Electrical engineering graduate who is rearing quails for eggs

How quail eggs look like. Photo By Edgar R. Batte

What you need to know:

Frederick Woira studied electrical engineering at the university. Though he had an interest in quails, it was through a chance meeting with a university professor that he knew more about the birds. He told Christine Katende how he used this knowledge to get the most of them.

My name is Fredrick Woira, a quail farmer in Wampewo, Gayaza, Wakiso District, and a university graduate of electrical engineering. I started quail farming in 2001 though on a small scale. By then, it had never crossed my mind to invest in quails as a big business.

In 201l, when I was back at Makerere University for further studies, I met a professor of agriculture who taught me so much about quails and their benefits. I conducted more research on the internet and I realised that I would make more money if I reared them with a focus on the eggs.
I started with 100 birds after being recommended by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. There are 700 to 800 birds on my farm. The feed mixture for these birds is very important because it determines their size and egg production.

Types
The other thing is that these birds do not need a large space like it is for chicken, layers or broilers. This is because of the speed at which they fly. Quails do not fly like other birds; they fly at a vertical angle. So, if the room above is left free, they might confuse it for open space and fly and injure themselves, which can lead to their death hence registering a loss.
These birds are reared in racks and each rack should have seven cages with at least 20 birds. A properly grown quail weighs about 250grams.

At the farm, I specialise in quail japonica, a type known for its commercial purposes.
There are two types: the Texas A&M, and Jumbo Brown that is purposely for eggs. Quails are small birds that cannot be reared for meat like it is with broilers and in that case, a farmer cannot gain from them.

Less space
After realising that, I decided to focus on the eggs because of the many health benefits in them. I have sold eggs to many people and that is how I gain from the business.
Research shows that quail eggs can be used by people with different health problems like asthma, sexual impotence, skin rashes, eczema, among others. It is interesting raising wild birds domestically than chasing them like it was years back when we were young.

I set quail cages in a block that is adjacent to the main house. To supplement the quails, I bought a few turkeys and cocks plus a Friesian cow, where I get money for home use.
I breed the birds myself and the eggs incubate in 16 to 17 days. Quails are short-cycled birds because they mature early and start laying eggs in the sixth week.
Quail farming is not as complicated as rearing chicken which needs a lot more space. With this business, one only needs to get as many cages in big one room.

Benefits
The cages I use for housing the quails are made from materials available at the local market, such as wood, wire mesh and the nails to join the wood. Surprisingly, a quail does not need any vaccination. When it falls ill, I just give them plain multi-vitamins and it will get back to normal.
Before one starts a quail business, he or she needs to put up a shelter with cages, feeders, lake stones, drinkers, feeds and the birds.

Lake stones are put in the drinkers and it is on these stones that the birds stand while taking water. The stones also prevent the birds from drowning in the water, which might kill them.

From the quail business, I have been able to facilitate my education and educate my children, among other things.
The other thing is that I have been able to treat my wife who had a heart problem. I remember she could not sleep on the side of the heart because of the pain she felt.

Challenges
But after taking quail eggs, she got better. She took a dose of 240 raw eggs in 41 days. I am happy that she is now okay with my investment.

The biggest challenge I have ever come across was in the first days where I failed to mix the feeds. That made me lose 80 birds. They became weak and eventually died. I managed to overcome the problem when I consulted the experts about the best way to mix the food.
With quails, the egg production goes down when the birds have a problem. Taking care of chicks is a bit challenging because they need adequate warmth all through; otherwise, they will just curl up and die in a bid to look for warmth.

Plans
I am planning to go for Masters degree in cottage farming so that I help people to develop business within their home enclosures like I did. My home is on a 50x100 feet piece of land.

Although I have not yet done that, I have already started training whoever approaches me for knowledge about quail farming. People should know that a small area is enough for a quail farm since they are reared in cages.

The only thing I would advise people planning to start the business is never to enter the quail’s house during the afternoon hours because the egg laying process will be interfered with and they will either give you less or no eggs.

Quails can fetch Shs22m a year

After us exchanging courtesies, he is already talking about the growth that his enterprise has experienced since November 2011, when he first appeared in this newspaper.
Three years on, Sulah Ndaula, who rears quails, known in Luganda as enkwale, shares that he fetches a handsome profit and business is good.

He has moved from selling a few hundred eggs a week to close friends to selling to agents who take about 3,000 eggs in a week. Many of them come not only from Uganda but Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan. His focus is a deeper penetration. This coupled with value has helped them curve out new markets and sell at premium prices.

Performance
Ndaula, a university graduate with Masters in Agriculture Science, explains that the quails are short cycle birds; they mature early and start laying eggs in the sixth week.
“Its egg incubates for 16-17 days. So, if you have an egg today, you will need eight weeks to have that ‘egg’ giving you an egg per day. No other commercial bird performs this well.”
He adds: “I call this the CUP mode whose focus is on process, cost and product utility, and price throughout the value system. This focus has made quail farming the most rewarding agricultural venture in Uganda today.”

Also, laboratory tests have been carried out. “From our studies of quail manure in our rearing system, it has a high crude protein content at 23.02 per cent. It has value as an animal feed. Also, its ash percentage of 19.33 per cent signals the ability to supply essentail mineral nutrients necessary for the growth of both plants and animals. However, nutrition value may change according to system used, treatment and type of feeds used.”

Health benefits
But the nutritional benefits of quail egg is the major reason this bird is a hit on the market.
“The egg is packed with a wide range of vitamins, essential amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids and minerals including iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus and other essential micro-nutrients which are vital for human physical and mental development,” Ndaula says.
The eggs have had positive effects on people with a number of health conditions and diseases.

“Consumer surveys we carried out in 2012 on 60 users, showed positive results on allergic conditions, cancer, strokes, diabetes, HIV/Aids, stress and hypertension,” he points out.
He has maintained the American Jumbo Brown and Texas A&M breeds because their performance has been exceptional. “We also introduced Italian Quail and German Quail. These breeds also help to avoid inbreeding effects.”

Lucrative business
Currently, there is a parent stock oscillating between 800 and 1,000 birds.

On feeding, Ndaula says each quail will need 17 grammes of actual feed intake and an average eight grammes as feed spillage under good management.
“This means that Shs25 per day will be needed to feed a quail using our system. This is very low when you compare it with Shs230 needed to feed a layer hen per day,” he explains.
Quail farming is an inviting venture for any farmer looking to invest in a profit-attractive business.

In a half square metre, one will rear about 150 female quails. These will give an average of 90 eggs per day, which is Shs63,000 daily income and at a cost of production of Shs3,750. This is Shs59,000 per day, which is Shs22m per year.
Also, a farmer will need 30 days to recoup expenses on a layer quail including feeding the bird during this period once the bird starts laying after three and a half weeks of purchase.