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Quails are excellent birds for home breeding. They are not picky and have fairly good health. In addition, unlike turkeys or chickens, which can only be kept in a separate room, quails live well in apartments. Of course, such breeding will not allow keeping a large number of birds, but it will be quite enough for the needs of one family. Quails in an apartment will require certain maintenance conditions from the breeder. They will be discussed in this article.
Apartment breeding of quails
Indoor quail breeding is not as uncommon as it might seem at first glance. While we have parrots and canaries, practical Japanese have been keeping quails in their apartments for many decades. For them, quails in the apartment are not only a symbol of well-being and prosperity, but also a source of the most valuable dietary eggs.
Their use helps restore immunity and hormonal levels. In addition, a number of studies prove the ability of quail eggs to remove radionuclides from the body, reducing the negative effects of radiation exposure.
Quails began to appear in our apartments relatively recently.Due to their unpretentiousness, they are excellent for apartment maintenance. Not the least role in indoor breeding was played by the fact that quails are among the quietest birds. Female quails are almost always silent, and only males can scream, and even then rarely.
Many people believe that quail in an apartment will be a source of dirt and unpleasant odor. But the same can be said about cats and dogs, which we invariably choose as our pets. Any animal or bird kept in an apartment requires certain care and cleaning. If you take proper care of the quails in your apartment, there will be no dirt or smell, but only benefits in the form of healthy eggs and dietary meat.
The cage and its location
When planning an apartment breeding of quails, the first thing you should do is take care of the place where they will be kept. For different numbers of quails, the location will be slightly different:
- if you plan to keep several quails, then you can limit yourself to a regular parrot cage;
- when keeping 4-15 quails, it is worth using a special cage with a front mesh wall;
- For keeping 50 or more quails, it is recommended to use special cage batteries.
Moreover, if quails are kept in an apartment for the sake of eggs, then they can be planted in groups of 15 individuals in one cage, but its dimensions must be no less than 55x50x25 cm. But if the main purpose of keeping is the breeding of quails, then the birds should be planted in families consisting of 4 females and 1 male. For each such family, a cage with dimensions of 30x40x20 cm will be enough.
This is necessary for the safety of the chicks.After all, adult quails, especially males, can injure them.
A cage for breeding quails in an apartment can be found in any specialized store. Their price range will allow you to choose an option for any wallet. Particularly handy breeders make cages for indoor quail breeding on their own. As materials used in creation quail cages, they use:
- wooden beams;
- metal mesh and wire;
- plastic tray for collecting litter;
How to make a quail cage using these materials will be explained in the video:
Inside a quail cage you bought or made with your own hands, you need to install feeders and a drinking bowl. You can also either buy them or make them yourself.
At keeping quails In an apartment, not only the cage itself is important, but also its location. The location of the quail cage in the apartment directly affects the normal development and egg laying of birds. Therefore, a cage with quails in an apartment should be located in a place that is:
- Quiet – in a noisy place, quails will experience constant stress. This can cause them to become aggressive, attack each other and lay poorly.
- Ventilated – fresh air is very important for quails, but without drafts. The quails will start to get sick from them. It is best to install a small fan for them.
- Illuminated - this is one of the main requirements for a place for quails. They are incredibly sensitive to light. For optimal growth, quails need dim but long-lasting lighting. Daylight hours for them should last at least 17 hours.
- Warm – it is best to provide quails with a temperature of 18-20 degrees.This temperature regime will be the best for quails. The maximum permissible temperature for quail will be 25 degrees, and the lower temperature threshold is 18 degrees. When the air temperature is less than 18 degrees, the quail will begin to get sick.
- Wet – the optimal humidity for quails will be 60%.
Quails in an apartment can live both in the room and on the balcony. If a room is allocated in an apartment for breeding quails, then there should be no TV or other sources of noise in it. In addition, it is desirable that people go there as rarely as possible.
In an apartment, the best place to place cages with quails would be a glazed balcony. It will ideally meet all the conditions necessary for birds, namely it will be quiet, bright and ventilated. But there will be one mandatory requirement for it - it must be insulated. In addition, it would be useful to insulate the frame of the quail cages with plastic film or foam. To create better conditions, you can install additional lighting lamps and a fan.
Feeding quails
Food for quails bred in an apartment is no less important than the conditions under which they are kept. Their further growth and health will depend on it.
Quail feed ingredients
Food for quails in an apartment can be divided into two types:
- industrial feed, which is purchased in specialized stores;
- self-prepared food.
The only difference between the two feeds is that industrial feed is used for already adult birds, but for young birds it is better to make feed yourself.
Some breeders, when choosing food for quails in an apartment, choose regular feed for laying hens. But such food contains a small amount of crude protein, which is so necessary for quails.
Self-composed food for quails should contain a crushed base and protein. The following components are used as the basis of quail feed:
- Corn is a valuable source of energy for quail. But due to the high starch content, quails may not digest it well. Therefore, it must be diluted with meat and bone or fish meal.
- Oats – saturates quail food with useful microelements and vitamins. Before adding it to the feed, it must be well sifted and peeled.
- Millet is similar in composition to oats. It is recommended to alternate them.
- Wheat – has a positive effect on the productivity of quails. Only well-ground wheat or Artek wheat groats should be added to the feed.
Protein for quails can be egg, milk or meat. Boiled eggs are used as a source of egg protein for quails. Quail milk protein can be obtained from cottage cheese and fermented milk. Fish waste, meat and bone meal and minced meat can be used as a source of meat protein.
In addition to these feed components, quail in the apartment should receive carbohydrates. Their main sources are foods such as soy, peas and lentils.Before adding them to quail food, they need to be slightly boiled and chopped. Don't forget about fresh grass and vegetables. The daily diet of quails should contain at least 15%. Quails can be given not only regular finely chopped grass, but also beet, carrot, dandelion, clover and nettle leaves. In winter, lettuce, dill and cabbage are used instead of grass. Vegetables for quails include boiled potatoes and beets or grated raw carrots.
Since quails in the apartment will lay eggs, their diet should include mineral supplements necessary to replenish calcium reserves. Such quail feeding should consist of crushed chalk, gravel, egg shells or shells.
Feeding ration
Young and adult quails living in an apartment have different needs for nutrients. Therefore, each return group will have its own feeding regimen. Quails have 3 life periods:
- The first period lasts the first 7 days after the birth of the chick. During this period, quail chicks especially need calcium and protein. For the first 2 days after birth, quail chicks should receive boiled and crushed eggs with shells. On the 3rd day, you can add grated cottage cheese to the egg. After this, you can gradually introduce chopped greens.
- The second period lasts from the 2nd to 4th week of the chick’s life. During this period, young quails need to be fed 4 times a day with purchased or homemade feed with added protein.
- In the third period of its life, the quail chick becomes an adult. His diet should contain ground grain mixtures, protein products, herbs and mineral supplements.
The largest portion should be given at night. This will allow the birds not to feel hungry until the morning.
Bird selection
Now that we have dealt with the conditions of keeping and feeding quails in the apartment, we can talk about the most important thing - the right choice of birds for breeding. For indoor breeding, you need to buy young quail chicks aged from 1 to 1.5 months. Younger chicks may not tolerate the move well and will take a long time to get used to the new living conditions.
When choosing quail chicks, you should pay special attention to their appearance:
- the feathers of young quails should be clean, especially in the area near the cloaca;
- the beak of the chicks must be clean and free of growths;
- there should be no traces of droppings on the quail’s paws, they should also be clean;
- Externally, the chick should look healthy.
In addition to external signs, it is worth paying attention to the motor activity of quail chicks and their appetite. They should not sit huddled in a corner, but should be active and cheerful. If time and the breeder allow, then you need to wait for the quails to feed and make sure they have a good appetite.
As for the breed, for breeding in an apartment it is worth choosing a Japanese breed of quail. They were specially bred for apartment living and are particularly unpretentious.
The success of breeding quails in an apartment will entirely depend on whether the breeder manages to create the conditions necessary for them. Therefore, before you have quails in your apartment, you should sensibly assess your capabilities.They, like any other living being, will require some care, even if it is minor.
