Content of the article:
When caring for the bird, it is important to know what to feed quail at home. The diet for babies, grown up quail and females is different ingredients. How to prepare food, how many times to feed animals, experts give advice.
Features of the development of quails
Quails are a source of dietary meat and eggs without cholesterol. Birds develop quickly, by two months the adult individual of the meat breed weighs 160, the usual layer is about 100 g. Fat is palpated on the breast of the birds. Feeding quail at different stages of development is different diet and frequency.
Chicks go through stages of development:
- the first week after breeding;
- the next 2-4 weeks of the life of a quail;
- adolescence 35-42 days;
The seven-week bird is considered an adult, and fattening is carried out to improve the quality of the parent flock. Part of the brood, females after vydik and quails older than 11 months are fattened for meat.
Let's figure out what to feed the quail at home at every stage of the maintenance.
Feeding Chicks
Chickens hatched, and the first food will be steeply boiled eggs, crushed together with the shell. On the second day, the menu includes 2 g of cottage cheese on each head. On the third day, finely chopped greens are added to the feeder. Then gradually increase the amount of cottage cheese in the mash and reduce the egg. Every day during the week the menu changes in the direction of reducing the addition of eggs. The frequency of eating is 5 times a day. Sour milk is used for watering.
The second period, the chicks should gradually go to the feed, which contains up to 26% protein with a calorie content of 280 units. Feed babies 4 times. Preparation for the adult life of the young is the transition to the main feed for quails. But in order for the female to carry eggs and stay healthy, it is necessary to increase vitamin supplements during this period. The content of vitamins E, A in the feed increases by 50%, and the protein component is reduced to 15% in order to delay egg laying during the early period of maturation of the female. You need to know that eggs are not formed without adding grain to the feed.
How to feed an adult quail
The diet varies, which is designed to meet the needs of:
- layers;
- quail males;
- parent stock;
- fattening for meat.
Feed consumption per 100 females per month 90 kg. During this time, egg production will be 2000 eggs. What to feed quail so that they are well carried? For females used complex mixture of two or three components. Balanced in protein, fats and carbohydrates, the feed should contain egg shells for a set of shells. The amount of protein increases to 25%.
Daily feed intake is 25-30 grams. Applying the usual feed for quails, it is necessary to enrich it with cottage cheese, fish or soy.
With an increase in the composition of the protein above the norm, it is possible to obtain eggs with two yolks. It is impossible to overfeed a bird, it will fatten and stop laying eggs. In a year, 90 kg of PC-1 feed should go to one head. The use of greens and seedlings of cereals is welcome.
Homemade food with high protein and moisture content is consumed fresh. Poisoning with spoiled food or excess salt is detrimental.
The crushed grain mixture is included in the recipe of the feed for quails:
- wheat - 1 kg;
- barley - 100 g;
- maize - 400 g;
- bone meal - 5 g;
- vegetable oil - 3 g.
Mineral supplements are represented by shell rock, chalk and salt, 5 grams of each ingredient. Protein supplement - cottage cheese, boiled fish, minced meat. The composition includes greens and egg shells.
Other recipes for food for quails with their own hands may consist of compound feed enriched with additives or mixtures:
- Corn is an energy product, used in composition with 40% bone meal or boiled fish.
- Oats must first be cleaned of films, it contains trace elements and vitamins, the action is similar to millet.
- Wheat increases and maintains the productivity of hens.
- Legumes contain protein, fat, amino acids.
- Fish and bone meal are protein supplements.
- Dairy products in the form of cottage cheese and yogurt, boiled eggs supply protein.
- Vegetables in the form of finely chopped root vegetables and greens. Potatoes are added boiled.
- Mineral supplements to be given in the form of chalk, shell rock, gravel, eggshell.
The use of ready-made mixtures simplifies the care of birds. Self-made food should be given fresh, not allowing souring.
Males of quail prefer pecking small weed seeds, millet, and even poppy. They need protein in the form of larvae, greens. Compound feed for male parrots will have quail to taste. Water should always be clean water.
The diet of the parent livestock is saturated and varied. The best quails are selected from young stock, starting from the fifth week. Complete feed for the herd includes high-quality feed with the above additives. By the way there will be an addition of baker's yeast, cake and grass meal.
If a herd is being prepared for slaughter, how to feed quails at home? Young animals, birds that have worked with hens and individuals of “old” age should be fed for meat. For them, apply a special diet with the inclusion of broiler feed. The content of corn is increasing, boiled peas are used.
During the fattening period, eating carrots gives the meat a more saturated color. In the menu at the fattening stage, odorous products should not be added to make the meat aromatic.
Birds are separated by gender, placed in darkened close cells, and within 4 days they gradually change their diet. Fattening lasts 4 weeks, with a gradual increase in daily consumption of up to 30 grams. By the end of the term the individual must weigh 160 grams.
Quail herd provides dietary products in the form of eggs, meat and is updated annually. You can keep quails even in an apartment, in a cage.
