Contents
Among the many breeds of quails, there is one breed that does not differ in large egg production, but in size it is one of the smallest even among quails, which are not the largest birds in themselves. Why are these birds quite popular and are happy to keep them even in small apartments? The answer will be quite obvious, one has only to look at the photo of a representative of this quail breed. Indeed, the Chinese painted quail is a very beautiful representative of the feathered family, the partridge subfamily.
In addition, the content of Chinese quail does not present any particular difficulties for a real poultry enthusiast, and observing their behavior and habits will bring many pleasant minutes.
Origin, distribution of the breed
The Chinese Painted Quail is one of ten varieties of Painted Quail distributed throughout Southeast Asia as far as 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. Europe learned about the existence of Chinese painted quails only in the XNUMXth century. But the Chinese quail quickly gained its fans and is now widely kept as a decorative breed.
At home, Chinese quail lives in dense grass in wet meadows, and builds nests on the ground from dry leaves and grass. Birds live in permanent 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 them up. But only the female is engaged in the arrangement of the nest itself.
Description of appearance, gender differences
The Chinese painted quail is a very small bird, its weight is from 45 to 70 grams, the body length is about 12-14 cm, not including 3,5 cm of the tail. In this breed of quail, differences between males and females are clearly expressed. Males usually have a bright color: on top, the feathers are painted in various shades of brown with bright white and black longitudinal specks, the belly is a reddish hue, cheeks, goiter, frontal part and sides are gray-blue with a purple tint.
An interesting feature, thanks to which the breed was called painted, is the presence of black and white stripes of various shapes and thicknesses located in the mandible area and on the throat of birds. Sometimes these stripes even extend to the side of the head.
The females of Chinese quails are much more modestly colored – they have a light red breast with a brownish tinge, a white neck, feathers on top are painted light sandy 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 orange-yellow legs.
Breeders have long been engaged in this breed, therefore, in addition to this main, so-called wild form, several colored varieties of Chinese painted quail were bred: silver, pinkish, blue, “Isabella”, white, chocolate.
The voices of quails of this breed are quiet, pleasant, and when kept even in a small room, there is no discomfort from their presence.
Content in captivity
If, enchanted by the beauty of Chinese painted quail, you decide to have 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. The Chinese quail is an exclusively decorative breed, which is able to deliver 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 require a surface of 2×2 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 prevent you from using smaller cages for keeping Chinese quails. If it is possible to build an aviary of such an area, then with a height of one meter, the birds will be provided with an excellent 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 install high branches, perches and other similar devices. But the floor in such an aviary is better to arrange grassy, it is advisable to plant several bushes. It is possible to use artificial vegetation. It is also important to place several small branches, picturesque driftwood and large pieces of tree bark on the floor of the aviary to mimic natural hiding places and nesting sites for female Chinese quails.
If there is not much free space for placing quails, then keeping birds in low (up to 50 cm) cages can be used, but it must be borne in mind that females will most likely not incubate eggs in such conditions, and then the best option would be to keep Chinese quails in groups. The floor in small cells is best covered 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 upwards and can break its head on the iron surface of the cage. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to stretch a small fabric mesh of a light shade on the inside not far from the upper surface of the cage, so that it does not block the light much. In this simple way, you can protect quails from head injuries and the inevitable unpleasant consequences associated with them.
It is better to arrange natural lighting for Chinese quails, and if you additionally highlight the cages, 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 subdued light.
Another interesting option for keeping Chinese quails are 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 bathing in the sand, so the birds definitely need to arrange a container with a layer of dry sand 5-6 cm deep. It is advisable not to pour sand simply into the cage tray, since even with a height of cage sides 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 entrance to the birds.
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 incubation instinct. It is only important that the cage or aviary in which they are kept has plenty of 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 spots, brown or yellowish. The female Chinese quail incubates the eggs for an average of 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 limited space, inadequate behavior of the male in relation to the female at the beginning of the mating season is possible. He can constantly pursue her, and the plumage of the female will become completely useless. Therefore, if there is no possibility for free placement of quails, the best option would be to keep the birds in groups of several quails. In a group, 3-4 females will be placed per male. In this case, female Chinese quails will not incubate eggs, and it is necessary to use an incubator to obtain offspring. But in 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 grain crops (except oats) with the addition of part of the grain in germinated form (usually wheat). In summer, quails must be given fresh greens daily, in winter – as far as possible. From protein feeds, it is necessary to feed various insects, bloodworms and worms to quails, and cottage cheese and egg mixtures are also given in small quantities. For a complete diet, Chinese quails definitely need various mineral and vitamin supplements. The food bowl should be separate from the bowl of gravel and shell rock. The presence of drinking water in the cage is mandatory, it must be changed daily.
Compound feed is fed to Chinese quail females only during the incubation period, when they need the optimal combination of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
When the laying is completed, the female Chinese quail is usually given a rest – they transplant her into a separate cage, reduce the lighting and switch to feeding with a regular grain mixture. Sometimes a decrease in the temperature of the content is used as a rest. With a strong depletion of the female, you can give her a solution of immunofan and add calcium gluconate to the feed.
Quails of this breed are born very tiny, no more than 2-3 cm, but despite such sizes, 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 supplemented with protein-rich foods: egg mixtures, germinated millet and poppy seeds. Watch the video to see how female Chinese quails communicate with their newly hatched quails.
When hatching young quails in an incubator, from the very first feeding, lightly tap with a pencil or a match at the location of the feed to arouse the pecking instinct in them. Quails are characterized by high mobility and rapid growth. Already on the third day they fledge, and after a few more 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 by 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 feathered family, then they will please you for a long time.