Estonian quail is an excellent option for both experienced farmers and beginners, they do not require special care, but they also differ in their characteristic features. This breed was bred as a result of selection, by crossing the egg and meat breeds, the best samples of a high level of survival in the wild, with a long lifespan and minimum egg laying time were selected.
Breed breeding
The hybrid was obtained by crossing quail, such as:
- English whites;
- Japanese
- Pharaoh.
The last breed is meat, the rest is egg. These quails first appeared in Estonia in 1989, and began to actively conquer the bird market. Breeders managed not only to maintain egg production, but also to increase the carcass weight almost twice, due to meat and fat.
The appearance and nature of the bird
Before buying Estonian quails, it will not be superfluous to familiarize themselves with their appearance so as not to become a victim of deception in the market. Their color is very close to natural, wild, but the feathers are more brown in color, dark stripes along the body are distinguished - inheritance from the Pharaoh breed.
Features of appearance:
- The body shape is round, females are a quarter larger than males.
- Short tail.
- Small neck.
- A brown beak in females may be gray.
- Males have dark feathers with light stripes.
- The backs are raised, with a small hump in the front.
The character of Estonian quail is not whimsical, but peculiar. Females behave quietly, but males like to yell piercingly. A sharp noise or the appearance of a stranger can provoke a commotion in the bird kingdom.
Productive Indicators
Estonian quails are very appreciated not only for the combination of valuable properties, but also for good weight and presentable appearance.
Important Features:
- Weight. It can reach 300 g in one individual, on average - about 250 g, at the age of 4-5 months.
- Egg production. Females give 6 pieces a week, up to 300 from one individual per year. Layers try year-round, which is also very important.
- The size of the eggs. Larger than that of Japanese quail, more oblong. The birds begin to lay eggs from 37 days of age, each egg pulls by weight up to 10 g.
- Taste. Estonian quails have very tasty meat; already a month you can take birds for slaughter. The males are the first to consume, and the females - only if there is anyone to replace.
Quail eggs are stored for a long time, thanks to an amino acid such as lysozine, it blocks the development of microorganisms.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any other breed, Estonian quail has its own strengths and weaknesses, which are worth considering when buying. We consider in more detail in the table.
Advantages | disadvantages |
High survival rate | Voracity |
Intensive egg-laying | High Care Requirements |
Fast growth | Conflict between brothers |
High hatchability | |
Masonry period | |
Good vitality | |
Short incubation time | |
Adaptability in Chicks |
How to distinguish a female from a male?
When buying birds, it is important not to make a mistake so as not to bring home only females or only males. Sex can be determined in Estonian quail already in the month of life.
Male | Female |
The chest is darker with brown feathers | Breast pockmarked, light, without brown feathers |
Cheeks and mandible are brownish, goiter is lighter | Lighter as if covered in dust |
In coloring - 3 light yellow stripes | Cheeks and beak - grayish |
Beak - Dark Brown | Cesspool - bluish tint |
The skin around the cesspool is pink | Chest and goiter - gray-brown, speckled |
A richer shade of feathers | Solid color |
Light strips on fly wings |
How to care for and support Estonians?
There is nothing particularly complicated in breeding Estonian quail. If you carefully read the instructions and adhere to the recommendations, you can make stocks of eggs and meat in a short time.
Valuable tips:
- Birds are kept in cages; for Estonian quails, standard ones are suitable. Size - 100 by 50 cm, this is enough for 20-30 birds.
- The height of the cage is no more than 20 cm. A low ceiling is needed so that the quail does not bang its head and cripple, in case of danger they skyrocket. If the height is greater, birds can break their neck. It is better to make a mesh of fabric for the upper part of the cell.
How to make a quail cage with your own hands - read here.
- If quails are bred for eggs, 4 males will be enough for 15 females.
- From time to time, the cells need to be thoroughly cleaned: rinse with soapy water, scald with boiling water, and dry so that there is no dampness.
- During harvesting birds need replanting.
- At the entrance to the house, it is necessary to equip the disinfection barrier, it will clean the shoes. It’s easy to build: put sawdust in a box, cover them with a cloth soaked in disinfectant.
For quails, a draft is very dangerous! Feathers can lose, reduce egg production, in neglected cases, the entire house perishes.
Conditions of detention
Estonian quails are not capricious, but they require their own conditions of detention, which are important for the owners to know about.
What is important to know:
- Ventilation. The poultry house should always have forced ventilation, standard: 2 cubic meters per kilogram of living - in winter. In summer, the territory expands to 4 cubic meters.
- Shine. Estonian quails do not like bright lighting, they begin to get nervous and fight. It is better to put dim: a lamp of 20 watts per 15 cubic meters.
- Day-night mode. A day for adult birds lasts 15 hours, it is more profitable to install an electric timer that will automatically adjust the lighting. If you reduce daylight hours, the quail will rush worse. Advice from farmers: spot lights on the zones of feeders and drinking bowls using LEDs, they do not harm the birds.
- Humidity. The ideal option is 60-70%. With proper ventilation, this mode is set independently, since pets emit a lot of moisture due to high body temperature and volatility. In a dry climate, birds eat poorly, drink a lot of water, lose feathers, and lag behind in growth. You can balance the balance with a humidifier.
- Temperature. The Estonian breed likes moderate heat: 22-25 degrees. If reduced to 16 degrees, the females cease to rush. At 28 degrees, the quail can get a heat stroke and die.
If the birds cling to each other - a sign that they are cold. They breathe heavily with an open beak - they suffer from heat.
Bird place
Estonian quails do not require much: heat, moderate humidity, good ventilation. This is not moodiness, but a necessity due to their enhanced metabolism. Still quail very shy. Therefore, you need to choose a place taking into account such moments:
- Outsiders should not enter the room with the cells, if the quail is frightened, stress will affect egg production.
- Drinking bowls should not be placed in front of the feeder, but in the back so that the water is less polluted.
- Before cleaning, bird cages need to be moved every time.
Quail feeding
Feeding quails is a special topic, because these birds are rare voracity. Some farmers call this a disadvantage, others - on the contrary, a virtue, because quails gain weight faster. But the fact remains: “Estonians” eat 10% more than other species, this is genetically incorporated.
If you cut their soldering, they will start to get nervous and badly rush. Therefore, food should be chosen nutritious, with elements for layers and broilers at the same time. On average, the calculation is as follows: for 1 individual - 3-35 g of feed.
A few tips:
- Mixers of grain, grass and cereals with mineral additives can be made, but go more as an addition. The best solution is feed.
- Adult birds eat chicken PK-2 and PK-5 well, they are cheaper than special feed for quail, but they contain everything you need.
- Lack of calcium is detected in the soft shell of eggs, an excess - in a white coating on the egg. This can be corrected by adding ground shell or eggshell to the feed.
- After 40 days of life, quail is fed twice a day: morning and evening.
- The diet should be carefully observed, otherwise it will be badly carried.
- To fortify the mixture, it is worth adding chopped herbs.
- Stir meat, cottage cheese, boiled liver twice a week.
- The remnants of food must be removed so as not to deteriorate.
- Water must be constantly fresh.
- During the mating period, feed with vitamins and protein should be added. Farmers recommend wheat bran, which is especially useful during this period for Estonian quails.
- These birds love May beetles very much, some poultry farmers buy such goods.
- There is no need to limit the cockerels intended for slaughter in food, but the laying hens need a clear diet so as not to provoke obesity or unwillingness to lay eggs.
Feed Features
Quails are carried better if grain feed or premixes are added to the feed. Even taking into account the cost of such additives, income covers expenses, so it’s not worth saving. After all, another characteristic feature of the Estonian breed is an instant reaction to a lack of food, so their nutrition should always be varied.
The number of eggs, as well as the nutritional value of quail meat directly depends on the quality of the feed, so you need to know these characteristics:
- Cereal feed. Experienced business executives advise buying them, but there is a tangible minus. This is a lack of vitamins that have to be mixed separately. It is not very convenient, so it’s easier to buy special mixtures. There are series for fattening, and there are - for improving egg production.
- Premixes They are kneaded in the morning feeding, the right amount is poured immediately into the concentrate. The dosage is on the package. But vitamins lose their benefits if they are diluted with water or poured into hot mixers.
If the birds are bred for meat, protein should prevail in the feed, if for eggs - more calcium is added.
Chick Care
Toddlers of “Estonians” must be kept for some time in a brooder for growing at a temperature of about 33-35 degrees. Then the temperature is reduced to 30-32, in the third week - to 26 degrees, gradually bringing to 22.
A few rules:
- Quail can eat from the first hours of life, they must be given ground feed PK-0 and fresh water.
- The food needs to be crushed only the first 10 days, up to 3 weeks in the food of the chicks are not limited.
- Feed - three times a day.
- Already on the third day of life, it is recommended to add chopped green onions, it is useful for the stomach.
- Compound feed is suitable for any chicken, you can mix corn.
- Fattening birds begin to cook intensely from 1 month of life.
- Kids who are not yet days old can drown in a drinking bowl if it is deep. The ideal option is nipple or vacuum, but to the last you need to lay a tube.
Winter Care
It is important to remember that in winter Estonian quails require:
- A warm room where all windows and doors should be insulated. Many farmers use infrared lamps.
- Great humidity.
- Moderate daylight. If there is a lot of it, the quail will be badly carried.
How to resolve the conflict between quails?
The males should be planted carefully, if the female does not sympathize, the matter may end in a fight to the death. If this happened, the birds should be resettled, and the male should be planted a second time to the female, and not vice versa. Wounds in a bird may also indicate a hassle. They can be reconciled for up to a week, so it is worth occasionally hatching the male separately.
Dilution and incubation
Quails breed very actively, and soon after buying the birds the owner will have to deal with offspring. The task is facilitated by the high survivability of the chicks - 98% of the total. But before preparing to collect eggs, you need to take into account the nature of the birds in choosing a partner.
The male is seated to the female, if the reconciliation was successful - you are lucky. If not, you have to postpone the procedure. Some farmers use the method of short-term mating, planting a "cockerel" in the morning, for 20 minutes, repeating the "date" in 2-3 days. There is every chance that the "lady" will replace anger with mercy.
Breeding
Of course, the quail copes with how to mate themselves, but this process can be improved. How to do it competently, advised by experienced poultry farmers:
- Often males choose a pair of low-grade laying hens, and avoid productive ones. Therefore, it is desirable to isolate the first females for a while.
- Only young individuals, not older than 3-4 months, are suitable for breeding. For males, the threshold is higher: about 8 months.
- In no case should you mate individuals from one parent! The offspring will be sick.
- From 1 to 5 females are enough for 1 male.
- When a male changes, the egg production in a quail can decrease. To recover, you need to wait about a week.
Selection of eggs for incubation
It is important to know such a moment that quail eggs do not hatch, so you can not do without an incubator. And without additional hassle, but they are worth it. In order to get strong, healthy chicks, it is still important to select eggs competently. They can be stored for no more than a week, at a temperature of about 10 degrees heat. At the same time, turn it over twice a day.
Which eggs are best suited:
- smooth, matte.
- with a clean shell.
- medium pigmentation.
Incubator Requirements:
- Calibrated thermometer and hygrometer.
- Styrofoam is best suited from the material, although any can be used.
Subtleties of the procedure:
- The first 10 days, the temperature should be 37.7-37.8 degrees, humidity - 55-65%.
- Further, the humidity decreases to 40-45%.
- On day 15, you need to turn the eggs over, lower the temperature to 37.3 degrees, and raise the humidity to 75%. If the incubator does not pull such humidity, it is necessary to spray the walls with warm water several times a day. But not the eggs!
- Hatch babies begin on days 16-17, the process can last up to three days.
- Wet chicks need to be held until dry, otherwise the fluff will stick to the skin. Some farmers transplant the crumbs the next day.
In no case help the quail to get out of the shell! They must do it themselves.
For more information on quail egg incubation, see here.
Features of breeding for meat
Usually, males from unsuccessful eggs or rejected ones are allowed into consumption. With a separate content, they are easy to fatten.
A few tips:
- In the cage, constantly leave a dim light so that they can always eat.
- Do not limit food.
- You can mix vegetables and ground corn into the feed.
- Start with small portions, from 1 month of life to 2.
Disease and Prevention
Even stable breeds such as Estonians are still susceptible to disease. Therefore, the owner’s task is to monitor the health of birds.
Necessary measures:
- Monitor the appetite and mobility of the birds.
- With signs of ailment, quail is isolated from the rest and consulted with veterinarians.
- Set buckets with soda or chorus.
- Use ultraviolet lamps.
Symptoms of an unhealthy bird
Signs that appear in birds with the disease:
- bald patches and feathers falling out on the back;
- brittle plumage;
- wounds;
- poor appetite;
- they throw their head back;
- craning their neck;
- lower their wings;
- ruffle feathers.
Sick birds, catching the infection, move a little, hide their heads under the wing, look sleepy, lethargic. Heavy breathing, coughing may occur.
Contagious diseases
Transmitted in direct contact and by air, the mortality rate in such cases is quite high. In this list the most dangerous:
- Pseudo-plague. It is transmitted through feed, water and litter.
- Bird cholera. The methods of infection are similar.
- Pullorosis. It affects only young individuals, but with a fatal outcome. The reasons are hypothermia or overheating, poor food, lack of drinking water.
- Ornithosis. Fever appears, lungs, nervous system are affected.
- Aspergillosis. Fungal disease.Birds become weak, legs and beak turn blue, breathing is heavy, drink a lot because of thirst.
- Newcastle disease. The peddlers are rats, cats, and other poultry. During illness, the eyes of quail become cloudy, the droppings are liquid and dirty green.
- Colibacillosis. Intestinal disease. It is similar to pullorosis, but it develops much faster, to the size of an epidemic. Birds are sluggish, constantly trembling. The carcasses and eggs of dead animals need to be destroyed.
- Avian cholera or pasteurellosis. It affects the liver of birds, impaired metabolism. A characteristic manifestation is liquid droppings with blood. Does not respond to treatment. The carcass of the dead bird is burned, the house and the cells are processed.
Birds affected by infectious ailments must be killed and carcasses burned. It is strictly forbidden to use meat or eggs!
Non-communicable diseases
Conditionally divided into 3 groups:
- Due to improper diet. This means that in the feed there are either too few nutrients or too much. Search for a middle ground or change the mixture.
- Due to improper content mode. This is a weak humidity, drafts. Treated with vitamin B, fodder yeast. And an improvement in conditions.
- Due to injuries. The wounded individual needs to be deposited, the wound treated, preferably bandaged.
Improper nutrition can also provoke a complex disease such as prolapse of the oviduct with the egg. This happens if you start to feed the chicks with adult food, this forms the early egg laying, when the body is not yet ready. Therefore, it is very important to provide different nutrition to adults and chicks.
Where to buy and how much does a bird cost?
Farmers willingly buy Estonian quail, they are bred in many special farms in Russia. In Moscow, the company offers services "USICO", in St. Petersburg - "Farmer's Gift". In Chelyabinsk, such products are offered by local poultry farmers.
The cost of quail depends on age:
Age | Price per unit |
Per diem | 10 rub |
Weekly | 17 rub |
Three week | 32 rub |
Monthly | 40 rub |
Adults | 55 rub |
Farmers Reviews
Estonian quails are very eager to buy, and numerous reviews on farmers' forums testify to their popularity.
Vitaliy, 44, a novice farmer. I tried to breed Estonian quails, and I can say that the breeders did a good job. They rush superbly, I didn’t even expect 280 eggs to come out in a year!
Natalia, a farmer. I heard that the Pharaoh breed is often bought for meat, but then I decided to try the Estonians. Just super! Who wants to get a double profit: I recommend meat and eggs!
Fomina Irina, 31 years old, St. Petersburg. The breed is very good. Laid for the sake of eggs, and do not regret. It turns out 1 testicle once a day or two. And they are also very tenacious, they don’t suffer from anything. The main thing is to feed and care well.
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Raising Estonian quails is very profitable, spending quickly pays off, but with a competent approach to business. In addition, such a dietary product is in very good demand. The breed is hardy, unpretentious, females rush perfectly and give delicious meat. Chicks hatch together, almost no mortality. A great start in poultry breeding for beginners.
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