Measures to improve the hatching rate of quails

Quail (scientific name: Coturnix coturnix) is 18 cm long, small and round, brown with obvious straw yellow spear-shaped stripes and irregular stripes, and reddish brown and black stripes on the upper bodies of both sexes. The chin of the male bird is dark brown, and the middle line of the throat is bent up to the ear feathers on both sides, close to the leather-yellow collar. The skin-yellow eyebrow lines are in marked contrast to the brown head and through-eye lines. The female birds also have similar patterns, but the control is not very obvious. Often act in pairs rather than in groups. It is often active in plains, wastelands, streams, hills and hills with dense weeds or bushes, and sometimes near arable land. Mainly eat weed seeds, legumes, grains and berries, tender leaves, buds, etc., eat a large number of insects and larvae in summer, as well as small invertebrates. Distributed in Europe, Africa, northern Asia, central, western and southern China, bred in Shache and Yumin in western Xinjiang to Lop Nur in the east, overwintered in the south and southeast of Xizang, and sometimes in Zhongdian in northwestern Yunnan.

The hatching rate of quails directly affects the utilization rate of breeding eggs, the health of newborn chicks and the production performance in the future. In order to improve the hatching rate, the following measures should be taken:

First, choose eggs carefully. It is required that the fresh degree of breeding eggs should be high, the design and color should be good, and it should meet the requirements of non-white skin, not soft skin and no trachoma. The egg weight is generally 912 grams or more, the egg shape is slightly pointed, the other is slightly round, and the ratio of diameter to transverse diameter of the egg is 114. 4.

Second, the eggs should be properly preserved. The breeding egg storage room should be well ventilated, and the harmful gases in the room without mosquitoes, flies and rodents should be below the prescribed health standards. Eggs should not vibrate, to prevent the cold wind blowing and the sun direct, the temperature is about 18 ℃. The preservation time of breeding eggs is 7-8 days in summer and no more than 10 days in winter.

Third, disinfect eggs thoroughly. In order to prevent breeding eggs from being infected with various bacteria and viruses, breeding eggs should be sterilized before hatching. Put the breeding egg into the egg plate, the egg upright or slightly tilted, big head up, put on the egg rack car into the incubator for disinfection. Its disinfection method can generally use formalin fumigation method, the dosage is 28ml formalin per square meter, fumigation time is 20 minutes.

Fourth, the temperature should be suitable. Temperature is one of the main conditions in the process of incubation, which is relatively stable at 37.8-39 ℃. Due to the difference of embryo age, variety and season, its range can be adjusted properly. In general, the smaller the embryo age, the higher the temperature; with the increase of embryo age, the decay temperature can be reduced appropriately. Egg varieties require low temperature, while dual-purpose varieties require high temperature; hatching temperature is slightly higher in early spring, and then with the gradual increase of air temperature, the hatching temperature can be decreased gradually. The temperature in the incubator should be kept at 20-25 ℃.

Fifth, the incubation humidity should be controlled. Humidity generally refers to the relative humidity in the incubator. The humidity should be adjusted according to the different developmental stages and physiological needs of the embryo. At the beginning, the humidity should be maintained at 55% 60%. In the middle stage, in order to drain allantoic fluid and amniotic fluid, the relative humidity should be reduced to 50% 55%. In the later stage, in order to facilitate the emergence of young quails and prevent fluff from sticking to the eggshell, the relative humidity should be increased to 65% 70%. The method of increasing or decreasing humidity is mainly adjusted by increasing or decreasing the area of the water plate in the incubator and controlling the amount of water sprinkled in the room.

Sixth, ventilation should be timely. In the process of incubation, the vents in the incubator should be opened gradually with the increase of embryo age. Eight days before hatching, one or two times of ventilation each time, and after 8 days, the frequency of ventilation should be increased appropriately. In the case of hatching in the incubator, the vents should be fully opened to facilitate the breathing of the young quails, otherwise, the embryos that are breaking the shell or the young quails that have just come out of the shell will suffocate.

7. The egg plate should be turned regularly. The main purpose of reversing the decay position and angle of the breeding egg is to make the breeding egg heated evenly, promote the activity of the embryo and prevent the embryo from adhering to the eggshell. The incubator should automatically turn the eggs every 2 hours at an angle of 60 degrees and stop turning eggs 2-3 days before hatching.

Eighth, the egg inspection technique should be skillful. During the incubation period, the eggs should be tested twice to understand the development of the embryo. Head photos can be taken 4-5 days after hatching. When the egg lamp is used to illuminate the egg, the color of the fertilized egg is red. Careful observation shows that the blood vessels are spider-shaped and there are black eyes in the center. The transparent color of the unfertilized egg is similar to that of the eggshell. The second treatment should be carried out 10-13 days after hatching. at this time, the eggs whose embryo development is suspended should be taken out so as not to stink and pollute the air in the incubator.

9. It is also critical to ensure smooth hatching. The eggs can be hatched 16-17 days after hatching. If the temperature is relatively uniform, the eggs can be hatched within 2-3 hours. In the three-dimensional incubator, due to different levels and uneven temperature, the hatching time should be extended by one day and night. After the feathers of the chicks are dry, they can be taken out and put into a preheated incubator for nursing. In the process of hatching, artificial shell breaking can be adopted for those young quails which are difficult to get out of their shells. If the intima is white, do not move when the blood vessels have not yet contracted, do not tear until the inner shell membrane is orange, pull the chick head out, and then put it out of the shell automatically.