japanese quail

8/3/2019 Japanese Quail

1/8

RAIS ING AND PROPAGATING

The author is Ralph A. Ernst, Extension Poultry Specialist, Davis.

Since 1960 there has been much Americaninterest in japanese quail (Coturnix coturnixjaponica) as experimental animals for biologi-cal research, as well as for subjects inclassroom science projects. Amateur birdfanciers and hobbyists have also becomeinterested in raising them because they arehardy, easy to handle, and the equipmentneeded for their culture is simple. They havea short reproductive cycle, and may lay eggswhen only 35 days old. The bird is anexcellent food source; it is delicious preparedwhole-bodied and charcoal-broiled, and manypeople enjoy pickling hard-boiled quail eggsfor use as hors d' oeuvres.japanese quail should not be confused withbobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) or otherindigenous quail such as the California quail

(Lophottyx csliiomice). Coturnix are nativeto Europe and Asia and date back to theancient civilizations of these continents. Insome parts of japan they have been raised incaptivity for many centuries.In the U.S. at least 18 states have attemptedto establish the species as a wild population,but only Hawaii has been successful. Recentstudies suggest that these failures may havebeen due to the fact that the stock used had along history of domestication, thus making itunsuitable for life in the wild.Certain problems arise when those unfamiliarwith bird husbandry try to rear japanesequail for the first time. This publicationprovides some of the basic informationneeded to make such attempts successful.

CHARACTERISTICS

The adult female quail usually weighs from110 to 150 grams (4-5 oz.), males are slightlysmaller. Heavier strains have been developedfor meat purposes. Average eggs weigh about10 grams (If.! oz.), they are a mottled browncolor, and are often covered with a light-bluechalky material. Coturnix chicks weight 5 or6 grams (lh oz.) when hatched and haveyellowish down with brown stripes. Theadult male has a loud, castanet-like crowwhich has been described as "ko-turro-neex".

Crowing usually begins at 5 to 6 weeks ofage and is quite frequent thereafter.In recent years several strains with newplumage color patterns have been developed.These strains include white (English White),black (British Range), a black with white vest(Tuxedo), wheat color (Manchurian Golden),as wel1 as a strain which lays almost whiteeggs.

Division of Agricultural SciencesUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAREPRINTED OCT08ER 1978

LEAFLET2738


2/8

SEX DETERMINATIONAt 3 weeks of age the female is characterizedby light-tan feathers on the throat and upperbreast; the breast feathers are black stippled.Males have rusty brown throat and breastfeathers. Mature males also have a cloacalgland in a bulbous structure located at theupper edge of the vent; the gland secretes awhite, foamy substance when the male issexually active.

The sex of day-old Coturnix can be deter-mined by cloacal (vent) examination. Begin-ners can achieve about 90 per cent accuracyafter practicing on 100 chicks. For detailsconsult "Identification of Sex of Day-OldQuail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) by CloacalExamination", K. Homma, T. D. Siopes, W.O. Wilson and L. Z. McFarland, PoultryScience Journal, Vol. 45, No.3, May, 1966.

japanese quail eggs.

Japallese quail. Lt:ft: male. Righi; female. ~()tl' dillcrcnc ill Im.:ast-feathcr color pattern.

2


3/8

INCUBATION PROCEDURESQuail eggs can be incubated in any standard-size incubator. A fan-ventilated incubator ispreferable, but a still-air machine works wellif carefully operated. In some machines,modification of egg trays may be necessary tohold quail eggs successfully. This can be donewith hardware-cloth or, in some machines, bycutting strips of chicken-egg flats and placingthem in the tray to hold the quail eggs.Several types of small incubators, speciallydesigned for quail eggs, are commerciallyavailable.Hatching timeQuail eggs hatch in 16 to 18 days dependingupon temperature, humidity, and geneticvariability. Under the incubation conditionssuggested herein, quail eggs hatch in about17Y2days. If eggs are to be transferred to aseparate hatcher, do this on the 14th to 16thday of incubation. Newly-hatched chicksoften tend to spraddle in hatching trays - toprevent this, crowd the eggs into a small area,or cover the bottom of the tray with cheese-cloth before chicks begin to hatch.

TemperatureFan-ventilated incubators should be set at99.5F to 99.8F; incubators with gravityventilation should be set at 101 to 103F asmeasured at the top of the egg. If thetemperature of the incubator exceeds theserecommendations, many embryos may die.During hatching, the temperature should belowered lh to 1 degree F.HumidityA relative humidity of about 60 percent issatisfactory during incubation and should beraised to about 70 percent during the hatch-ing period.

Spraddled quail chick - a com mon problemcaused by improper floor in hatching tray.

IIICIIi>alor t r.tv llI(Jdified wit]: "ire illserts to hold qllaill'ggs.

3


4/8

Pans of water, or spray systems, are necessaryto provide adequate humidity levels. Humidi-ty in fan-ventilated incubators can be mea-sured with a wet-bulb thermometer, which ismerely a dry-bulb thermometer with its bulbwrapped in a damp cloth wick. At a tempera-ture of 99.5 F dry bulb, a reading of 85 to86 F wet bulb is equivalent to 60 percentrelative humidity. During hatching, a wet-bulb temperature of 88 to 90 F is desirable.Maintaining proper humidity in small incu-bators can be a problem, particularly if theincubator is often opened for observation orfor turning eggs. When turning eggs by hand,be careful not to disturb conditions in theincubator more than necessary.Ventilation, position of eggsDeveloping embryos use oxygen and give offcarbon dioxide and heat, and therefore theincubator must have proper ventilation. Little .air-exchange is needed at the beginning, butthe requirement increases as incubationprogresses.Quail eggs will hatch successfully if they areplaced in an incubator in any position exceptwith the large end down. Be sure the eggs areplaced with their large ends up or placed flatin a horizontal tray.TurningTurn eggs regularly to prevent the embryosfrom adhering to the shell membranes. Ifeggs are turned mechanically, set the timer tooperate once every 2 to 4 hours. If eggs areturned by hand, turn them at least three timesa day and oftener if possible. Turning iscritical only during the first few days ofincubation and may be discontinued after 14days.

Egg careCollect eggs frequently and store them largeend up in a cool (55-60F) room; a room with70 percent relative humidity is best. Crackedeggs hatch very poorly. Best results areobtained when eggs less than 1 week old areset. Set only clean eggs. Soiled eggs can becleaned with sandpaper or other abrasives.Never wash hatching eggs in cold water!

SanitationClean and disinfect the incubator thoroughlyafter each use. Fumigation is not necessary insmall incubators unless disease problemsoccur.

Empty incubators can be fumigated by using1 teaspoon potassium permanganate and 4teaspoons of formaldehyde for each cubicfoot of incubator space. Heat the cleanincubator to just above 70F, with water pansfilled and vents closed. Use an earthenwareor enamelware dish with a volume 10 timesthat of the ingredients and add the formalinto the permangante. After 20 minutes openthe incubator. Fumigation should be doneoutdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Avoidinhalation of fumes.' In fan-ventilated 'incu-bators leave the fan running and the air ventsclosed during fumigation.

BROODING AND CAREOF YOUNG QUAIL

Starting quailFollowing these preparatory steps will helpassure the young birds a good start in life.

Thoroughly clean the brooding cage orpen and all equipment to be used. Afterthe droppings and litter are removed,wash with a detergent.

If disease problems have been en-countered in stock previously raised, dis-infect the pen and equipment with anapproved disinfectant (for details see V.C.Cooperative Extension Leaflet 2627,"Cleaning and Disinfecting Poultry Equip-ment and Poultry Houses").

IFormaldehyde solution (-to percent formalin) is highlyirritating. Follow the precaut ions Oil the container label.\\'ear goggles, respirator, Iong-vleeved shirt and liquid-proof gloves when handling tl1l' fumigant. If thefllllligating chamber is within another room, II{' 'lire theolltside room hwell \entilated. If the cht'lllic;ti ".IIItioll,pill, on YOII.wash it off illlllll"


5/8

When the pen is thoroughly dry, place 2to 4 inches of clean litter on the floor(omit litter in wire pens) and cover thewire or litter with paper. Use soft, roughtypes of paper, as chicks tend to spraddleon smooth paper; old newspaper can beused. Remove the paper after 5 to 10days or replace it regularly.

Start the heater and adjust thermostat toprovide desired temperature well beforechicks are to be started .

Fill water containers. Place feed on thepaper floor and fill feeders full. This willhelp chicks to start eating. As soon aschicks learn to eat from feeders, stopfeeding on the floor and lower the feedlevel in the feeders to reduce wastage.

HeatWhen hatched, quail chicks require carefulattention. Heat is needed for the first 3 or 4weeks following hatching; heat lamps may beused successfully and should be placed atleast 18 inches above the floor of the pen.(Any other heat source that provides suffi-cient heat can be used.) Maintain the temper-ature at about 95 to 100 F during the firstweek. Measure temperature at the level of thechicks. As the chicks age, gradually decreasethe temperature about 10 degrees per week aslong as heat is needed.The best guide for adjusting the heat is thebehavior of the chicks - if they crowd nearthe heat source and seem cold, the tempera-ture is too low; if they tend to settle a fewinches from the hottest area, the temperatureis about right. A common error made by thebeginner is failure to provide adequate heatduring the early days of the brooding period.If the entire room is heated, a temperature ofabout 90 F is best during the first week.

Water, litterCare must be taken to prevent small chicksfrom drowning in water troughs. A pintMason jar with a glass fountain base makes agood drinking vessel, but it should bemodified by placing a round (doughnut-

\\;ttLT fountain with win: insert in baseto keep chicks from drowuiug ,

shaped) piece of hardware-cloth in the troughat the base. Petri dishes or other shallow pansIh-inch deep filled with marbles or pebblescan be substituted; the dishes can also becovered with hardware-cloth (1/8- or 1/4-inchmesh). When chicks are 1 week old, the watercan be uncovered with reasonable safety.Provide clean water at all times. Clean watercontai ners daily.Several litter materials can be used. Woodshavings, finely ground corncobs, sugarcanefiber, chopped straw, peanut hulls and catlitter are good.

CARE OF ADULT QUAILSpaceAdult quail will live and produce successful-ly if they are allowed at least 12 squareinches of floor space per bird. If quail arereared indoors, you can minimize odors byproviding more space and cleaning cages

5


6/8

frequently - under these conditions, 25 to 30square inches of space per quail should besufficient. The space required for birds inindividual cages is discussed under "Cagesand equipment".Adult Japanese quail need a minimum of lh-inch of feed trough space per bird. When thefeeders are filled once per day, more feederspace may be desirable. Clean, fresh watershould be provided at all times with aminimum of v . . inch of trough space perquail.LightingFor good egg production provide 14 to 16hours of light per day with an intensity of atleast lh foot candle (5 lux). If the daylengthis allowed to decrease, egg production andmating activity will decline or stop. Continu-ous light may be the most practical andconvenient system for small groups of quailbecause time clocks to control lights are notrequired. Young quail should be grown undernatural daylight or shorter days. An exampleof a good lighting program for laying quail isshown below.

Age Light per day Light intensity1to 7 days 24 hours 2 to 5 ft. candles8 to 40 days natural or 8 hours Ih to 2 ft. candles41 days on 16 hours Ih to 2 ft. candles

If meat production is desired, it may bedesirable to restrict light to 8 hours per dayto retard the onset of sexual activity. Thiswill result in heavier birds that will yieldmore meat per unit of live weight.Mating and fertilityTo obtain fertile hatching eggs from quail,equal numbers of males and females are notnecessary. Research indicates that for singlemale matings, a ratio of one male to two orthree females is optimum. When quail arekept in larger groups, keep one male for eachthree to five females. Pair matings inindividual cages usually will give good

fertility but occasionally a male will beinfertile.Do not mate closely related individuals -inbreeding causes greatly reduced reproduc-tive performance. Older birds are also lessfertile and their eggs have lower hatchability.Cages and equipmentCages can be constructed in any desired size.If individual records are to be kept, smallcages (5 to 8 inches) are large enough for oneor two quail. The best material for cageconstruction is 1 x lh inch welded wire.Hardware-cloth or screen can be used if it isattached to a wooden or steel framework. Ifcages are constructed of welded wire, smallpig-rings can be used to join the cage parts.Cages 5 to 8 inches high are preferred tohigher pens because quail suffer fewer headinjuries in cages of that height. If cages areconstructed with a wire top, a solid roof ofwood, metal, or cardboard placed over themwill reduce head injuries.Cannibalism controlPecking is an inherent characteristic of allbirds. If quail begin to injure their penmates, corrective action should be takenimmediately. The beaks can be clipped (usefinger nail clippers) to reduce pecking, or bitscan be applied (special anti-picking bits areavailable for quail).Cannibalism is prevented by avoiding exces-sive crowding or high light intensity. Injuredbirds should be isolated immediately.VentilationWhen quail are confined in large groups,fresh air must be provided (the odor ofammonia in the air is an indication thatadditional air is needed). Temperatures above90 F or below 40 F should be avoidedwhenever possible as they will result inreduced egg laying, slower growth, discom-fort, and at extremes even death. Necessaryhousing will depend on local weather condi-tions.

6


7/8

FEEDING SUGGESTIONSAppropriate feeds for coturnix can usually be obtained from local feed stores. The followingfeeding schedule is recommended.

Life stage Type feeding programof quail Protein needs recommended

Starting (0 to 3 weeks) 25% - 28% Turkey or game bird startermash, free choice

Growing (3 to 6 weeks) 20% Chicken starter mash or crumbles,free choice

Laying 17% Chicken laying mash or crumblesBreeding 20% Chicken starter mash or crumbles

_l)_luscalcium (free choice) If'

*Fine oyster shell or limestone must be available to provide adequate calcium for egg shell formation.

Some small growers may wish to supplementfeeds with small seeds, cracked grain, vegeta-ble peelings, lettuce or grass clippings. Thisis safe as long as the feedstuffs chosen arefree of toxic materials. Fine grit should beprovided free choice when quail are fedwhole seeds or plant materials or are allowedto graze in outside pens. Never feed moldy orrotten materials.It is best to maintain feed troughs about half-full to minimize feed waste. The trough lipshould be at the height of the quails' backs.Troughs 2 inches wide and 2 inches deephave been used successfully.A strip of Viz-inchmesh hardware-cloth placedon top of the feed will greatly reduce feedwastage causing by billing.

MARKINGJapanese quail can be marked by banding, orcolor marking. Leg bands and wing bandscan be used to identify quail of all ages andare available from commercial companies.Color marking is sometimes used for smallgroups of quail. Oil paint can be placed onthe wing feathers of adult birds (not on skinor down of young quail).

MAINTAINING HEALTHCoturnix are not as susceptible to diseaseproblems as are some other domestic birds,but they can be affected by several commondisease organisms. The following proceduresare recommended to keep birds in goodhealth.

Keep them away from other birds . Remove dead birds as soon as possible

and dispose of them properly. Keep pen floors dry. Clean water containers daily. Isolate sick birds as soon as observed.If serious disease problems occur, take a

sample (1 to 3 birds) of sick or freshly-dead birds to a competent veterinarianfor diagnosis. Follow his advice fortreatment or prevention.

OBTAINING QUAILMany people raise Japanese quail, but if youcannot locate a source of supply consult localpet stores, your County Farm Advisor'soffice, or the UC Davis Department of AvianSciences for information on possible sources.

7


8/8

COOPERATIVE EXTENSIONDEPARTMENT OF AGRICUL TURE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIABerkeley, California 94720

POSTAGE AND FEES PAIDU.S. DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICUL TUREAGR 101 U.S-MAIL

OF FICIAL BUSIN ESSPENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300 THIRD CLASS

REFERENCES

Japanese Quail Husbandry in the Laboratory,A. E. Woodard, H. Abplanalp, W. o.Wilson and P. Vohra, Department ofAvian Sciences, Davis, CA 95616 (1975).

Quail Manual, 6th Ed., A. F. Marsh, MarshQuail Farms, 14232 Brookhurst St.,Garden Grove, California 92643.

Cotumix (Coturnix cotumix japonica) -Standards and Guidelines for the Breed-ing, Care and Management of Laborato-ry Animals. National Academy of Sci-ences, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20418.

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAThi s information is provided by Cooperati ve Extens ion, an educational agency of the Uni versity of Cal ifar-nia and the United States Department of Agriculture. Support for Cooperative Extension is supplied byfederal, state, and county governments. Cooperative Extension provides the people of California with thelatest information in agriculture and family consumer sciences. It also sponsors the 4-H Youth Program.Cooperative Extension representatives, serving 56 counties in Col ifornia, are known as farm, home, or youthadvisors. Their offices usually are located in the county seat. They will be happy to provide you withinformation in their fields of work.

The University of California's Cooperative Extension pro.grams are available to all, without regard to race,color, or notional origin.Issued in furthera'1ce of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation withthe United States Deportment of Agriculture. James B. KendrIck, Jr., Director, Cooperative Extension,University of California.

japanese quail

Documents