luludaxia
Chirping
- Sep 14, 2016
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From your experience, how to keep a high fertility rate for coturnix quails? What is the most important thing? Food? Male to Female ratio? Temparature? Hour of lights? Age of the quails?
Any ideas of the coturnix quail fertility rate?
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luludaxia
Chirping
- Sep 14, 2016
- 103
- 19
- 81
Its a little of everything. Age, Feed, and ratios....and lets not forget disease, and inbred genetics.
A good feed above 20% protein is vitally important to fertility and success rate. Otherwise they fertility will suffer as well as the hatch. 16% just wont cut it and the chicks may pip but may never be strong enough to zip, or last longer than a week if they do.
A good balance in the ratio 1:6, is a good average, but the birds have to be separate in that ratio. Simply having 6 males and 36 hens all in the same peen (un-separated) will not guarantee the ratio as there is no control over 1 of the 6 males trying to breed 10-2 hens, thus the fertility may suffer. That one male may be the dominate male chasing all the others off as they try to breed. Its always a competition in a group.
Age vs fertility, after they mature age is rarely the issue and I have only one thought on that, it equals the ages. Just like in humans, fertility starts to drops off after a certain age and continues thereafter. Since a quail has a limited life span you can only expect that fertility will drop off in the same way. What ages that starts is beyond me.
Genetics- certain species of flocks can survive a high level of inbreeding for up to 7 or more generations, but sterility will often start to show up in latter generations. With the exception of a few anomalies, it is best to introduce new (different) genetic stock every 3-4 generations.
Disease and Medications- disease will hurt fertility as it renders the body weaker. it may effect the reproductive organs, the embryo, or the next generation after hatch. Medications will also have some undesired effects depending on the type.
Just my thoughts
A good feed above 20% protein is vitally important to fertility and success rate. Otherwise they fertility will suffer as well as the hatch. 16% just wont cut it and the chicks may pip but may never be strong enough to zip, or last longer than a week if they do.
A good balance in the ratio 1:6, is a good average, but the birds have to be separate in that ratio. Simply having 6 males and 36 hens all in the same peen (un-separated) will not guarantee the ratio as there is no control over 1 of the 6 males trying to breed 10-2 hens, thus the fertility may suffer. That one male may be the dominate male chasing all the others off as they try to breed. Its always a competition in a group.
Age vs fertility, after they mature age is rarely the issue and I have only one thought on that, it equals the ages. Just like in humans, fertility starts to drops off after a certain age and continues thereafter. Since a quail has a limited life span you can only expect that fertility will drop off in the same way. What ages that starts is beyond me.
Genetics- certain species of flocks can survive a high level of inbreeding for up to 7 or more generations, but sterility will often start to show up in latter generations. With the exception of a few anomalies, it is best to introduce new (different) genetic stock every 3-4 generations.
Disease and Medications- disease will hurt fertility as it renders the body weaker. it may effect the reproductive organs, the embryo, or the next generation after hatch. Medications will also have some undesired effects depending on the type.
Just my thoughts
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