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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Adequate lighting is necessary for growth and productivity of quails |
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| 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.
