Reasons for a decrease in the level of egg production in quails
Quail is a bird belonging to the partridge subfamily. Breeding it at home is a profitable business, since this bird is highly productive. But quails do not always please the owner with constancy. Sometimes they simply stop laying or show low egg production, which makes breeding ineffective. That is why you should know what factors influence the fact that the quails do not lay in order to take timely measures to restore normal egg production.
Why quails don't rush
This species of birds is no more picky about the conditions of detention than an ordinary chicken. But still, there are a number of nuances that should be taken into account when choosing a breed.
The rate of productivity and its maintenance
The answer to the question why quails do not rush depends largely on the breed that the farmer bred.
So, the Japanese Quail breed can produce 2 eggs per day, and the Estonian or hybrid - 1 each. In a household, quails produce from 24 to 27 eggs per month. The exact number cannot be determined, since the productivity of birds often depends on their emotional state. The amount of stress affects how many eggs a breeder receives.
In addition to stress, there are other factors that can reduce the productivity of the bird. All of them are associated with the quality of livestock care: comfortable living conditions, as well as feeding characteristics. Therefore, you should not worry too much if quails lay eggs less often. It is only necessary to calculate the main reasons for this phenomenon, eliminate them, and the quail will immediately return the previous egg production indicator.
Determination of the main reasons for the decline in quail productivity
The answer to the question of why quails do not rush should be sought in the actions of the poultry farmer. More often than not, human errors are the main cause of decreased productivity. They can be associated with different areas of livestock care. In a household setting, productivity is most often affected by:
- feeding features;
- daylight hours;
- climatic conditions of detention;
- lack of ventilation;
- change of the main place of detention;
- breeding mistakes (change of male, settlement of new birds, etc.).
But not always proper care allows you to maintain the productivity of quails at a normal level. Like other living things, birds can get sick and age. Quails begin to lay at an early age, from 32-35 days from birth. At first, young layers give 7-8 eggs, each month increasing the indicators to 24-26 pieces. In addition, every 6-8 days the birds take a break, which can scare an inexperienced poultry farmer. Do not worry: after a few days, the quails will begin to rush again.
A novice farmer should also be aware that if the quails do not rush or their productivity has decreased, this may indicate an aging of the individual.One quail in 1 year of life is capable of producing up to 240 eggs. From the 8th month onwards, productivity gradually decreases. This is normal. By the year the poultry farmer will receive 12-14 eggs from one female. This is exactly the meaning that all farmers have to be content with from the old individual. Usually, you don't have to think about what to do with her: she is sent for meat.
If the reason is the lighting
The problem of low egg production in winged birds is often associated with human mistakes in organizing daylight hours. It is important to adhere to generally accepted norms: 18-20 hours. Any deviation from these values negatively affects the productivity of the bird. On large farms, special design schemes are also used to keep a high level of egg production. Daylight hours are organized as follows:
- at 6 am they turn on the light, which is on until midnight;
- break from midnight to 2 o'clock;
- from 2- to 4- turn on the light;
- from 4 to 6 - turn off.
In a household, such a routine is difficult to organize, unless you purchase a special relay that is mounted in the electrical network. Although it will be expensive, it will pay for itself quickly. The nightly two-hour intervals of light on and off are necessary for birds to meet their food needs. Fasting has a bad effect on the productivity of birds, and such measures completely eliminate this. This type of domestic bird has a very fast metabolism, which cannot be said about other birds.
The desired effect can also be obtained by choosing the right lamps for lighting the house.
Quail often choose shaded areas for life. In such comfortable conditions, they rush, sleep and eat better. When building and arranging a poultry house, it is important to pay attention to the location of the lighting devices and the brightness of their glow. Experienced poultry farmers recommend using a ratio of 4 watts for calculations. for 1 sq. m of the poultry house area. Incorrect calculations negatively affect not only the egg production of birds in the future, but also their physical and psychological state. Quail can spend a lot of time sleeping, which leads to their emaciation. In too bright light indoors, the birds become aggressive.
If the reason is in the climate
Quails often stop laying because of too high or low air temperatures in the house or cages. The comfortable temperature for them is 20-24 ° C. You should especially carefully monitor the condition of the birds in winter and summer. At temperatures below 18 ° C, birds begin to rush less often. The problem is solved simply: it is necessary to install an electric heater in the room.
In the summer, the reasons for low egg production are also associated with the temperature uncomfortable for quails. Beginning at 26 ° C, the productivity of birds can decrease by 20-60%. The poultry farmer should take urgent action. If the temperature is not lowered, the livestock will begin to die. But what to do in such cases? Experienced farmers recommend installing a fan in the poultry house with which the birds will cool off from the summer heat.
We must not forget about the efficiency of ventilation. At high temperatures, the processes of evaporation of bird droppings are accelerated. The air becomes humid and heavy, it contains substances hazardous to the health of livestock, and the ventilation system allows them to be removed from the poultry house, replacing them with fresh air flows taken from the street. In addition, high humidity also negatively affects the egg production of quails. If all these features of quail care are met, the farmer will receive eggs in the required, average amount.
Improper feeding
The most common mistake breeders make is an incorrectly constructed quail diet or errors in the diet. Deterioration in egg production is easy to correct if the main causes of this phenomenon are identified in a timely manner. Most often, farmers make the following mistakes:
- Overfeeding or underfeeding birds.Any of these actions will result in decreased productivity.
- They select feed that is not suitable in terms of composition and energy value. It is especially important to provide birds with sufficient protein food. A lack of it often leads to a decrease in egg production. The eggs also get smaller.
- Do not follow the diet. The recommended rate is 2-3 times a day. In addition, a small amount of feed is left to the birds overnight.
Incorrectly selected food is easy to identify. If, 1-3 days after feeding, productivity has dropped sharply, this is precisely the reason. After the normalization of the ration, the birds will return to the previous production regime. But if several days have passed, and there have been no changes, one should look for the reasons in other factors.
It is equally important to ensure that the quail drinkers are always filled with clean water. Eggs are more than 70% water. It is important for hens to get the right amount of this product. Its lack leads not only to a decrease in productivity, but also to the death of the livestock, so the poultry farmer should also take care of the convenience of the birds by equipping the cages or the poultry house with a nipple water supply system. Tray drinkers are also suitable.
A few more reasons for poor egg production
The novice breeder needs to make or buy quail cages based on the number of heads he wants to acquire. Quails do not like crowding, and if too bright light is on in the house, this will lead to aggression. Equally often, such mistakes become the cause of numerous fights between the livestock, as well as manifestations of cannibalism, so the poultry farmer should be aware of some maintenance tips that will help restore productivity and avoid the death of birds:
- resettlement of quails must comply with the rule: no more than 70 heads per 1 sq. m;
- it is recommended to keep up to 35 heads in one cage (if the floor area is 0.5 sq. m.);
- it is necessary to keep males and females separately.
It will also be useful for novice breeders to learn about what age of quails is considered ineffective for further maintenance. The number of eggs that they supply to the farmer in the second year of life does not give much profit. 8-9 eggs per month do not recoup the money spent on the purchase of feed, therefore, 10-11 months from the beginning of the productive period are considered a favorable time for quail rejection.
In addition, the aging of birds and a decrease in egg production require the breeder to add young individuals. Only in this way will quail breeding bring the desired profit. Annual updating of the livestock (buying and adding new males and females) is considered an integral part of proper farming.