Key Points of Quail Breeding Technology and Detailed Explanation of Daily Management Methods
The quail is a wild bird with relatively high economic value, also known as the quail bird, Wan quail, running quail, etc. It is a migratory bird of the genus Coturnix in the family Phasianidae. Its meat is tender and plump, delicious in taste, and rich in nutrition, with higher nutritional components than eggs. Quail breeding has the characteristics of simple equipment, convenient management, easy rearing, and remarkable benefits, and is worth vigorously promoting. Let's take a look at quail breeding technology together below!
Quail Breeding Technology
1. Seed selection: For excellent breeding quail, the eyes should be moderate in size, the neck should be slender, the head should be small and round, the feathers should be glossy, the muscles should be plump, and the demeanor should be gentle. Do not select inbred quail. The selection standard for female quail is a large abdominal volume and a body weight of 130-150 grams. Those weighing more than 170 grams have weak egg-laying capacity. The specific egg-laying standard is that, based on the egg production of female quail in the first 3 months of laying, those producing more than 250 eggs per year are good. Male quail can be selected 50 days after hatching, requiring a loud cry, long and continuous sound, a strong body and broad chest, fully extended quail claws, a body weight of 120-130 grams, and a dark red protruding cloaca. If white foam appears when pressed by hand, it indicates that it is in estrus and has mating ability.
2. Mating: The breeding age of breeding quail is from 3 months to 1 year for female quail, and 4-6 months of age is best for male quail. However, in actual rearing, male and female quail at 50-60 days of age begin mating and reproduction, with a reproduction period of 1 year and replacement every year. Quail have the strongest sexual desire in the morning and evening, and the fertilization rate 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, quail can be allowed to mate and reproduce throughout the year.
3. Egg laying: 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 lamp should be hung to supplement light for about 4 hours, so as to achieve 16 hours of light per day. The rest of the time, switch to a 4-watt electric lamp for lighting.
4. Incubation: Quail incubation includes natural incubation and artificial incubation. For natural incubation, female chickens or female pigeons can be selected for surrogate incubation. 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 more than 80%, and ventilation should be frequent. When the embryo is about to break the shell and hatch, turn the breeding eggs at a 90-degree angle every 2-3 hours to help the embryo move. The incubation period of breeding eggs is 17 days. After the quail chicks hatch, start feeding and drinking water 12 hours later, no later than 24 hours.
Feeding and Management of Quail
1. Quail house: The quail house should be built with slightly dim light, good ventilation in summer, and protection against harm from dogs, cats, rats, etc. Lighting equipment must be installed, and there must be light at night to increase the egg-laying rate of female quail. In the rearing room, place brooding cages, fattening cages, breeding quail cages, and arrange a hatching room. The rearing cages can be made of bamboo and wood, or made of iron. The bottom of the cage should be made into a mesh, and the mesh size should be suitable for quail droppings to fall through, with a spacing of roughly 1.2 cm. The mesh bottom should be high at the back and low at the front, with a slight slope, so that eggs can roll out after the female quail lays them.
2. Feed: For quail feed, try to use foods with little fiber and rich nutrition, and the varieties should be diversified. Generally, it is composed of soybean cake, fish meal, cornmeal, wheat bran, rice bran, alfalfa grass, cabbage, carrots, bone meal, calcium carbonate, salt, etc. Some multivitamins, antibiotics, and trace elements can also be added. The feed should be relatively stable, and if it needs to be changed, it should be transitioned gradually.
3. Feeding: There are two methods of feeding quail. One is to feed dry material and set up separate drinking equipment. The other is to feed wet material. When feeding wet material, the ratio of dry material to water is 1:3 in summer, 1:2 in winter, and 1:2.5 in spring. Feed 4 times a day, achieving supply at fixed times, fixed amounts, and fixed quality. For quail at 9-10 weeks of age, adopt the feeding method of "give as much as they can eat."
4. Management
① Grouping: It is best to raise male and female quail in separate groups so that they can mate at fixed times, thereby increasing the fertilization rate of breeding eggs. If it is inconvenient to separate groups, mixed rearing is also acceptable. When raising them together, the ratio of male quail to female quail is 1:3. Apart from the quail kept for breeding, the remaining male quail are treated as meat quail.
② Density: In feeding and management, attention should be paid to rearing density. The flat-rearing density of young quail is 100 birds/1 week of age/sq m, 85 birds/2 weeks of age/sq m, 70 birds/3 weeks of age/sq m, and 50 birds/4 weeks of age/sq m.
③ Environment: The surrounding environment for quail breeding should be quiet. If disturbed, it will affect the egg laying of female quail.
Disease Prevention and Control of Quail
1. Pullorum disease
[Symptoms] Pullorum disease is a common and highly harmful bacterial infectious disease. Sick quail are listless, and the droppings are white and paste-like.
[Prevention and control] Adding 0.4% sulfadiazine or 0.1% sulfaquinoxaline to the feed of sick quail has a certain effect. The cages and house should be kept clean and dry, the temperature should be stable, and overcrowding should be prevented.
2. Coccidiosis
[Symptoms] Coccidiosis is an acute epidemic disease caused by intestinal infection. Sick quail have loose and ruffled feathers, and droppings contain blood.
[Prevention and control] Sulfamerazine or sulfadimethazine can be mixed into feed at a ratio of 0.2% or dissolved in drinking water, and taken continuously for 4-5 days to see results.
3. Ulcerative enteritis
[Symptoms] Ulcerative enteritis is a highly contagious disease in domestic quail. Quail arch their backs, keep both eyes tightly closed, and have diarrhea.
[Prevention and control] Dihydrostreptomycin and tylosin are both relatively good therapeutic drugs, and tetracycline and furans also have certain curative effects.
4. Diphtheria
[Symptoms] Diphtheria mostly occurs in the plum rain season. Sick quail have swollen eyes, tear discharge, and poor appetite.
[Prevention and control] 0.1% dimethoxypyrimidine sodium powder can be mixed into feed or dissolved in water for drinking. At the same time, the head of the sick quail should also be cleaned and disinfected in a 0.5% potassium permanganate solution for better results.
5. Marek's disease
[Symptoms] Marek's disease is also a viral disease commonly occurring in quail. Sick quail show poor spirits, paralysis, anemia, drooping wings, and greenish loose droppings. On necropsy, the visceral type is commonly seen, manifesting as single or multiple tumors in the heart, lungs, glands, stomach, liver, kidneys, testes, and ovaries.
[Prevention and control] There is no specific drug treatment for Marek's disease, so prevention should be the main approach. Subcutaneous injection of Marek's vaccine in newborn quail has a relatively good effect.
6. Colibacillosis
[Symptoms] Colibacillosis is an infectious disease caused by Escherichia coli, including acute septicemia, omphalitis, airsacculitis, perihepatitis, enteritis, arthritis, granuloma, and yolk peritonitis, etc.
[Prevention and control] Colibacillosis is a conditional disease, and improving the environment is an effective measure to prevent its occurrence. Escherichia coli is mainly infected through the digestive tract, respiratory tract, umbilicus, and skin wounds. Refuse to use feed that is spoiled or contaminated by mold and Escherichia coli. Strengthen quail feeding management, frequently scrub water troughs and drinking utensils, use high-quality feed, and enhance disease resistance.
7. Scaly leg disease
[Symptoms] The pathogen of scaly leg disease is the mutant scabies mite, which mostly parasitizes the shank and toes of quail. The shank and toes of sick quail become inflamed, with inflammatory exudate, forming gray-white or yellow scabs. In severe cases, it can cause joint swelling, toe bone deformation, difficulty walking, stunted growth, and decreased egg production.
[Prevention and control] For treatment, 20% sulfur ointment can be applied to the affected area, twice a day for 3-5 consecutive days. The scabs on the shank and toes can also be washed off with warm water, then soaked in 0.1% trichlorfon solution for 4-5 minutes.