Tips on quail farming

It is believed that Japanese people started farming the bird and revealed the domestic raising methods to the entire world.

Now many countries including Uganda do commercial quail farming for meat and egg production.
The meat and eggs of quail are tasty and nutritious when compared to other poultry eggs. 

The business is considered easy, profitable and flexible. It requires less capital investment and labour. 

Almost any type of weather condition is suitable for quail farming and the most important fact is that it can be raised with other birds successfully.

Advantages 
Some of the advantages associated with quail bird farming include:
• Low feed cost.
• Less occurrence of diseases and pests.
• Grow faster and gain maturity within weeks.
• Can lay eggs at six to seven weeks of age.
• Quail farming is less risky.
• Less labour.
• Meat and egg taste good and rich in nutrition. 
• Small investment.
• Easy to start a commercial farm.
• Great demand for eggs and meat.
Reproduction 
According to Joel Kafuko, a poultry farmer in Kasengejje village, Wakiso District, quails lay eggs all year round and the count is higher during February and September. 

“The female bird start reproducing from week six but preferably eight week quail birds are considered to produce fertile eggs. Once eggs are found in the farm, the breeding groups are created. The quail does not sit on the eggs to incubate them,” says Kafuko.

Therefore the eggs are incubated artificially and it around 16 to 19 days for the eggs to hatch.

Housing 
Housing for the quail birds is an important component of quail farming business and they can be either housed in a cages or in houses built exclusively for these birds. 

Kafuko says the birds prefer dry climate but can survive in low temperatures as well. 

A quail pen can be created with chicken wire and should have smaller mesh size with a top cover.  

“Cage rearing is the most preferable housing system for these birds. Care should be taken to have only one male bird with five female birds the cage house,” he says. 

Quail birds have a characteristic feature of jumping to a height of 20 to 30 centimetres and scratching the earth to find insects.

Except during migration or while escaping predators, these birds don’t fly. 
Farm house should have a special arrangement if these birds where to fly and take big leaps otherwise they would hurt their heads or get injured. 

Therefore the height of the cage should be properly designed and should range in between 25 centimetres to two metres. 

Sometimes quail birds show aggressive behaviour and peck other birds in the cage on their head which results into bleeding from the head.

Under such circumstances the birds should be isolated for a day or two until their behaviour becomes normal.  

Floor system
• The house is two metres high with good ventilation and a big wide door. 
• The floor is made with cement and covered with straw, iron or any other material depending on the farmer’s resources.
• Bedding on the floor is optional but the commonly used bedding materials are between five and eight centimetres of sawdust.
• For brooding about 160 birds for four weeks, the average dimensions of the house should be two metres by two metres or same house can be sufficient for 80 birds.
• If he floor space is large then it can be split into smaller arears such that it can accommodate six birds (five female and one male).
• The house should a place of nests where the birds should lay eggs. 
• Light should be made available in the house at least for 16 hours in a day to ensure proper laying circles.
Cage system 
• Mostly used in urban and semi urban arrears due to less space available.
• Cages should not be multi-floored otherwise it may cause stress in the bird. 
• Cages should be properly spaced for air circulation and can have one or two floors.
• Cages should be placed inside the building to protect the quail birds from external factors such as sun, wind and rain.
• Cages exclusively made of chicken wire are made more durable because they are easy to clean and disinfect when compared to wooden cages. 
• The cage should have a wooden bottom and a horizontal floor with five inclination.
• Wire mesh cages should be covered with paper so as not to injure the chicks. For these smaller birds the wire mesh spacing should not be more than seven millimetres and for grown up birds the mesh space should be around 15 centimetres.
Feed and water 
In any kind of livestock farming, feeding represents almost 70 percent of the cost of rearing and quail also needs good and nutritious food for growth and development. 

The main food for quail is maize, millet and sorghum. The food and water for quails should be clean and fresh.

The feed should always be stored in a dry, cool place so that it is protected from the mites, pests and rodents. Feed older than two months should be avoided because it could be risk of health problems for quails.  

Insufficient feed for the quails can bring violence in their behaviour and such behaviour is controlled by providing more feed. 

Care for the food should be taken if the birds are being raised for using them in remedies. 
Trough for the chicks should be half filled with pebbles and marbles so that these birds don’t drown in them. Each trough should be two centimetres away from the chicks.    

Advice
Insufficient feed for the quails can bring violence in their behaviour and such behaviour is controlled by providing more feed. Care for the food should be taken if the birds are being raised for using them in remedies. Trough for the chicks should be half filled with pebbles and marbles so that these birds don’t drown in them. Each trough should be two centimetres away from the chicks.