Chinese painted quail is a decorative species of bird. Unlike other quail bred for meat and eggs, Chinese is used as a pet. It has a bright, beautiful color and a quiet "voice".
The appearance and nature of the bird
It is safe to call the Chinese painted quail the most striking representative of its species from a visual point of view - its brethren are far from so noticeable. In size, the bird is quite small: its body length varies between 11-14 cm, plus 3 cm of the tail. Such quails weigh an average of 45-70 g. Females and males have black beaks (in the latter they have a slight shade of blue), yellow-red paws and brick-red color of the rainbow.
Chinese painted quails have pleasant, quiet singing. The life expectancy of captive birds is approximately 10 years.
The character of the Chinese painted is quite calm. The cage’s neighbors are normal, especially if they are on the upper floors. But for adult males of this type of quail, it will be difficult to get along together - they protect their territory and show aggression towards each other. Therefore, it is better to keep one male and a female in a separate cage, or the territory should be large enough for several pairs. In females, such aggressiveness is not observed.
The differences between male and female
Not always sexual characteristics in the animal kingdom are clearly noticeable. In the same breed of quail by eye, one can immediately determine the sex of an individual: females - of an inconspicuous gray-brownish color, males - of bright colors with a blue tint and a characteristic pattern in the area under the beak.
These quails are called “painted” because of males - they have a white stripe from beak to eyes, a black stripe is located under it, turning into a spot on the throat, framing a white beard.
Distribution and origin of the breed
This species is ubiquitous in southeast Asia right up to the islands of New Guinea and the Australian continent, and is also found on the African continent. Due to the large area of its habitat, including the vast territory of China, the name of the breed is understandable.
In China, poultry has long been valued as a decorative pet. In Europe, this breed began to gain popularity only in the 17th century.
In the wild, painted quail settles in moist meadows, and uses dry grass and leaves to build nests. Birds live in pairs, the male (which is rarely the case in such animals) participates in the breeding of offspring: before the appearance of the chicks, he brings the female food and protects the nest, after the appearance of chickens - helps the female with the raising and raising of the offspring.
What are the colors?
Breeders today from the base color of the Chinese painted have already managed to bring out a lot of different colors. Among them are particularly distinguished:
- blue-headed;
- two-factor;
- red-chested gold and clarified;
- tuxedo;
- motley;
- with white fly wings;
- gold pearls and so on.
New bird colors are constantly appearing, and lovers of decorative quail always have plenty to choose from.
Home conditions
This breed of quail can be kept both in an apartment and in a private house. These birds are quite small in size, so they won’t take up much space.
Room
For the maintenance of such quail cells or cages are usually used. Among the main room requirements for these birds, it is worth highlighting:
- height - about 100 cm;
- area - 1.5-2 square meters. m;
- the bottom is best covered with earth or short grass;
- the cloth is made of soft materials like fabric or cloth;
- sand bath with a layer of sand 3-4 cm;
- places for shelters and nests.
When arranging a quail premises for this breed, it is worth considering that they are land birds, therefore there should not be any special elevations in their dwelling. A soft ceiling is needed so that the bird does not get hurt in a fright - at this time, the quail is able to jump up sharply.
Other conditions
For this breed, natural lighting is most suitable. These birds are accustomed to subdued light, because in nature quail shaded thickets are chosen for living. In excessively bright light, birds may be more aggressive.
The room must be heated, the temperature must be maintained at a suitable level.
At low temperatures, the egg production of the bird decreases, until its complete cessation. The most suitable air temperature for quail is + 16-18 ° C. Sometimes it can be a little hotter, but the main thing is not to let it fall to + 10 ° С.
Upon completion of the laying, it is better for the female to provide rest by replanting her in a separate, darker room and returning to her the usual diet of an adult bird. In addition, a reduction in the temperature of the content is often used.
Summer and winter maintenance
In summer, it is advisable to keep Chinese painted quail outdoors. This will allow the birds to bask naturally, getting the right amount of vitamin D.
For winter keeping, birds need a well-heated room. Such an enclosure should be divided into a warm internal and cold unheated part for bird walks.
The quail is built of brick or wood, while the front wall, where the walking part will be, is well glazed so that there is as much light as possible inside.
Sawdust or sand is used to backfill the floor in the enclosure. At a short distance from the floor, it is necessary to install several powerful electric lamps. In front of the entrance door of the enclosure, a small vestibule should be equipped, which will serve as additional insulation of the room and make it difficult for various predators to get inside.
Features of quail feeders
The feeder for decorative quail breeds, which are kept alone, should be placed outside the cage near the hole in the side wall - so the bird can safely get food.
The most convenient and hygienic clean are glass, plastic, porcelain. Materials such as copper or wood should not be used to make feeders.
When birds are kept in groups, feeders must be moved out of the cage and placed on its front. The equipment used for feeding quail should be convenient for maintenance, minimize loss of bird food, and be dry and clean. The availability of the feeder for group keeping of birds is extremely important, but it should be noted that birds should not be able to stand in their paws in order to avoid excessive contamination of the feed and possible injuries to the bird.
Feeding
For the full development of the birds, so that they are healthy, with good health and regular laying, they need to be properly fed. It takes a lot of time to properly feed the quail. Feed should be given to the bird at a certain period of the day, observing a predetermined regime, depending on the purpose of maintenance. In this case, the feeders should be filled in accordance with the rules, and in the drinkers to change the water.
It is necessary to monitor the freshness of the feed, to exclude the bird eating a spoiled product and ingestion of foreign impurities. Seeds fed to birds should be of normal germination.
Varieties of feed and diet quail
Chinese painted quail feeding is unpretentious. These are omnivorous birds that consume a relatively small amount of food.
For this, it is customary to include in the diet of a bird:
- crushed grain;
- different types of insects;
- finely chopped grass;
- egg feed;
- flour worms;
- vitamin and mineral supplements.
The feed rate for the breed is standard 3 times a day. The usual poultry diet includes a mixture of small grains with part of the germinated grain, which is often used as wheat.
Quail needs sand for proper digestion. Therefore, in the house, a tank with coarse-grained river sand should be installed, which should be separated from the feeder with the main feed.
For constant feeding of females, compound feed is used only during the hatching period. If the female is too exhausted after laying, she can be helped by adding calcium gluconate to the feed and using a solution of Immunofan.
Water in the quail housing should always be present. It is desirable to change it a couple of times a day or as it becomes dirty. The temperature of the water in the drinkers should be maintained at a certain level - it should be slightly cool, if necessary, the water should be heated. In winter, drinking water should be warm so that birds do not catch a cold.
Supplements and Vitamins
Among the most common vitamins and supplements for quail feed, it is worth highlighting:
- Protein-vitamin supplement (BVD). May be part of quail food.
- Vitamin Supplements. They are used only in the absence of succulent feed (greens and carrots). Commonly used are trivit and tetravit.
- Yeast. Rich in vitamins of group B. Used as an additive to grain mixtures baker's, fodder, brewery, homemade and hydrocarbon yeast.
- Premixes They are concentrated mixtures of vitamins and mineral salts with the addition of antioxidants. Mineral and vitamin quail premixes should be fed only according to the instructions of the premix manufacturer. Premixes are rich in protein, but have a short shelf life.
- Chiktonik. A common veterinary drug, which is a complex mixture of vitamins, mineral salts, amino acids, growth factors, appetite stimulants, tonic and aromatic additives.
You can’t overdo it with such additives - they must be used strictly according to the instructions in order to avoid negative effects on poultry health.
Breeding Chinese Painted Quail
To successfully maintain and breed quail, they need to create decent living conditions. Complete bird care includes many daily tasks to ensure these conditions. Among them are:
- compliance with the feeding regimen;
- control of temperature, humidity, illumination of the premises for birds;
- egg picking;
- control of the incubation process and the cultivation of chicks;
- maintaining inventory and equipment in proper form;
- compliance with sanitary standards of bird keeping.
The differences in the internal routine are due to many factors, including the seasons, the occupation of the bird man, the purpose of poultry farming, and so on.
For breeding birds of this breed should be kept in pairs, because it is more close to the natural habitat of quail. Chinese quails hatch eggs only on grass or in bushes - with this in mind and the prospects for breeding, you need to equip the premises accordingly.
At one time, the female lays up to a dozen eggs, which hatch for about 2 weeks.
With a group of Chinese painted quails, the likelihood that the female will hatch eggs herself decreases. Then egg incubation may be required. For this, an incubator is suitable in which it is possible to set the temperature at 37.5-38 ° C for 2 weeks.
Care and maintenance quail
On the third day after hatching, the chick is already fledging, and after a couple of days it becomes able to fly. By the third week, the chicks weigh half the mass of their parents, by the 5-6th week it is already difficult to distinguish them from adults. By the end of the second month, puberty in quail is over. All this time, the chicks need special conditions for keeping and feeding.
Conditions of detention
When keeping young animals with their parents, it is necessary to ensure that there are no aggressive actions from adults. Otherwise, the birds are seated. If there are no threats from adult quails, then the chicks will bask in the plumage of their parents. When keeping the chicks separately, they need additional heating.
For optimal growth of the chicks, it is worth providing them with round-the-clock lighting. The bottom of the cage is best lined with fabric.
In the first month of cultivation, the temperature is maintained at the level indicated in the table:
Growing days | The temperature in the cells (° C) | Indoor temperature (° С) |
1-7 | 35-36 | 27-29 |
8-14 | 30-32 | 25-26 |
15-21 | 25-27 | 23-25 |
22-30 | 20-22 | 20-22 |
Feeding
In the first week of life, chicks need to be fed 5 times a day. As food for young animals are often used:
- flour worm larvae;
- mosquitoes;
- fruit flies;
- hard-boiled chicken eggs;
- finely chopped celery;
- grated carrots;
- poppy seeds.
For young birds, non-spill drinking bowls are arranged in cages. To do this, an inverted half-liter can of water is installed at the bottom of a flat dish. It is necessary to insert a gasket a couple of millimeters thick between the bottom and neck of the can, which will provide a place for unhindered water to enter the drinker.
For proper development, mineral supplements need to be mixed in the chicks. You can get them today in veterinary clinics.
From 4 weeks old, the chicks begin to be transferred to the diet of an adult bird.
Tips for buying and transporting birds
The choice of acquired quail is an extremely important point, on which much will depend on. Bird health is paramount here. Among the first signs by which it is possible to determine the degree of well-being of an individual by eye, it is customary to distinguish:
- dense smooth plumage;
- moderate body weight;
- sparkling eyes;
- pronounced sexual characteristics;
- lack of wounds and droppings around feathers of cloaca.
Too thick or thin birds are unsuitable for the role of producers.
It is best to acquire young birds in the fall - so during the winter period they will have time to gain weight, grow stronger, become sexually mature.
Transportation Features
For transportation of Chinese painted quail, a regular wooden box is well suited. One of its walls should be made of bars, as in a cage, but it is better to make a door in it. In order to avoid injuries and injuries of the bird during transportation, the box should be lined with hay, it will also retain heat. Too many birds can not be placed in one box - to keep the optimum temperature and humidity in the room, the pet should be comfortable, all the more it is worth considering the stress factor of the change of environment for the birds.
It is better to keep males of decorative species of quail one at a time in a cage; for females, joint transportation is acceptable.
It is forbidden to place a newly brought individual in a common room with quails; it is better to keep it separately for the first month. Otherwise, the likelihood of bird disease increases.
Poultry productivity and price
This type of quail is not commonly used to obtain meat or eggs, so it is often grown as a decorative bird. It is easy to breed Chinese painted quail, it is not picky in food. They usually contain decorative birds for many years, so the age of the bird when buying is not as significant as with the breeds of egg or meat.
It is easy to obtain such quail. Among the colors of this breed common in our country, they usually distinguish:
- Specimens of standard color, clarified and silvered. The average cost of a male is 400 p., Females - 600 p.
- Blue-headed. Their cost today varies between 1500-2000 p.
Eggs are sold at 40-50 p. for a dozen. The price of young animals is approximately 150 p. More often acquire lonely females.
Based on the above conditions of keeping, feeding and breeding Chinese painted quail, you can easily engage in the breeding of birds of this breed. The special beauty of these quail will bring aesthetic pleasure to every lover of birds, whether it is a beginner amateur or an experienced poultryman.