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Process quail incubation in the conditions of your own farm - the task is not too burdensome if you follow simple rules. Chicks are invariably in demand on the market, and quail meat is in constant demand. It is very tasty and has dietary qualities. If you wish, you can breed birds in an incubator and increase your own number tenfold within a year.
Obtaining high-quality reproductive material
One of the advantages of breeding quails is that they lay eggs 1.5 months after they hatch. However, not every reproductive material is suitable for placing in an incubator. It needs to be fertilized, fresh and with good genetic information. If you want to breed quails to form your own flock, there are 3 to 4 females per male. In this case, you can count on the fact that the females will be covered and there will be enough material for incubation.
On your own mini-poultry farm, it is possible to achieve an increase in productivity up to 80%.Quails and quails are kept in separate enclosures. To mate, the quail is left in a small enclosure with two males for half an hour. What rules must be followed to ensure that the reproductive material for incubation is of high quality?
The optimal age for laying hens is from 2.5 to 9.0 months. Males for mating should be used no older than 3 months of age. If the quail is older than 3 months, it should be discarded and replaced with a 2-month old sire.
The criteria for the suitability of eggs for breeding quail in an incubator are as follows:
- The hatching fertilized egg should not be too large or small.
- The weight of one egg is: for egg breeds - from 9 to 11 g, for meat breeds - from 12 to 16 g.
- The shell is neither too dull nor too variegated.
- The shell is not rough to the touch.
- Another important point is the correct form. Neither pointed nor spherical eggs are suitable for incubation.
It is possible to draw final conclusions about the suitability of an egg for placement in an incubator using an ovoscope made independently. Make a cardboard cylinder and cut a window in the center the size of an egg. From the end, insert a lamp connected to the electrical power supply.
We do not incubate the material in the following cases.
- Cracks in the shell.
- An air chamber at the side of the egg or at the sharp end.
- The yolk is not centered.
- The presence of two yolks.
- White and yolk with spots.
Storage of incubation material
Fertilized eggs can be stored for no more than 1 week before being placed in the incubator. Each subsequent day reduces the likelihood of a full-fledged quail being born by a third.This is explained by the fact that the viability of the embryo does not exceed four weeks.
Before being placed in the incubator, the reproductive material is kept in a well-ventilated room, at an air temperature of 10 to 12 degrees and a relative humidity of about 80%. To humidify the air in a room, you can use an open vessel filled with water.
It is necessary to protect eggs from the rays of the sun. They are turned over twice a day. In this case, you need to act very carefully to avoid damage to the cords.
Putting eggs in the incubator
First, we prepare the incubator for “hatching”. The eggs are placed in a thoroughly washed and disinfected incubator. The incubator can be disinfected by 8-minute irradiation with a quartz lamp or dissolved Ecocide.
Controversial question: should eggs be washed before placing them in the incubator? Experts do not recommend doing this, as the supra-shell membrane may be damaged. But many poultry farmers still neglect this rule. They wash them and treat them with a three percent manganese solution. Much more effective than such treatment is 5-8 minute ultraviolet irradiation. The lamp is kept at a distance of 40 cm from the surface.
Eggs are placed in the incubator in two ways: vertically and horizontally. When laying horizontally, the eggs are periodically rolled in different directions, and when laid vertically, they are tilted left and right (quail incubation without turning over).The vertical method has a smaller capacity, but a higher percentage of hatching (about 75%).
Vertical bookmark
If the incubator is not suitable for vertical laying of eggs and is not equipped with a device for automated egg turning, then you can make the mold yourself. Regular egg trays cut along the fold work well for this. Cut a three-millimeter hole in the bottom of the cells. Place the eggs vertically in the cells, tilting them at forty-five degrees.
Horizontal folding
With this incubation method, the eggs simply need to be laid out on a grid. In this case, you need to first mark the side that is on top so as not to get confused when turning it over.
Incubation mode
Incubation conditions are changed several times.
- Days 1-7: air temperature 37.8 degrees, relative humidity level 50-55%. Turn the eggs every 6 hours.
- 8-14 days. The temperature remains the same. Relative humidity is reduced to 45%. Eggs need to be turned every 4 hours. In addition, 2 times a day you need to ventilate the incubator for 15-20 minutes to cool the eggs. Turning over helps prevent the embryo from sticking to the shell.
- Days 15-17: Relative humidity levels rise to 70%. The air temperature is 37.5 degrees.
The duration of incubation is from 17 to 18 days. After hatching, the quails should be kept in the incubator until completely dry.After about two days, you can place the quail babies in more “adult” conditions: a separate room, preheated.
It is important to see and fix the breakdown in time. To prevent the embryos from being damaged, they should be cooled to 15-17 degrees.
Result of work
The productivity of quail hatching in an incubator can be assessed by simple arithmetic calculations. If the number of young animals is ¾ or more of the total number of eggs, then everything is in order. If it is less, then you need to analyze the cause of this phenomenon and use the help of an ovoscope.
- An egg without fertilization has the same appearance as before it was placed inside the incubator, with the difference that the air chamber is expanded.
- If a scarlet blood ring is visible, this is a sign of the death of the embryo during the first five days of the egg’s stay in the incubator.
- If the embryo froze from days 6 to 14, it occupies approximately ½ of the entire container.
- Quails that died before or during hatching occupy the entire volume. When examined with an ovoscope, the lumen is either completely absent or barely noticeable.
It is also necessary to find out what exactly caused the decrease in the productivity of quail hatching: a violation of the temperature regime, an unfavorable level of humidity, or irregular egg turning. There may be reasons for low incubation productivity.
- Unbalanced diet, deficiency of minerals, trace elements and vitamins. As a result, weak and initially non-viable embryos are formed. Hatched chicks have developmental defects and weak immunity.Some babies die, unable to break through the shell with their beaks.
- Incorrect incubation mode. This may be a violation of humidity and air temperature, as well as insufficient ventilation. Embryos die from lack of oxygen.
- Impaired gas exchange. It is necessary to monitor the temperature and, in accordance with the incubation regime, periodically cool the eggs.
Before purchasing an incubator, you need to familiarize yourself with its technical characteristics and the presence of additional functions (automated egg turning, a box for placing hatched chicks, air humidity control).
It is advisable to buy material for incubation from trusted farms. But if you wish, you can start raising your own broodstock. You will both save money and gain experience. The procedure for incubating quails is quite a painstaking task, but interesting and exciting. Your persistence and patience will be rewarded!
The incubation process is shown in the video:
