With increasing population in-country, the demands for food items, especially, poultry products, is an enough incentive for some to go into Quail Poultry.
Quail farming could be lucrative because of the meat and eggs. As number of hospitality businesses were springing up across the country, so do Quail investment can serve as good business investment.
With growing unemployment rate in the country, as graduates are churned out of higher institutions into the already saturated market looking for jobs, Quail poultry farming could be the Business of your liberation.
However, if government can make the business operating environment conducive, more people will come into this quail poultry business.
Quail farming
Quail, CoturnixCoturnix, is a member of the Galliformes order. It could be described micro Poultry-farm.
In Yorubaland, Quail is called Aparo. The bird is very common in the northern part of the country and in Rivers, Imo and other states in the country.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, Mr Oluwayemi Adewale, an Oyo-based civil servant who is into Quail farming, explained that, Quail bird is unlike chicken or guinea fowl in nature because it is more friendlier with environment.
It may be true to say that Quail farming contributes to the increase of protein, especially, among the rural dwellers, yet they are being neglected as livestock species due to their size. Most farmers have focused mainly on chicken production.
Still lamenting the neglect, Wale said, in Nigeria, Quail has been neglected despite its medicinal value
He callled for encouragement in Quail farming.
According to Wale, Quail is also different from chickens because, they cannot withstand more preasure. After 30 weeks of eggs laying, the bird start to reduce in output and loses its strength. Each one can lay five eggs a week. For a big every five or 10 Quails in a cag, there should be at least one or two males among them.
“A Quail can weigh little more than 10g and require more heat than other birds. It is more fragile in nature unlike chicken. It needs good environment that has warm or heat for it to withstand cold condition.
“Quail starts laying eggs as soon it reach maturity, which could vary depending on the breed. Most of them reach maturity and begin laying eggs when it reach six weeks old. However, the average is nine weeks or 63 days, and males become fully mature and begin mating at their seventh week 52nd day.
Similarly, Mrs Aduke Aboyede, a school teacher in public school, who has small poultry farm in her yard in Ogun State explained that, Quail bird should be kept close to heat by cardboard rings, which are gradually removed as the chicks grow.
“During the first week of life, chicks are fed crumb from your food. They should not be over fed. Mature male birds weigh about 30g less than females, but during the rearing stage both sexes are kept together.
“Adult birds in the breeding flock are fed up to 50g a day to provide adequate nutrition for egg production.
“Once quail are into a routine and start to lay eggs in a certain part of the pen they continue to do that. All eggs are collected by hand and the birds get used to that, although it has to be done carefully. Funny enough, the birds will move out onto the veranda area when egg collection is under way,” she pointed out.
Moreover Aduke explained that Quail is very tasty meat and, it has more flavour than chicken. But the meat is not as tough or strong as chicken.
She called on investor to look for ready market or create one before embarking on mass production of Quail.
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