When the quails start to fly
The main purpose of quail breeding is to obtain dietary testicles. Egg production is directly related to the regime and diet. Often inexperienced farmers ask when the quail starts laying and how often they do it.
When the quails start to fly
The onset of puberty
Experienced farmers note the early maturity of these birds among the advantages of quail breeding. Sexual maturation occurs in quails at 1-2 months, when their weight is 100 g. It is possible to determine the onset of puberty, if you have already bought adult chicks, by their behavior. Females begin to whistle softly, and males scream loudly.
How the quails fly and how long the active clutch lasts depends directly on the breed and age. Initially, the production figure is only 8 eggs per month, but gradually the pace is increasing and for the next 6 months their number is 25 pieces per month. The annual production rate for laying hens is 300 eggs.
Quails rush at certain times of the day. The breed plays an important role. For example, the Japanese quail lays eggs immediately after eating. The female rushes according to a certain pattern that every poultry breeder needs to know:
- for 5-6 days, the bird lays 1 egg per day;
- then there is a break for a day or two.
If the bird does not rush for a long time, there is a completely different reason, therefore, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian. The decline in egg production can be triggered by an infectious disease or improper care. Before starting a quail, you need to find out everything about the proper care for them, about the optimal conditions and features of the content.
What could be causing the drop in performance?
If the quails have stopped laying eggs, the farmer's first priority is to find out the cause and eliminate it as soon as possible. When egg production begins to decline, it is necessary to revise the diet and conditions of detention:
- Illumination plays an important role: a long stay in a room with artificial light leads to the fact that the bird becomes irritable, and this reduces performance;
- temperature changes affect the appetite and health of the birds: increased appetite decreases, as a result of which the quail receives less vitamins and calcium; with hypothermia, the bird's body immediately begins to redirect energy resources for heating, respectively, the bird stops laying eggs;
- a draft can become not only the reason for the decline in egg production, but also the loss of plumage;
- changes in air humidity indicators.
Diet is the main cause of poor performance. Layers' nutrition should include proteins, protein, calcium and all multivitamins necessary for normal development. Egg production begins to fall not only if the food is selected incorrectly, but also when the diet is violated.Stocking density is another important factor affecting egg production.
When buying for keeping birds at home, the livestock must be transported, which negatively affects the ability to lay eggs. The adaptation period to a new place is from 14 to 21 days. In addition to transportation, too loud sounds are stressful for quails. During the molting period, any laying hens are calm. When the male in the herd is changed, the females begin to rush only after a week; this process cannot be influenced in any way.
The first wake-up call that birds have an infectious disease is a decline in productivity and product quality. Changes in the structure of the shell is a serious reason for seeking help from a specialist. The quail is actively rushing for 2-3 years; when this age is reached, the birds should be sent for meat.
Methods for increasing production indicators
Unmistakably, the reason for the decrease in egg production is not always determined, because there are a lot of provoking factors. Even if birds fly normally, increasing production data is an end in itself for any poultry farmer. In order for the quality of eggs in quails to remain at a height and to increase the increase in average statistical indicators, it is necessary to add such products to the diet as:
- bone or fish dust;
- gravel and shell rock.
You can find the right diet using videos recorded by experienced farmers for beginners, where they share their secrets. It is very important not only to keep the birds in optimal conditions, to feed them full food, but also to observe the regime. During the day, an adult quail should consume 30 g of compound feed, divided into 3 doses. The cage containing the quail must always be clean. To obtain eggs with higher quality indicators, females can be kept without a male.
The optimum room temperature should be up to 20 ° C. Artificial daylight hours should last about 17 hours. With an increase in this indicator, egg production slightly increases in quails, but they quickly lose strength and begin to hurt, and ultimately may even die. It is important to remember that underfeeding or overfeeding of birds is equally bad for egg production.
Selection of the most profitable variety
As mentioned above, the smallest representatives of the chicken family are valued for their early maturity and high egg production. Among the most prolific species, there are 2 leading breeds: Estonian and Japanese. Most often, the Japanese breed is in the first place.
The female rushes most actively, reaching 2-3 months of age. Throughout its life, such an individual is capable of producing up to 1000 eggs, so the breed is in first place in popularity among our farmers. Comparatively high competition can be made by English quails. Upon reaching the most productive age, the female is able to lay 20-22 eggs in 4 weeks.
Among meat breeds, representatives of the Pharaoh breed, Texas whites, Manchurian quails are highly valued. Individuals have a relatively low egg productivity, but they quickly gain quite a lot of weight. The meat of such individuals has excellent taste.
What should be the structure of the shell?
Having reached the age of puberty, the female produces 2-3 eggs on average. The female rushes for 5-6 days, and then there comes a period of calm, which does not exceed 2-3 days. If the lull is longer than the specified period, there is reason to worry.
Often the eggshells are not uniform in color. Dark blotches are present on a grayish or pale yellow background. Each breed will have a different shade of eggs. It is important in the first time after the start of oviposition to ensure that the same color remains throughout the entire egg-laying period.For any slight changes in color or structure, you should seek the help of your veterinarian.
Generalization
In quail breeding, it is important to know when and how birds fly in order to be able to get complete food and provide the birds with appropriate care. Any deviations from the norm in the performance of individuals signal the presence of a disease or improper maintenance. If during the egg-laying period the lull continues for more than 3 days, this is the first signal to the owner to carefully reconsider the conditions of detention and the diet.
The shade of the eggshell and its structure is also an indicator of the health of the bird. The color palette of eggs will differ from breed to breed. On the Internet, you can watch a video describing the egg-laying qualities of various breeds. In order for the birds to be healthy and enjoy high performance, it is necessary to follow the basic rules of keeping. The main thing is hygiene and cleanliness, so it is very important to regularly clean the cages and install boxes of gravel and ash once a week.
A very important point in maintaining normal vital activity and increasing egg production is the diet and diet. During the period of reaching puberty, the diet of females should be dominated by proteins, animal proteins, calcium and all kinds of vitamins. As for the diet, malnutrition and overeating are equally bad for performance indicators. With a lack of vitamins and calcium, cannibalism may appear, the structure of the eggshell is disrupted. When obese, the bird is also not able to produce many eggs. It is necessary to carefully control how much the bird eats per day, the optimal amount of food per individual is 30 g.