My theme for @farms: Breeding quail, a profitable business

The quail belongs to the group Gallinaceae, family Phasianoidea and Coturnix coturnix. It is a small bird, and similar to the partridge, it usually measures around 18-20 cm and a weight of 100 to 150 gr. Unlike the other fasianos, it does not present colorful or particular appendages; the tail does not exceed 5 cm, the peak measures 1.2 cm and the wing opening varies from 34 to 37 cm; The quail is very appreciated for its eggs because they have a low cholesterol content and a high protein index, so they are highly recommended to feed children and the elderly; On the other hand, they taste better than chicken and are widely used in cooking.

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Europe is one of the continents with the highest consumption of quail, both its meat and its eggs, followed by America and especially Argentina, it is inevitable the consumption of these eggs and meat as it is very nutritious and delicious.

. ### Breeding quail, a profitable business
Before entering the egg-laying quail breeding business, it is important to take into account different aspects of these birds, knowledge is the most important, because if you are going to breed quail at home or in a hatchery you should be very aware of them to avoid any inconvenience.

Quail farming is an alternative production that occupies little physical space, requires little investment, which recovers in a short time and generates good additional income. It is an activity that can start with little capital; Quail breeding is ideal for small entrepreneurs, and can be done at a family level, as a supplement to income. The breeding takes place in very small spaces, since it is very intensive, with the animal being placed in stacking cages of five to six levels, managing to place 80 animals per m2 per level, or 400 per m2 in total.

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Requirements for quail farming

• These animals require 16 hours of light in posture, so it is necessary to install energy saving light bulbs for the night, preferably trying to illuminate the feeders.
• The water must be in special linear or automatic waterers.
• Layers are working with a permanent temperature of about 22 ° and babies at 37 ° to be in an optimal environment that allows them to express their full genetic potential. That means having separate facilities, with heating (with gas or firewood) and adequate cooling, which is easily achieved in a small installation that can have less than 64 m2. From birth to 25-30 days of life, the animal is raised on the floor with disinfected sawdust mattresses, conditioning a small sector of circular shape to avoid overcrowding in the corner, and then move to the cage.

The feeding of the quail

The quail are a type of birds that eat enough in a single batch. This is not like the chickens that are always looking for food constantly. These are birds that eat little, so that over-feeding can be fatal for them and aggravate their health.

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Like all quail feeding in the first weeks or months of any kind of species, it must be full of the necessary nutrients that help strengthen an adequate growth. High protein content should be included in the daily diet. Said proteins must come from plant products, such as sorghum, corn, soybean, sunflower; also cassava is fully indicated in the diet of quail, using the flour of this root as an energy source and dry foliage, preferably leaves, because it provides a good amount of protein of high biological value and pigment factors 20 times higher than the ones with corn It can also include fishmeal or red meat meals.

Forms of reproduction of quails

They reproduce sexually, they are oviparous. The female quails lay 8 to 18 cream-colored eggs with brown spots that weigh between 8 to 13 gr. each. The male helps her to hatch for 22 or 23 days during incubation. A quail can lay 300 eggs in the year. if we are going to produce eggs to reproduce through incubators, they must be the product of the mating of the male and the female, so that they can be fertile, and not by the consumption of foods with hormones

Cycle of quail eggs postures

The quail posture cycle is one year, with an average production of 300 eggs. After this time, the birds must be eliminated from the farm. To develop this type of farm, it must be taken into account that it is not advisable to have males together with the females, since the infertile eggs are better conserved since there is no possibility that the embryo will begin its development.

The males must be kept in other cages, in the same shed, so that with their singing they encourage the position; in this case 4 males are recommended for every 1000 females.

Regarding the accommodation of the laying females, it is recommended to have groups of 15 to 20 on each floor of the metal cage to be installed, with the floor inclined towards the front and open towards the outside, extending in a tab that collects the eggs and facilitates its collection.

The process of egg collection should be carried out in two cycles, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, since the animals have different hours of posture.

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Benefits of Quail Eggs for Health

• The consumption of quail eggs, improves the vision, to have a high level of vitamin A, in quail eggs. In addition, it can help reduce muscle degeneration and prevent the development of cataracts.
• Help to balance the cholesterol in the blood.
• Helps control blood pressure.
• Helps eliminate toxins accumulated in the blood.
• Quail eggs are naturally high in the ovomucoid protein, which acts in the body as a natural antiallergic.