A Detailed Explanation of Quail Breeding Methods and Technical Key Points

In nature, quails breed from May to July. Male and female birds do not form fixed pair bonds but follow a polygynous mating system. Usually, shortly after arriving at the breeding ground, the male bird establishes territory and begins courtship calls. During the breeding season, male birds are highly aggressive. Under artificial farming conditions, breeding can be achieved in all four seasons. Let us take a look at quail breeding methods below!

Selection of Fine Breeds

For excellent breeding quails, the eyes should be moderate in size, the neck should be slender and long, the head should be small and round, the feathers should be glossy, the muscles should be full, and the disposition should be gentle. Do not select inbred quails. The selection criteria for female quails are a large abdominal capacity and a body weight of 130-150 grams. Those weighing more than 170 grams have weak egg-laying ability. The specific egg-laying standard is: based on the egg production of female quails in the first 3 months of laying, those producing more than 250 eggs per year are considered good. Male quails can be selected 50 days after hatching. They are required to have a loud crow, with a slightly long and continuous sound, a strong body and broad chest, fully extended quail claws, a body weight of 120-130 grams, and a deep red protruding vent. If white foam appears when pressed by hand, it indicates that they have entered estrus and have mating ability.

Timely Mating

For the breeding age of breeding quails, female quails are from 3 months to 1 year old, and male quails are best at 4-6 months old. However, in actual rearing, male and female quails at 50-60 days of age begin mating and breeding. The breeding period is 1 year, and they are replaced every year. Quails have the strongest sexual desire in the morning and evening, and fertilization is highest after mating. It is best to let them mate after the first feeding in the morning. If artificial incubation can be carried out reliably, quails can be allowed to mate and breed in all four seasons of the year.

Egg-Laying Management

During the egg-laying period, light is very important. According to experiments, increasing light at night can raise the egg-laying rate by 25%. Therefore, a 60-watt electric light should be hung to supplement light for about 4 hours, so as to achieve 16 hours of light per day. For the rest of the time, switch to a 4-watt electric light for illumination.

Incubation Techniques

Quail incubation includes two types: natural incubation and artificial incubation. For natural incubation, female chickens or female pigeons can be chosen as surrogate incubators. Artificial incubation uses a chicken incubator to hatch selected good quail breeding eggs. The incubation temperature is slightly higher than that for hatching chicks. Generally, a room temperature of 20-23°C is sufficient, and the relative humidity should be maintained at about 65%. In the two days before hatching, the humidity should be increased to above 80%, and ventilation should be provided frequently. When the embryos are about to break the shell and hatch, turn the breeding eggs at a 90-degree angle every 2-3 hours to help the embryos move. The incubation period of breeding eggs is 17 days. After the young quails hatch, start feeding and watering 12 hours later, no later than 24 hours.