Content
Among the many breeds of quails, there is one breed that does not differ in high egg production, but in size is one of the smallest, even among quails, which are not the largest birds in themselves. Why are these birds very popular and happy to keep them even in small apartments? The answer will be pretty obvious, just look at the photo of the representative of this quail breeds... Indeed, the Chinese painted quail is a very beautiful representative of the feathered family, the partridge subfamily.
In addition keeping of chinese quails does not present any particular difficulties for a true poultry enthusiast, and observing their behavior and habits will take many pleasant minutes.
Origin, distribution of the breed
The Chinese painted quail is one of ten varieties of painted quail, distributed throughout Southeast Asia up to Australia and New Guinea and even in parts of Africa. Chinese painted quail, as the name implies, is distributed over a vast territory of China, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka.
In China, the bird has been known for a long time; it was often kept there as an ornamental one. Europe, on the other hand, learned about the existence of Chinese painted quails only in the 17th century. But the Chinese quail quickly gained its fans and is now widely kept as an ornamental breed.
At home, the Chinese quail lives in dense grass in wet meadows, and builds nests on the ground from dry leaves and grass. Birds live in constant pairs, while the male quail also participates in raising offspring: it feeds the female sitting on the nest, protects the nesting territory from rivals and, after the birth of the chicks, leads them along with the female and brings up. But only the female is engaged in arranging the nest itself.
Description of appearance, gender differences
Chinese painted quail is a very small bird, its weight is from 45 to 70 grams, body length is about 12-14 cm, excluding 3.5 cm of the tail. In this breed of quail, the differences between males and females are clearly expressed. Males usually have a bright color: the top of the feathers are painted in various shades of brown with bright white and black longitudinal specks, the abdomen is reddish, the cheeks, the goiter, the frontal part and the sides are gray-blue with a purple tint.
An interesting feature, thanks to which the breed was named painted, is the presence of black and white stripes of various shapes and thicknesses, located in the zone of the mandible and on the throat of birds. Sometimes these stripes even extend to the side of the head.
The females of Chinese quail are colored much more modestly - they have a light red breast with a brownish tint, a white neck, feathers on top are painted in a light sand color with brown tips of feathers, and her belly is light red-brown with black stripes.
At the same time, Chinese quails of both sexes have a black beak and an orange-yellow legs.
Breeders have long been engaged in this breed, therefore, in addition to this basic, so-called wild form, several colored varieties of Chinese painted quails were bred: silver, pinkish, blue, "isabella", white, chocolate.
The voices of quails of this breed are quiet, pleasant, when kept even in a small room, there is no discomfort from their presence.
Keeping in bondage
If, fascinated by the beauty of Chinese painted quails, you decide to start this breed in your house or even in your apartment, then you should remember that these birds are not able to bring eggs or meat in sufficient quantities. Chinese quail is an exceptionally decorative breed that is able to bring purely aesthetic pleasure to its owners and serve as another representative of your collection of birds, if any.
Arrangement of the place of detention
Often, at home, Chinese painted quails are kept in cages or aviaries that do not meet their requirements. After all, it seems that these birds are so small that they need very little space. But in reality, Chinese quails need a surface of 2x2 meters for a full life and reproduction. These requirements, of course, are unrealistic for small apartments, but it should be borne in mind that such an area is necessary for Chinese quails, first of all, for full reproduction. If you agree to use an incubator for hatching chicks, then nothing will hurt to use smaller cages for keeping Chinese quails. If it is possible to build an open-air cage of such an area, then at a height of one meter, the birds will be provided with a wonderful living room in which they will feel as comfortable as possible, and will not be subject to constant stressful situations, as when living in cramped conditions.
Since the ability to fly in Chinese painted quails is practically not realized in real life, there is no need to set high branches, perches and other similar devices. But the floor in such an aviary is better to arrange a grassy one, it is advisable to plant several bushes. The use of artificial vegetation is possible. It is also important to place several small branches, picturesque driftwood and large pieces of tree bark on the floor of the aviary to simulate natural shelters and nesting places for female Chinese quails.
If there is not enough free space for placing quails, then you can use the keeping of birds in low (up to 50 cm) cages, but it must be borne in mind that the female will most likely not incubate eggs in such conditions, and then the best option would be to keep Chinese quails in groups. It is better to cover the floor in small cells with sawdust or wood shavings.
Another feature of Chinese painted quails must be taken into account if the birds live in low cages. The fact is that if something scares them, the Chinese quail is able to soar vertically upward and can break its head on the iron surface of the cage. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to stretch a fine cloth mesh of a light shade near the top surface of the cage from the inside so that it does not block the light too much. In such a simple way, you can protect quail from head injuries and the inevitable unpleasant consequences associated with them.
Lighting for Chinese quails is better to arrange natural, and if you additionally highlight the cells, then it must be borne in mind that too bright lighting can provoke excessive aggressiveness of birds, so you should not get carried away with this. The natural habitat of quails is shaded thickets, so they need a dim light.
Another interesting option for keeping Chinese quails is terrariums. Below you can watch a video about the arrangement of such places:
It is necessary to take into account the love of Chinese quails for swimming in the sand, so the birds must definitely arrange a container with a layer of dry sand 5-6 cm deep. It is advisable not to simply pour sand into the cage pan, since even with a cage side height of 10-12 cm, when bathing quails, the sand scatters a lot, and half of it will involuntarily end up outside the cage. Therefore, the bathing container must be closed on all sides except for the bird entrance.
Various content options
Based on the biological characteristics of the existence of Chinese painted quails, it is interesting to keep this breed at home in pairs. First of all, this is the most natural way of life of the birds themselves and, therefore, their behavior during the mating season is very interesting to observe. Quail females may well begin to lay eggs as early as 14-18 weeks and when kept in pairs, they have a good hatching instinct. It is only important that in the cage or aviary in which they are kept there are many hiding places that they can use as a nest.
One oviposition can contain from 6 to 12 eggs. The most curious thing is that the eggs can be of different shades: olive with dark specks, brown or yellowish. A female Chinese quail hatches eggs on average 14-17 days. With good nutrition, the female has the ability to breed up to several times a year.
But when keeping pairs of Chinese quails in a confined space, inadequate behavior of the male towards the female at the beginning of the mating season is possible. He can constantly pursue her, and the plumage of the female will come into complete disrepair. Therefore, if there is no opportunity for free placement of quails, the best option would be to keep birds in groups of several quails. In a group, 3-4 females will be placed per male. In this case, the females of Chinese quails will not incubate eggs, and the use of an incubator is mandatory to obtain offspring. But in the cages with such a content, there should still be enough shelters so that the birds can, if necessary, hide from the involuntary manifestation of aggression from their fellows.
Nutrition and reproduction
Chinese quails are usually fed about 3 times a day. The usual diet includes, first of all, a mixture of small grains (except oats) with the addition of a part of the germinated grain (usually wheat). In summer, quails must be given fresh greens every day, in winter - whenever possible. From protein feeds, it is necessary to feed various insects, bloodworms and worms to quails; cottage cheese and egg mixtures are also given in small quantities. For a full-fledged diet, Chinese quails definitely need various mineral and vitamin supplements. The food bowl should be separate from the gravel and shellfish bowl. The presence of drinking water in the cage is mandatory, it must be changed daily.
Females of Chinese quails are fed with compound feed only during the incubation period, when the optimal combination of nutrients, vitamins and minerals is vital for them.
When the clutch is complete, the female Chinese quail is usually given a rest - she is transplanted into a separate cage, the lighting is reduced and switched to feeding with a regular grain mixture. Sometimes lowering the temperature of the content is used as a rest. If the female is severely exhausted, you can give her an immunofan solution and mix calcium gluconate with the feed.
Quails of this breed are born very tiny, no more than 2-3 cm, but despite their size, they are independent and develop and grow very quickly. From the very first day, being in the nest, they can begin to eat the same as an adult Chinese quail. But usually they need to be fed separately and added to their food protein-rich feed: egg mixtures, germinated millet and poppy seeds. Watch the video of how female Chinese quails communicate with their newly emerged quails.
When withdrawing young quail in the incubator, you should lightly tap with a pencil or a match at the location of the food from the very first feeding in order to induce the pecking instinct in them. Quails are characterized by high mobility and fast growth. On the third day they fledge, and after a few days they become capable of flying. At the age of three weeks, the chicks reach half the weight of adult Chinese quails, at 35-40 days they can no longer be distinguished from adult birds in color, and at two months they become sexually mature.
Chinese quail can live in captivity for about 10 years.
Conclusion
So, if you decide to get yourself these cute representatives of the bird family, then they will delight you for a long time.
Great information. Thank you.