Rearing Quails for Health and Wealth

Four weeks old quail

Quails are currently the hottest birds in the world of poultry. Their demand is insatiable. Anyone who is cautious about their health is rushing for quail eggs. I even heard my pastor last Sunday saying quail eggs will be the topic of discussion during the church health week. Quail meat is low on cholesterol high in protein and sweeter than chicken meat. People fighting and managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer are frantically hunting down quail farmers for these game birds and their eggs. Quails seem to be the new found elixir to life’s problems. To agripreneurs, quail rearing is the new irresistible venture that guarantees high returns for minimal effort.

Patrick Muya at his quail cage

Patrick Muya, a 27 year old farmer based in Karatina identified quail farming as a lucrative business to venture into. He loves farming and wanted to set up a business in this field, one that his peers often shy away from, some three months ago. He quit his job at a large farm in Gatundu and decided to get into agribusiness.  Patrick first sought for information on the most profitable business to set up and he narrowed down to two options: dairy farming and poultry farming.  

“I have a strong passion for dairy farming but my key interest was to make a living out of the business I was setting up. Dairy farming requires lots of initial capital and the returns are not very encouraging. Milk in this region (Karatina) goes for Kshs. 25 per liter. I therefore opted for quail farming,” says Patrick.

Minimal Initial Capital

Quail farming requires little initial capital to start off. Patrick started by putting up a structure for the quails. He built a structure that can accommodate at least 300 quails. Quails require minimal floor space to rear. Quail cages should be arm length to allow for easy collection of eggs. Quails require ample lighting and heat for growth and for laying eggs. A structure for housing quails should have ample lighting during the day and at night.

Adequate lighting is necessary for growth and productivity of quails

Patrick's quail cage can accommodate 300 quails

After setting up the structure, Patrick then applied for a license from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Upon approval of his structure, he acquired an annually renewable license at a cost of Kshs. 500. Quails are considered wild birds in Kenya. Anyone getting into this business must therefore acquire a license from KWS.

Patrick then bought 2 week old chicks from a licensed farmer. He had to wait for three months to receive his chicks from the breeder. He says there is a great demand for quails right from when they are hatched to when they mature. “I had to be patient and join a long queue of farmers who were waiting for chicks from the supplier. The demand for these birds is just too high,” observes Patrick.

Patrick’s chicks are now four weeks old. He has 100 birds a mixture of Japanese breed and the common quail. He hopes to start collecting eggs from his quails in the next two weeks. He already has a market in his home area. There are not many quail farmers in his neighborhood, and as such he has a great chance of preaching the benefits of quail eggs and meat to his local community. However before he sells to his neighbours, Patrick hopes to share the delicacy of quail eggs and meat with his family.

High Return on Investment

Return on investment for quails is high. These wild birds mature at an early age of six weeks; the average age at which they start laying eggs.  Each female quail lays one egg a day, a high productivity rate per quail. One  quail egg goes for Kshs. 30-50.  A mature quail bird of about six months can fetch Kshs. 800. Therefore, with 1000 quails and an egg production rate of 70% a farmer can make upto Kshs. 21000 per day assuming that all the 700 hundred eggs are for sale. In one month a quail farmer should recoup the initial investment and start enjoying profits.

Driven by Passion

Patrick says agriculture is his passion and he hopes to reap large from his new venture. “Quail farming is relatively new in Kenya. People are just learning about it. I think the business looks promising especially because there are so many health benefits involved. The only sad thing is that there are very few young people who have embraced quail farming,” he says.

Quit Complaining of Poor Pay

Patrick’s advice to young people who perpetually decry of poor paying jobs is to think of agriculture as a suitable career. He further advocates for young farmer to thoroughly research on their areas of interest. He tells me that all he knows about quails is from the internet. He documents each finding about quails in a note book purely dedicated to quail farming. His mobile phone is an asset to his business.

10 reasons why you should eat quail eggs

Quail eggs have been touted by researchers as a magic wand to numerous health problems. Here are ten of the best known health benefits of quail eggs.

Ø  Promising remedy for managing cancer, heart disease, diabetes and anemia

Ø  Non-invasive cure for kidney stones and ulcers.

Ø  Relief from inflammatory diseases

Ø  Natural anti-aging agent

Ø  Weight loss

Ø  Healthy hair

Ø  Glowing skin

Ø  Child brain development

Ø  Fetal development-good for pregnant women

Ø  Sexual potency

It is recommended to eat 2 quail eggs a day. They are rich in protein, Vitamin A, B2, B6, B12, D and E. Next time you eat an egg, it’s got to be a quail egg.