Quail farming, an emerging poultry sub sector

Tens of small cages pill up on top of each other in the garage of an unfinished house in Balastone area a township in the North Western part of the Zambian capital Lusaka.

A step closer in the garage greets one with little chattering emerging from the boxes because they hold little birds which are a rising delicacy; Quails.

Richard Chapuswike a 38 year old accountant for a logistics company in Lusaka has ventured in quail production which is an extra income stream from his day job. Richard’s story started with admiration of his brother’s enterprise which he felt he could replicate at home because quails only need small spaces to rear. Experts say a square meter can hold as many as 50 quails.

“I visited my elder brother in Kabwe where I found he was keeping quails and I thought I could do the same since it required a small start-up capital,” he says.

With an initial 40 quails on August 11, 2016, a day he cannot forget because it was poll day for Zambia’s general elections, Richard has managed to grow his enterprise to over 2000 quails, an incubator with a 1,000 quail egg capacity, packaging equipment and a thriving quail business called Rihian Solutions all within a year.

Richard is now adding value to his quails from selling them dressed, live, and eggs through to smoked quails all in the name of diversity.

His plans are now to expand his enterprise on a small holding farm because of the fast rate at which they produce.

“When you start rearing quails you need to be ready for expansion because they increase in numbers very fast due to their short hatching period for eggs and maturity for quails,” says the soft spoken Richard.

Richard assessing quail eggs in his incubator

 

Quails unlike chickens are not broody meaning their eggs have to be incubated for about 18 days for hatching. Their growth is also fast making them ready to hatch eggs at six weeks and reach full maturity ready for slaughtering for their meat at seven weeks.
These small birds which still have wild instincts are said to be richer in proteins than chickens and are less fatty making their meat fit and healthy for diabetic patients.

Richard is trading in an industry that is still under development and not yet saturated.

The Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ) Executive Director Dominic Chanda notes that the quail sub sector is on the rise with demand being high in chain stores especially.

Mr. Chanda however observes that quails have not yet penetrated the open market in the townships where they can be sold in live form.

“Consumption of quail meat has slowly been increasing because of the various benefits attached to it but business is anticipated to increase even further with more marketing and penetration in the townships,” he says.

The association has had challenges computing numbers of quail producers because many people are not producing at a commercial level. But other factors set to promote the commercial production of quails include the avian influenza challenges faced by South Africa which has turned its attention to Zambia’s quails.

South African President Jacob Zuma recently officiated at a Zambia - South Africa Business Forum alongside his Zambian counterpart Edgar Lungu in Lusaka where interest and commitment to import quails from Zambia arose.

Richard’s vision of extending his enterprise to a small holding may come to fruition faster than anticipated if Zambia and South Africa sign agreements. Currently his market is limited to friends, workmates, family and a few lodges because he cannot even meet the demand to supply chain stores like Pick n Pay as he still grows his business.

Incubation services

Quails not being broody in nature has given birth to another form of business; Incubation services.

Many startups in rearing quails take their eggs for incubation and hatching to people who have such facilities at a fee as low as K2.50 per egg. This business is sustained because of the high rate of laying eggs and short hatching period of about which make the little brown birds increase fast in numbers.

Quail chicks

While some people turn to South Africa and China to import incubators and brooders, Omar Hassan a Zambian youth has explored this business by manufacturing incubators and brooders under his company Eggtech Incubators.

Despite not being a trained engineer the internet has come in handy for Omar who has horned his skills and passion for machines turning his company into a household name among emerging farmers.

Eggtech produces incubators for farmers at different levels, from micro taking in about 200 eggs through to almost 10,000 eggs for large scale producers.

Starting Quail a Farming Business

Quail farming is a very profitable business, and many people are making money all over the world by raising quail birds and selling the meat and eggs.

Starting a quail farming business needs one to consider a few things. You have to decide on the size of your project i.e. the number of quail birds you want to keep per cycle; location of the business e.g. a farm or backyard and your target market. These choices will be affected by the amount of capital you have, and the size of your target market.

Land, Housing and Equipment

Housing and the size of the land will depend on the size of your quail farming project which can be done in cages or deep litre system similar to the way broilers are raised. When you are planning to construct a quail house, you have to select a site which is well-drained with plenty of natural air movement. The right housing should have proper ventilation and the right lighting which is key in stimulating quail birds to lay eggs.

Quail cages

 

If you want to produce eggs year-round, you will need to install adequate lighting in your facility.  You should have equipment including brooders (for the quail chicks), feeders, drinkers and lighting system or you can always take eggs to people offering incubation services for startups especially.

Point of lay or day old Quail Chicks
You need day old chicks to start your quail farming business or some already at point of lay. However already grown quails may take one to two weeks to resume laying eggs owing to changes in the environment so a bit of patience maybe needed.  

You should purchase your day old quail chicks from a reliable accredited hatchery or company where the parent stocks are well managed. If you are new to the quail farming business, you should enquire from other farmers to hear where they buy their chicks from. The success of your quail farming business will partly depend on the quality of day old chicks which you buy.

Quail chicks

There are different types of quail breeds. One of the popular breed is the Japanese quail, also known as Coturnix Quail, Pharoah Quail and Jumbo Coturnix Quail. The Japanese quail matures faster than other quail breeds, At maturity, it weighs between 120grams – 160grams. Other breeds include Button Quail, Bobwhite Quail, Gambel Quail, Mountain Quail and Chinese Quail.

Quail feed

Feeding is important so as to increase the production of meat and eggs from quails. Lack of feed or water will reduce resistance to diseases and parasites, and subsequently increase flock mortality. You have to feed the quail chicks with Starter mash. When they are mature, you can then give them finisher feed if you are keeping them for meat or layers mash if you are keeping them for eggs.

Quail eggs

There are companies which produce and sell quail feeds like the Livestock service in the Show grounds in Lusaka among other agro entities. You can also feed quail birds with the same feed used for chickens. You can also make your own home made quail feeds with guidance from experts. A half day course on home feed production is offered at the Livestock services in Zambia at a minimal fee of K50 meant for raw materials.

You also have to provide water for your quails. Quails need water for temperature regulation, waste removal, digestion of nutrients, and lubrication of joints. Water deprivation can cause weight loss, dehydration and, ultimately, death.

Management and Labour

The number of farm workers you need will depend on the size of your quail farming project. If you are running a small business, you and your family may be enough to take care of the quails. However, if you are rearing 5000 quail birds per cycle, you will need full time employees to manage the quails.  There is need for good technical knowledge of quail farming techniques for success in the business. You also need good management skills.

Capital

The amount of capital required for a quail farming business depends on the scale of the project. Capital is required to buy the quails, feed, drinkers, and feeders which do not cost much and construction of cages from planks and wire mesh.

Purchase of incubators depends on the size of the business one wants to set up. But starting small and growing the numbers by reinvesting the profits is important.

Market for Quail Eggs and Meat

The market for quail meat is high and increasing, as more people are moving towards healthier food.  Quail meat is highly nutritious, delicious, and healthier. Thus, the demand for quail meat continues to rise.

The market includes but not limited to family, friends, lodges, restaurants and chain stores.

WRITTINGS ON QUAIL FARMING

Starting Quail Farming Business Plan

Quails: Small birds, big future

Raising quails for meat and eggs