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Despite the fact that quails have been known in Russia for a very long time, even under Ivan the Terrible, fried quail dishes were widespread; real industrial breeding of these unpretentious birds began only in the second half of the 20th century. The first farms specializing in breeding quails and obtaining meat and eggs from them appeared in Russia only in 1964.
All subsequent varieties of breeds were derived from this one breed. The process went a long way through endless crossings and mutations and selection of the most egg-bearing or largest in terms of weight (meat) individuals. As a result, at the moment there are three conventional groups of quails, which differ in their characteristics when described: egg, meat and meat. It should be noted that in the case of quails, unlike, for example, chickens, this division is quite arbitrary. After all, even meat quail breeds also lay a sufficient number of eggs, and the difference between egg and meat breeds becomes clear only with industrial keeping of several tens of thousands of heads. For home content or small-scale farming, any breed of quail will be of value, since first it is possible to obtain a sufficient number of eggs from it, and then the quail can be used for meat. But there are still differences in the characteristics of the breeds, and the egg breeds of quails are now very diverse, and in order to choose the most suitable ones for yourself, you must first get to know them better.
Egg direction
Usually people who want to improve their health or the health of their children, or those who are not interested in slaughtering birds for meat, but want to receive only quail eggs in as large a quantity as possible, think about purchasing a breed of quail for eggs. Why are quail eggs so attractive that they are even preferred over chicken eggs?
Composition and properties of quail eggs
The average weight of a quail egg is about 10-11 grams. For comparison, a chicken egg weighs five times more, 48-55 grams. A quail egg has a rather thin shell, but despite this, the eggs are not fragile, and to prepare a dish from many dozens of quail eggs, many now even use special scissors - it is so difficult to crack the shell.
One quail egg contains 1.3 g of protein, 1.1 g of fat, 0.05 g of carbohydrates. And if we talk about calorie content, then one quail egg contains about 15-16 calories. Well suited for nutrition even for those who are losing excess weight.In addition, the egg contains iron, calcium, copper, phosphorus, cobalt, carotenoids and vitamins A, B1, B2 and PP. The main advantage of quail eggs is their hypoallergenic properties, thanks to which they can be included in the diet of allergy sufferers. What other medicinal properties do quail eggs have?
- Reduce the growth rate of cancer cells;
- Increase brain activity, improve memory and have a calming effect on the nervous system;
- Promote the healing of stomach ulcers and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- They help remove heavy metals and toxins from the body and increase hemoglobin levels, therefore they are very useful for pregnant women and small children, weakened after illness;
- Used for cosmetic purposes, as they improve the condition of the skin and hair;
- They are used in the treatment of diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, and vegetative-vascular dystonia.
Well, in comparison with chicken eggs, the calculation of profitability is quite simple. Even based on average egg production, one quail can lay 250 eggs per year, which corresponds to its mass increased by 20 times. A chicken lays a number of eggs per year corresponding to its weight increased by 8 times. But at the same time, quail eats feed per year that is at least 10 times less than chicken. Therefore, quail eggs are not only healthier, but also more profitable than chicken eggs. By the way, the productive period of chickens and quails approximately coincides, since the quail lays the largest number of eggs in the first year of life; in the second year, the number of eggs laid decreases, but it can still lay eggs. And she completely loses the ability to lay eggs only at the age of 2.5-3 years.
Japanese quail
This breed is currently one of the best for breeding for eggs. Moreover, it is a kind of standard for other breeds - usually it is with its parameters that egg, meat and other characteristics of different breeds are compared.
The weight of the quails themselves is small: males 110-120 g, females 135-150 g. Under favorable conditions, female Japanese quails can begin laying eggs at the age of 35-40 days. In a year, each quail can lay from 290 to 320 eggs. The eggs are small, weighing from 9 to 12 grams. The fertile egg-laying period for quails lasts about a year; the next year the number of eggs laid may decrease by two or more times.
U Japanese breed of quail there are many additional benefits:
- They are very unpretentious in maintenance;
- They have high resistance to various diseases;
- They quickly gain weight in the first weeks of life and by 40 days they reach the weight of adult quails;
- In addition, already at the age of 20 days they exhibit sexual differences, which makes it possible to separate the selected quails into different cages at an earlier date. It is easy to distinguish a male from a female by the color of the plumage on the chest - brown tones predominate in males, and light gray with black specks predominate in females. In addition, the beak color of males is darker than that of females.
The main disadvantage of Japanese quails is the small live weight of the birds, so they are not suitable for meat production.But for beginner lovers of quail eggs, this breed is one of the best due to its unpretentiousness.
For lovers of everything unusual, we can recommend the marbled breed, which is an exact copy of Japanese quail in its characteristics, but has a very unique appearance.
This is a mutant form obtained in Russia by X-raying the testes of male Japanese quails. The result was quails of an original light gray color with red specks, reminiscent of marble. There are other colors: golden, white and others, but usually they are kept more at home, as ornamental birds, since their egg-laying characteristics are uncertain.
English or British white quail
This breed was bred in England and came to Russia only in the 80s of the last century. English white quail are considered one of the most promising breeds, especially for industrial breeding, because due to the white color of their plumage, they have a soft pink carcass color, which is very attractive to potential buyers. Even though their live weight is only slightly higher than the weight of Japanese quails: males 140-160g, females 160-180g, for the above reason they are often used for breeding for meat. Although the egg production of this breed of quail is also quite high - up to 280 eggs per year.
In addition, in recent years, this particular breed is often used as the basis for breeding broiler lines of quail - for example, in Europe, breeders have managed to breed birds whose females reach 250-300 grams of live weight.The breed of English white quail is also unpretentious in keeping and feeding, but it is better to breed these quails for more experienced poultry farmers, since it has one drawback - it is quite difficult to distinguish the sex of quails before they reach 7-8 weeks of age. At this age, they become sexually mature and the male can be distinguished by the presence of a cloacal gland in the form of a small pinkish thickening. The female does not have one, and the surface around the cloaca has a bluish tint.
Meat and egg breeds
The identification of this direction is rather arbitrary, since the breeds differ slightly from each other in their characteristics.
Manchurian golden quail
This breed of quail is interesting, first of all, for its unusual color. Yellow and brown specks are scattered randomly on a light background, resulting in a very picturesque golden tint effect.
If you are faced with the choice of which breed of quail is best to purchase for beginners, then we can confidently recommend Manchurian golden quails, since, along with the beauty of their plumage, they are distinguished by good egg production - 260-280 eggs per year, and their eggs are larger. than Japanese quails - 15-16 grams per egg. In addition, you can get a decent meat yield from quails of this breed, since the average weight of males is 160-180g, and females reach 180-200g. Well, the color of the carcass, thanks to its light plumage, is also not able to repel potential buyers.
Manchurian quail They are also distinguished by their unpretentiousness in maintenance and low feed consumption per head.
Estonian quail breed
At the moment, this breed is the most popular both among farmers and large agro-industrial enterprises, and among amateur poultry farmers who are just planning to breed quails on their farm. And this is not without reason. The kiteverse (another name for the Estonian breed) has many advantages that make it universal and attractive for breeding.
- Good egg fertilization - 90-92%.
- Good health and not picky about living conditions.
- High viability and survival rate of young quails - up to 98%.
- Rapid weight gain during the first weeks of life.
- Long lifespan and long egg-laying period.
- It is easy to distinguish a male from a female as early as two weeks of age. The male has three light yellow stripes on his head. The female's neck and head are gray-brown.
Owner reviews
Look at the reviews given to this breed by people who have tried to breed it.
Video review
Meat breeds of quail
Meat quails appeared much later than egg and meat-egg breeds, but in recent years this particular direction has been characterized by a rapid pace of development.
Pharaoh
Until recently, this was the only meat breed in our country. But lately she's been so crowded out Texan white, that some sources even classify the pharaohs as meat-eating. Indeed, despite the fairly large size that quail of the Pharaoh breed reach - males up to 260 g, females up to 320 g, they still have a relatively high egg production, on average 220 eggs per year, although for some poultry farmers this figure reaches 260 eggs per year year. In addition, the eggs themselves are quite large, weighing up to 18 grams.
U quail breed Pharaoh There are also some disadvantages: they are quite demanding in terms of housing and feeding conditions, and the dark color of the plumage worsens the presentation of the carcasses.
Texas Whites
This breed appeared in our country relatively recently, but the demand for it has already exceeded all expectations. It has many similar names such as Texas Giant Whites, Meat Weighted Whites, etc.
On average, live weight for males is 360 g, and for females - 450 g. At the same time, it is not uncommon for female white Texas quail to reach 500 grams or more. The meat yield is about 50% of live weight.
White Texas quails have the following advantages:
- High live weight and meat yield;
- Attractive appearance of the carcass for buyers;
- Simplicity and unpretentiousness in content, calm disposition.
The breed also has disadvantages:
- Relatively low egg production and egg fertility;
- Males are not very active, so more of them are needed for the same number of females;
- Determine gender It is possible only after the onset of puberty and the beginning of egg production.
Watch a video review of Texas bobwhite quail:
Conclusion
After reading the information presented in this article, you will most likely be able to decide which breed of quail is best suited for you.
Well, you bent about the eggs, I don’t really want to. Panacea right.