Content
Russian poultry farmers rarely breed California crested quails. They are originally from the USA. They are naturally found on the west coast from Oregon to California. Local residents call them partridges.
California crested quails have been successfully acclimatized in New Zealand, Colombia, and Chile. But in the vastness of Europe, the Californian quail has not taken root. This is an amazingly decorative bird, look at the photo: crested partridge in the wild.
Description
Californian breed quails are easily distinguished from other relatives by their crest. And the appearance is also surprisingly elegant:
- The body is dense, length from 23 to 25 cm.
- On the neat, small tail, the feathers are arranged in steps.
- The beak of the California Crested Quail is black and curved to eat seeds.
- The quail's legs are medium-sized, dark leaden.
- The head is small, neat, and proudly set. The crest is made up of several feathers curved down like a visor. The California quail has a larger crest than the quail. This is clearly visible in the photo showing the sweet couple.
If we talk about the color of the feathers, they are not much different, except that the males have a bright, contrasting outfit.Male California quails have a yellowish-white patch on their forehead. There are also white lines: one is located above the eyes, and the other is located like a crescent on the neck, covering it with a white “scarf”.
The California Crested Quail has an olive tint to its brown back. The abdomen is covered with brown or yellowish feathers. Each of them is surrounded by a black border. The lower part of the body appears to be covered with “fish scales.” The California Crested Quail looks elegant, but not so bright.
Pros and cons of growing
Why are California Crested Quail increasingly appearing in backyards? First, let's look at the advantages:
- First of all, the decorative nature of the bird attracts attention; the crest alone is worth it!
- Secondly, caring for California partridges is not particularly difficult; it is enough to build spacious enclosures (cage keeping is unacceptable) and create comfortable conditions.
- In terms of food, tufted quails are unpretentious.
- When comfortable conditions are created, California quails practically do not get sick.
If we talk about the disadvantages, it is difficult to raise chicks, they are flimsy, and it is impossible to raise a large flock. Consequently, you won’t get a lot of meat, including healthy quail eggs. And the main drawback is that the cost of California quail is too high.
Features of keeping in captivity
Arrangement of storage space
California crested quail do not survive well in cages. Therefore, when raising birds at home, you need to equip them with spacious enclosures. Birds kept in captivity have not lost many of the habits inherent in their wild crested relatives.To rest and sleep, California quails need to create special perches that imitate trees. It's best to use a regular branch. It is necessary to arrange nesting places for laying eggs. Option in the photo.
Temperature and lighting
In their homeland, quails can live peacefully at low temperatures. But for domestic California grouse, temperatures below +10 degrees can be disastrous. Therefore, in winter, birds should be kept in a ventilated, warm room with a humidity of about 55%.
In the enclosure where the quails are kept, it is necessary to place a vessel filled with a mixture of sand and ash to “bathe” the pets. This is the prevention of parasites living in feathers. The composition needs to be changed from time to time.
In the summer, the California Crested Quail has enough natural light, but with shortening daylight hours, especially in winter, it cannot do without artificial lighting.
Poultry farmers should remember that reducing lighting to 15 hours leads to a decrease in quail egg production. Optimally, the light in the room should be at least 18 hours.
So, it won’t take long to lose the livestock!
Despite the fact that crested birds living at home have lost the ability to fly, California quails are very curious; they have no reason to climb to a small height and look, for example, through a window, as in the photo.
Diet
Quails are unpretentious; they eat almost all food, including grain, vegetables, herbs, and table scraps.
- An adult crested male needs 5-7 grams of grain per day; females and quails need less. Among grains (crushed form), preference is given to: wheat and corn, millet and oats, sorghum. It should be given in the morning and evening. Adult California quails can be occasionally fed with whole rice, pearl barley, and wheat.
- The mash, which is given only during the day, can be varied with fresh cabbage, beets, carrots, and potatoes. Beets and potatoes must first be boiled. If you have alfalfa, clover, and other garden greens, then they also need to be included in the diet. Crested Californians especially need vegetable supplements in winter. Any additives are crushed before being added to the mash.
- Crested quails love steamed peas, lentils, and beans.
- California quail should receive some poppy seed, this is given from an early age.
- Bone and fish meal are required, they are the main suppliers of protein. If there are no ready-made compounds, then fresh meat and fish waste is added to the mash.
- The quail finds worms and other small insects on its own in the summer, but they can be specially prepared for winter feeding.
- Breeding tufted quails at home involves feeding them with mixed feed. Only special ones need to be used. A good substitute is combined food for parrots.
- In winter, you need to specially grow spinach, lettuce, onions, and germinate whole grains in the window. They are useful as vitamin supplements.
- You need to add crushed shell rock, chalk, and fine gravel to the feeders. Mineral supplements are needed for shell formation and bone strength.
Clean water should always be available. It has to be changed often, because tufted quails are big fans of rinsing their beaks. Potassium permanganate is added from time to time as a preventative against parasites. As soon as the birds have drunk the solution, it must be poured out: they will no longer come to the drinking bowl.
Therefore, feed intended for livestock should not be given. You need to be careful when handling salty foods, such as cabbage: it is first soaked.
Features of breeding
Under natural conditions, California quails begin mating in March. One female can hatch up to 12 eggs. Incubation time is 22 days.
The eggs of the California crested quail are pear-shaped, completely covered with multi-colored dark spots, as in this photo.
The domestic California quail has larger eggs than its wild relatives, weighing approximately 11 grams. Domestic partridges, unfortunately, for the most part have lost their maternal feelings. Therefore, breeding quails is most often trusted to incubators. When choosing, you need to choose those types that are equipped with glass for observing the eggs, so as not to miss the moment the quails are born.
The hatched babies need to be kept in special sparrowhawks for some time, creating appropriate conditions: lighting, temperature, air humidity, feeding ration. Californian quails are too weak, so they can be introduced to adult birds within a month and a half.
Some poultry farmers use a caring laying hen to produce offspring, placing quail eggs under it. Klusha is meticulous about the hatched chicks and will teach them about life. In this case, during breeding, the mortality rate among Californian quails decreases.
We offer a video that will help you avoid mistakes when breeding quails:
Let's sum it up
Ornamental California tufted quails are not bred at home as often as other species. After all, they practically do not receive profit in the form of meat or eggs. But there is a lot of pleasure in watching the lives of these little birds. Only the California quail, living freely in an enclosure, can demonstrate a funny run with swaying or, having flown up onto a perch, look down at the owner with curiosity. Owners of California quails take many interesting photos.
We must always remember that we have to answer for everyone we place in our yard.
