Nutrition is one of the most important
factors required to maintain quails in good physical
condition and to obtain normal growth and egg
production. Since feed constitutes 60-70% investment
at the farm, for deriving maximum benefit out of quail
farming it is necessary to feed a balanced ration
which will have all the nutrients in necessary
proportion (Table 1). There are several forms in which
a balanced ration may be fed to quail - all dry mash,
pellets or crumbs. In tropics usually dry all mash
feeding system is being used. A typical ration
formulated by Shim and Lee (1988) and widely used in
experiments (Shim and Chen, 1989; 1990) is shown in
Table 2.
The local farmers may use the chicken starter and
layer diets for their growing and laying quails and
supplement them with high protein ingredients, such as
fish meal, soyabean meal and skimmed milk. Fast early
growth is achieved with high-protein diets. Japanese
quails, which mature at 5 to 6 weeks of age, respond
favorably to higher dietary protein concentration.
These high protein starter feeds will give quick
development to growing birds as well as bringing
earlier and more consistent laying to he ns.
For birds just prior to maturity, the dietary
requirements are similar, except for calcium and
phosphorus. A diet containing 1.25 percent total
phosphorus and 3.50 percent calcium is recommended;
this may need to be increased to 3.9 percent in hot
weather when quail eat less food but still require
calcium to maintain egg production. Broken
oyster-shell or limestone grits may be given ad lib.
When the ration contains only plant protein,
supplemental methionine and lysine may be beneficial.
There are indications that these are the first
limiting amino acids for Japanese quails (Howes,
1965).
It is important to obtain fresh feed and it should
be stored in covered containers with tightly fitting
lids in a clean, dry, cool area free from animals and
vermin. Feed stored longer than 8 weeks is subject to
vitamin deterioration and rancidity, especially in hot
humid tropics.
Disease Prevention and Control
The prevention of disease in Japanese quail depends
on the continuous and conscientious application of
fundamental principles and practices of quarantine and
sanitation. Good management will reduce the danger of
disease. The first prerequisite to a successful
disease-prevention program is that infection-free
stock be used as the foundation flock. Immediately on
arrival the birds should be placed in facilities well
isolated from birds of the farms and held for an
observation period of 2 weeks. They should be observed
daily for signs of illness, and when disease is noted,
immediate steps should be taken to obtain a diagnosis,
and treatment be given. The second rule is to separate
quail breeder flocks from growing quail.
Sanitary management practices are the best
guarantee against disease. Equipment, such as cages,
feeders, waterers and tools should be cleaned and
sanitized frequently. Every effort should be made to
screen out wild birds, rodents and vermin that might
introduce disease. Dead birds should be removed
immediately upon discovery. In theory, Japanese quail,
as a cousin of the fowl, would be expected to be
susceptible to most of the same diseases that affect
domestic poultry. Nevertheless, disease is not much of
a problem on well managed quail farms. Japanese quails
appear to be m ore hardy than chickens and with proper
management, serious mortality should not be a problem.
Conclusion
Japanese quail is a interesting domesticated
economic species for commercial egg and meat
production beside chickens. They may fit this bill for
the following reasons. They are relatively small in
body size. They are adaptable to intensive systems of
poultry husbandry. Because of their low volume, they
are fit for high density rearing. It is blessed with
the unique characteristics of fast growth, early
sexual maturity, high rate of egg production, short
generation interval and shorter incubation per iod
that make it very suitable as a alternative farming
animal. They are fairly resistant to disease, and less
worries for vaccination. Because of low volume, low
weight, less feed and space requirements, quail
farming can be started with much lower cap ital
investment as compared to chicken and duck with almost
the same profit margin. Their laying prolificacy is
very high, able to produce more than 300 eggs per
year. With shorter reproduction cycle and earlier
marketing age, it offers fast monetary circulation
ultimately yielding quicker returns.
Base on the above reasons, the quail farming in the
Tropics is highly profitable. Quail eggs are widely
accepted by Asean people and quail meat is treated as
a delicacy among the Asian. Recognizing the immense
potentiality of quail as an alternative to poultry
farming in providing gainful employment, supplementary
income and as a valuable source of meat and egg, quail
farming should be encouraged and promoted. With the
technical know-how, the commercial quail farming for
table egg and meat production i n the tropics is
possible. The husbandry technology may be suitable for
adaptation in our neighboring developing countries as
well.