Quails are small birds and can live in small cages. This makes it possible to raise them not only in a private house, like other farm poultry, but also in a city apartment. Let's consider the features of keeping quails in an apartment, which breeds to choose, how to care for them, and what to feed adults and chicks. How to treat common diseases and their prevention.
Is it possible to keep quails in an apartment?
A cage with quails does not take up much space in the apartment; it can be placed in a room or on the balcony.The main problem for those who want to breed these birds in an apartment is the smell that will inevitably be present in the room, and dirt near the cage. But it can be solved by frequent cleaning of the cage.
Otherwise, caring for quails in an apartment is not at all difficult. They don't eat much, caring for them doesn't take much time, and growing them is economical. From quails living in an apartment, you can get tasty and healthy eggs (females lay eggs almost every day) and meat.
Suitable breeds
First of all, you need to decide which type of breed to grow in the apartment - egg or meat. Quails lay eggs from 2 months of life for 10 months. Then you need to replace the livestock with a new batch. Quails are fattened for meat for 2 months, during which time they have time to grow and gain weight sufficient for slaughter.
Popular egg-laying quail breeds are Japanese, English, Estonian, and the famous meat breed is Pharaoh. Carcasses of pharaohs weigh 2 times more than carcasses of quails of egg-bearing breeds. Poultry farmers who want to produce eggs and meat at the same time can opt for universal meat-egg breeds. The number of eggs they can lay is about a third less than that of egg-laying quails, and the weight of the carcass is close to the weight of meat quails.
If you plan to get eggs from quails in your apartment for food, you can buy only females for raising. Males should only be kept if you intend to breed your own birds.
Content requirements
It is easy to create temperature conditions in the room, because the apartment is never cold even in winter. Quails love warmth; they must be kept at a temperature of at least 18˚C. There should be no drafts in the room. If possible, it should be kept in a room where people rarely visit and household appliances rarely work, so as not to create noise that unnerves the birds. You need to ventilate the room with quails every day to eliminate odors that accumulate from bird droppings. Ventilation also regulates humidity, which should be at 60%.
Quails are special in that they need a long, 17-18-hour daylight hours. This is achieved by installing a red lamp near the cage, which must be turned on in the morning and evening. The brightness of the light should not be strong.
The same conditions can be created in an apartment on an insulated balcony. A warm balcony is even preferable; birds will not annoy the owners with their squeaks and smells.
Bird care
As already mentioned, it is necessary to clean up quail droppings every day and ventilate the room, then there will be no smell in the apartment. Cleanliness helps to maintain the health of birds and maintain their productivity. To make droppings easy to remove, it is recommended to make the floor of the cage mesh; through the cells, droppings will spill into the tray installed below. It is convenient to take it out and clean it, and then put it back. You can also add cat litter to the pan, which will absorb odor and moisture.
Inventory
For 1 family of quails in the amount of 5 pieces (1 male and 4 females), a cage measuring 0.4 m by 0.3 m by 0.25 m is enough in an apartment. 3-4 dozen birds raised for eggs or meat can be housed in a cage with dimensions of 1 m by 0.6 m by 0.3 m.These are the minimum space requirements for quails, but if you place them in a larger home, they will only be happy. Quail cages can be stacked on top of each other to save space. You also need to have one small additional cage where sick or pugnacious individuals will need to be placed.
In all cages with quails, feeders are installed (preferably bunker ones, if you plan to feed the birds with dry food), hung not inside, but outside. Birds will poke their heads through the mesh and peck at the food. It is better to purchase automatic nipple drinkers. There is no need to place perches inside.
If the goal is to breed quails yourself in an apartment, and not to buy young animals, then you will also need an incubator, since the females almost do not tend to incubate themselves.
Diet
The issue of quail nutrition needs to be taken seriously. There are 2 feeding methods - self-composed mixtures or ready-made feed for quails or laying hens and broilers.
Adults
The amount of feed for 1 adult quail per day is 30-35 g. You need to feed it 2-3 times a day, at the same time. Calculate the volume of the mixture so that the quail eat it completely, leaving nothing behind. If residues still remain, they must be removed.
Grain mixtures for quails are prepared from crushed grains of any cereals and legumes. The composition should be changed frequently, combining grains from different plant species in different ways. Grass, sprouted grain, a little vegetable oil, fish and meat and bone meal are added to the grain. As well as grated vegetables and root vegetables (except nightshade), onions, boiled potatoes. Additives to grain mixtures for quail include chalk and salt.
Chicks
Quails are first fed, like chickens, with a mixture of boiled eggs and greens, cottage cheese. Then they gradually begin to accustom them to the grain, adding it to the mixture in a volume of 1/3. From 3 weeks of age, they are completely transferred to adult food - grain mash or mixed feed.
Disease Prevention
Infections that lead to digestive disorders, decreased productivity and death of birds can be avoided by consistent cleaning of cages. Once a month you need to disinfect them and treat the equipment with boiling water. Provide birds with vitamins, antibiotics in prophylactic doses, and vaccinate. In most cases, such measures can prevent infectious diseases. Quails are treated with antiparasitic drugs against lice and fleas.
What problems might you encounter?
In addition to diseases, the poultry farmer may encounter the fact that the birds will not lay eggs well. This is the result of a violation of the temperature and humidity regime, incorrect nutrition, unbalanced in nutrients and mineral components, or overfeeding (obese females are in no hurry to lay eggs).
Growing quails in an apartment is quite possible. You need to choose a room or balcony, purchase cages and an incubator, young animals or hatching eggs. Quails eat little, lay eggs every day and grow very quickly, so raising them is considered profitable.
