Raising Quail Essays - Food And Drink, Poultry, Livestock, Meat

Raising Quail I. Introduction II. Incubation A. Temperature B. Types III. Hatching A. Days B. How IV. First few days A. Eating B. Other Equipment V. Mid-Term A. Nutrition B. Disease Control VI. Market Production A. When B. What Can Be Sold VII. Conclusion A. Raise Quail References: http://www.grangecoop.com/how-to-raise-baby-pheasant-chukar-quail/ http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/607/raising-japanese-quail/ Raising Quail Introduction; Incubation; Successful quail raising begins in the pre-incubation period. Eggs should be collected several times a day and stored at a temperature of 59 degrees F; a household refrigerator is not satisfactory because it is too cold. Best results are obtained when eggs are held no longer than 1 week before setting.The types of incubators that are commonly be found are; fan ventilated , still air, and natural. Fan ventilated and still air incubators are incubators that require you to turn the eggs by hand. Natural doesn't require you to turn the eggs, you just need a brood hen and she will hatch them as her own. Hatching; Baby Quail require a brooder temperatu re of approximately 95 degrees F f or the first week, dropping approximately 5 degrees every 3 days or so until the end of the brooding period. They will feather out quickly, so they do not require as much heat as chickens or turkeys. They need watched closely to see if they are comfortable: if they cluster under the lamp, they are too cold; if they stay far away, drop their wings and pant, they are too hot; and if they range all over the brooder, they are comfortable. Make sure they always have enough space to get away from the heat. They are usually fairly quiet when they are happy. Lots of peeping means they are either: too cold, too hot or ill. They should be able to go outside by about 4 to 6 weeks. You may want to still give them heat at night if the weather is chilly. First Few Days ; newly hatched quail chicks are small, and proper brooding temperatures for young quail are very important. They need supplementary heat for about 3-4 weeks after hatching. Beak trimming may be necessary as early as 2 weeks of age and is usually done with a hot-blade-type commercial beak trimmer. The tip of the upper beak can be temporarily removed with nail clippers. After birds are beak trimmed, the level of feed and water in the troughs may need to be increased. Mid-Term; For the first 6 weeks, quails should be fed a diet containing approximately 25% protein, about 12.6 mega joules (MJ) of metabolisable energy (ME) per kilogram, and 1.0% calcium. A good quality commercial starter ration for game birds or turkeys contains about 25%-28% protein. If this is not available, a chicken starter ration (20%-22% protein ) can be used, but the birds will grow more slowly.The dietary requirements for birds nearing maturity are similar except that calcium and phosphorus levels must be increased. Shell grit or ground limestone can be added to the diets after 5 weeks of age, or it may be provided separately as free choice.Sanitary management practices are the best guarantee against disease. Equipment, such as cages, feeders, waterers and tools should be cleaned and sanitized frequently. A commercial disinfectant is recommended. Japanese quail suffer from some of the same diseases that affect domestic chickens. However, if housing, nu trition, husbandry and hygiene are of a high standard, mortality should not be a problem. Market Production; there is a limited but expanding market for specialist products such as fresh or pickled quail eggs and fresh or frozen quail carcasses. However, commercial success requires thorough market research and the ability to maintain supplies of top quality produce.As with any business, quail producers need to carefully research possible markets before starting production. The major markets for quail include hunting preserves and field trial stock; private individuals who buy live birds to train hunting dogs; individuals who want to restock birds in the wild. Secondary markets for bobwhite quail include custom slaughter gourmet food outlets (mostly restaurants and usually involves USDA requirements) and egg production. Their names and addresses are available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.