Thesis (MPhil (Agrisciences)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa quail do not have the same status as an agricultural produce as do other livestock species. As quail has mostly been judged as a cute little bird seen on shows, very few people have paid attention to the commercial value of this bird specie. In South Africa quail farming is done on a very limited scale, but competition regarding this very unique market is already challenging. If it is to be a viable project it is of utmost importance to limit the costs to the minimum and, by doing so, increasing the profitability of the project. In this study the economic aspects of a quail production unit was researched to assess whether any improvements in profitability could be made. Quails from a production unit outside Stellenbosch were used to describe the growth curves of these birds under three different diet regimes. 300 Birds were used and then divided into groups of a hundred. The first treatment was fed the standard starter (22% protein) then after five weeks a finisher (19% protein). The second treatment was fed a starter ration containing 40% Soya oil cake and 60% of the standard starter (27.2% protein). The same finisher as in treatment one was fed to treatment two after five weeks. Treatment three was fed a newly formulated starter ration (28% protein). The same finisher was fed to treatment three after five weeks as with the first two treatments. It was found that treatments one and two differed significantly from treatment three, but not from each other. It was expected that treatment three would result in better growth than treatment one, but contrariwise, treatment three did the worst. In accordance with literature it was found that under commercial conditions quail could be fed lower concentrations of protein than prescribed by literature. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As 'n landbouproduk het kwartels in Suid-Afrika nie dieselfde status as ander lewende hawe nie. Omdat kwartels merendeels gesien is as 'n oulike klein voeltjie op skoue, het weinig mense enige aandag gegee aan die kommersiele waarde van kwartels. Alhoewel kwartelboerdery in Suid-Afrika huidiglik slegs op 'n baie klein skaal bedryf word, is kompetisie in hierdie nismark reeds kompeterend en uitdagend. Om so 'n boerdery ekonomies vatbaar te maak en hoe profyt marges te handhaaf, is dit van wesenlike belang om insetkostes tot die minimum te beperk. In hierdie studie is ekonomiese aspekte van 'n kwartel produksie eenheid nagevors om sodoende te kon bepaal op watter aspekte, indien enige, gekonsentreer kan word om wins marges te verhoog. Kwartels van 'n produksie eenheid buite Stellenbosch is gebruik. Hierdie kwartels is op drie verskillende diete geplaas en afsonderlik ge-evalueer om die groeikurwes op elke dieet te bepaal. Driehonderd kwartels is in groepe van honderd elk verdeel. Die eerste groep se dieet het bestaan uit die standaard beginners groeimeel wat deur Meadows vervaardig word (22% proteren), en is na vyf weke afgerond na 'n afrondings dieet (19% proteren). Die tweede groep se dieet was dieselfde beginners dieet as in groep een wat met 40% Soya oliekoek gemeng is (totale proteren inhoud van 27.2%). Daar is na vyf weke oorgeslaan na dieselfde afrondings dieet as in groep een. Die derde dieet het bestaan uit 'n nuut geformuleerde beginners dieet (28% proteren). Weereens is daar na vyf weke oorgeslaan na dieselfde afrondings dieet as in die vorige twee groepe. Daar is gevind dat die groeikurwes van diete een en twee beduidend verskil het van dieet drie, maar daar was nie 'n beduidende verskil tussen groepe een en twee nie. Alhoewel daar verwag is dat dieet drie 'n beter groeikurwe sou toon as dieet een, was dit egter nie die geval nie. Dieet drie het egter die swakste groeikurwe getoon. Daar is dus gevind dat kwartels onder kommersiele toestande laer konsentrasies proteren gevoer kan word as wat algemeen voorgeskryf word.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of photoperiod on production of quail in South Africa. Day old chicks were randomly divided into two groups. One group (n=74) received continuous light (LL) while the other group (n=77) received 13 h of light (LD) per day. Traits measured were sexual characteristics (age at sexual maturity and testis weight, egg production and egg weight) and growth (body weight) development in males and females respectively. Significant differences in growth existed between sexes; females were 171.44±17.15 and 182.91±17.75 g compared to the 151.77±13.20 and 155.00±16.86 g for males in both LL and LD groups respectively. Both males and females in the LL group initially outperformed the LD group in growth rate but, by day 72 the LD group had compensated and were 4.6% heavier than the LL group. A similar trend was observed for sexual maturity between the LL and LD groups. However, photoperiod did significantly influence initial egg production in favour of the LL group. The LL group had 80% of the females in production by day 44 compared to the 60% of the LD group. The initial egg weight of the LL group was 14 % higher than those of the LD group. Quail subjected to continuous light attained earlier sexual maturity and production with lower final weight compared to quail subjected to an intermediate photoperiod. The application of a longer photoperiod would therefore favour an egg production system.