their down is dry.