Thread: Quail Egg Production

The missus and i will be Thailand bound in the next few months. Me to retire, and she to go back home to the family farm where we will live.
She has a considerable bee in her bonnet about keeping quails, and selling the eggs at the family stall at the local market.
The land she has around the house would, i suppose support some sort of building to house said birds, so thats not the problem. The main problem that i can see are one of initial outlay, and that would be down to yours truely to provide.
This wouldnt be much of a problem, but i have encountered the "i am Thai, this will be in Thailand, and because of that, i know better than you about this thing" routine already. Thing is, though, like most Thais she thinks it can be done on a shoestring. Build a hut, knock a few bits of wood together, clad said wooden frames in wire mesh, throw a few hundred birds in the cages, keep them fed, watered and let them get on with things. Then, just collect the eggs, sell them and watch the money roll in.
It cant be THAT simple, can it?
I estimate it will need to a LOT more initial investment, and, for a while, little return of investment, and then a meagre to, perhaps, a moderate income from the eggs. I am thinking prices of the eggs at market to be around 10Baht for a dozen?
All the info i have unearthed is either vastly different from what the wife has in mind...more of a hobby venture than a way of making a living. Or way too steep a learning curve for her. Things like breeding them, incubating eggs etc.
Anyone here have, or had any experience in what i think is called "intensive" farming of quails, for the purpose of egg production?



Reg

I hate quail eggs too strong of a taste for me. But the Chinese love them. If you do it on a shoestring you will get that in return. Quality production equals quality prices here. Like hotels and higher end restaurants as buyers. I had a friend doing jalapeño, andHabanaro chilies from his backyard and he was doing well until the floods.

But sadly it seems you have problem your wife. Can you live here and put up with her as a business partner in a language i doubt you would understand? Hell it may not even be Thai it might be Isaan, but i dont want to judge. Remember it is not " I buy, You pay'.
Dont invest more than you are willing or can afford to lose from what I have read. But at the same time I wish you luck. A whole lot of luck.

Originally Posted by registrar

I am thinking prices of the eggs at market to be around 10Baht for a dozen?

They're about 5 baht each.

You'll need to work out how much bird feed costs. The better the feed, the more eggs they'll lay. You also need to know how long they lay for. Chickens are about 18 months before they start losing money (12 months, then they're 'false moulted', then they get another 6 months).

Until you know all the facts I wouldn't put a single baht into it.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

They're about 5 baht each.

Nah, we pay a baht each up here.

I went to visit a quail farm once.
He fed the quail shit to the catfish he farmed.

There isn't anything remotely related to farming, eggs, etc. that 1000 others are not already doing.

That being said, if a Thai sells for 10 baht, they believe they made 10 baht. They have absolutely no idea how many baht it costs them to make the 10 baht; probably 20 baht.

how about just starting off small twenty chicks and see how it goes,if you see theres a possible return in the venture invest in it then, as mentioned feed is very important and the housing, and cleaniness of the pens etc.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Originally Posted by registrar

I am thinking prices of the eggs at market to be around 10Baht for a dozen?

They're about 5 baht each.

You'll need to work out how much bird feed costs. The better the feed, the more eggs they'll lay. You also need to know how long they lay for. Chickens are about 18 months before they start losing money (12 months, then they're 'false moulted', then they get another 6 months).

Until you know all the facts I wouldn't put a single baht into it.

Correct. He also keep in mind that wild fowl don't lay with any such regularity and consistency as domestic birds might. They'd have to secure a substantial count of quails to break even......unless it's being looked upon as a novelty or hobby.

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Originally Posted by registrar

I am thinking prices of the eggs at market to be around 10Baht for a dozen?

They're about 5 baht each.

You'll need to work out how much bird feed costs. The better the feed, the more eggs they'll lay. You also need to know how long they lay for. Chickens are about 18 months before they start losing money (12 months, then they're 'false moulted', then they get another 6 months).

Until you know all the facts I wouldn't put a single baht into it.

Correct. He also keep in mind that wild fowl don't lay with any such regularity and consistency as domestic birds might. They'd have to secure a substantial count of quails to break even......unless it's being looked upon as a novelty or hobby.

i know fukkall about quail farming but i used to breed decorative quails as a kid, for pocket money.
when they started laying i would take all but one egg from the nest and keep doing so for as long as they would lay and they would keep laying more to try get enough before they sat on them.
this way i could get 15 to 20 eggs from a pair and hatch them in a simple home made incubator, instead of the usual 5 or so that they would normally lay.
the correct diet is also very important.
one has to do one's homework and ignore all thai advice, but this can be problematic if the wife or her family are involved because the thais know everything about everything and the way they do it is the only correct way even if it is a disaster.

Originally Posted by Thetyim

Nah, we pay a baht each up here.

These are Tesco prices.

^
Hmmm...don't bother with the farm then.
Buy locally and sell to Tesco.
This time next year we will be millionaires, Rodney

Thanks to all those that have replied to this so far
Firstly, this WILL be happening in the near future, so its really a case of both "damage limitation" and of managing expectations (The FAMILIES' expectations, more than the wife's).
The wife (as nearly always, lately) is leaning towards my way of doing things more and more. Not just with this, but in general, too. She has seen what i have attained in life using my methods and practices, and what her family have achieved using theirs, and i can tell she notices the contrast. Whether this will translate into her taking an evermore larger pinch of salt than she does at present,with what her family says she should do in life or not remains to be seen.
But, 25 plus years in an engineering capacity hasnt led me to any great knowledge of any sort of farming, let alone quails.
So, what i need is some ammo to counter any family involvement, which i KNOW will be a cheap and nasty start to the evdevour, and it will be downhill from there, i fear. That ammo being the how and where to get the stuff like decent stock, decent, long lasting equipment.
As stated above, i know sod all about any of this, so, if there is anyone doing this in any part of Thailand that can give me some idea of sourcing, tips etc, i would be grateful.
Stuff on the net that i have found tends to focus on India, mainly, with a few sites in PI, and, of course, the hobby type sites in USA

Reg

registrar
I hope that who ever is in charge of this forum will let me pass on this information because it does point you in the direction of their competition.
Some time ago while I was being unfaithful to TeakDoor and over at Thaivisa there was a good post regarding quail farming. So i would suggest that you go there and go to the "farming in thailand" forum and search for "quail farming".

Cheers

Originally Posted by ootai

registrar
I hope that who ever is in charge of this forum will let me pass on this information because it does point you in the direction of their competition.
Some time ago while I was being unfaithful to TeakDoor and over at Thaivisa there was a good post regarding quail farming. So i would suggest that you go there and go to the "farming in thailand" forum and search for "quail farming".

Cheers

Not a problem TV does have a good farming section and is an excellent resource for yokels in Thailand.

Originally Posted by ootai

registrar
I hope that who ever is in charge of this forum will let me pass on this information because it does point you in the direction of their competition.
Some time ago while I was being unfaithful to TeakDoor and over at Thaivisa there was a good post regarding quail farming. So i would suggest that you go there and go to the "farming in thailand" forum and search for "quail farming".

Cheers

Thanks for that idea, but, no disrespect to anyone here, or there, as its great that the OP of the thread is offering his help ( i see he is also a member on here, BTW) but if the missus sees that post, then she will assume that her family are right, and i, as the farang am talking out of my rear end. Like i said in my 1st post on this, both she and her family see this as "easy money" for lttle effort. That post on ThaiVisa encourages that belief. Having said that, i dont doubt the posters knowledge, or intent, but it seems to fly in the face of common sense, even to us "non quailers/farmers" as it were. In fact, i am beginning to think that could be where the wife got the idea of quail egg production in the 1st place!!!!!
Farming is tough in any country, and nowhere moreso in a country whose head of state encourages subsistence farming as the de facto method.
I and a friend took a hit with a shrimp farm in the 90's, he saying "its a piece of piss, all you do is ...........etc, etc" All ended up with yellowhead disease 2 days before they were due to be sold. Perhaps thats why i am a bit leery of the "easy money to be made" statement. Its not as if the farmers have the Mercs and Beemers, is it?


Reg

registrar
I am not sure whether you have read the full post "over there" but if you haven't I would suggest you do so. When I first read the topic headline I thought "yeah right!" What I did get out of it was the things that he thought the Thai's didn't or don't do well when quail farming. The main thing was the need to provide the right amount of light (16hrs a day if I remember) so if you take the time to delve deeper, that is when you will get the knowledge and thereby the ammo you need for when they discover it isn't "easy money". I suppose the old cliche comes to mind, don't judge a book by its cover or in this case its title.

As a Thai farmers husband I fully understand all the crap that goes on and am acutely aware of the fact that there is no "easy money", that is unless it comes from the missus's bank account (to the family) or from my earnings (to the missus). If you have some time read the post about my house build on here i.e. "ootais wife builds a house". You will see that I am also of the same opinion as you regarding Thai "ideas" but I am lucky as my wife spent nearly 10 years in Aussie with me before we moved back to thailand and while there she ran a business we owned that had 15 staff (mostly part time workers) and turned over more than a million bucks a year. So she knows how to work and understands what a real profit is, she also readily admits there is no easy money in farming in Thailand. We have grown rice,cassava, sugar cane, mushrooms but the main thing we do is raise/grow the extended family.

Oh, believe me, i read the whole thread, and found it to be the usual " pissing contest" of sorts on the one hand, and, while good info was offered, it was sugar coated to exclude all the potential pitfalls, perhaps.
This may not go down too well here, but, to illustrate what i am saying, i will paste some of what the poster said:

They are cheep to feed cost is about 200 baht a day we sell eggs for 1 or 2 baht each 1 baht wholesale and 2 baht cooked. 800- 1500 is very nice in your pocket every day for about one hours work.

A thousend eggs, collected, sorted, cleaned. 1,000 birds watered, fed and the mess they make cleaned up, and all things sanitised on a regular basis. All in an hour, easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy"??????
While i have no doubt HE can get close to that, using some sort of "production line technique" or whatever, how are the rest going to achieve that? Those that might see Baht signs in front of their eyes...30,000-45,000 Baht a month, for an hour a day? Some might even be tempted to double the initial 1,000 and go for 2, or 5, perhaps more.
Again, let me say this:
I'm not knocking the guy, because he seems genuine enough. I just cant see past the old adage" if it seems too good to be true.........."
This "hour a day" for that return seems too good to be true (for a novice, i mean)

Used to go quail hunting and thought quail was the best game bird to eat. I would much rather eat the bird than the egg.

sorry no one knows what there talking about go to Thai Farm specialising in Thai livestock and read the quail farming page. everything is there in a 10 min read incl movies and photos from people who farm quail..

Originally Posted by andycrosby

sorry no one knows what there talking about go to Thai Farm specialising in Thai livestock and read the quail farming page. everything is there in a 10 min read incl movies and photos from people who farm quail..

Ok, heres my problem apart from a scepticism towards Thai farmers, and their methods, and a firm belief in "if it seems too good to be true, then it usually is"
Anyway, the missus knows foo call about quails and their eggs, (and i know even less, lol)
But i know she knows plenty of <ahem, cough cough > experts that will guide her. These will include her parents, sisters, brothers and extended family, friends, fellow farmers in the vicinity, and so on and so on.
ALL of them with little money for all their endevours over a LONG time (her parents... farmers for nearly sixty years and cant afford a car, for example) and most without a pot to piss in, or a window to throw it out of.......so much for THEIR farming expertise, huh?
As stated, i know fuck all about it, and have looked on the net, and came across either the more hobby farming setup, or the type of setup in the video of quails in Pakistan thats on the quail page you kindly posted. To me, that second type seems a little too "Heath Robinsonesque" to be either worthwhile, able to keep the attention, or, indeed sustainible. For instance, the cages give me the impression that they have to be cleaned on a regular basis (perhaps daily) and wouldnt any eggs laid, run the risk of being stood on, or broken before they can be "harvested" for sale.
But the biggest problem faced is the sheer number of questions that would need answering, and dont seem to be that readily availible from what i've seen and searched for.
I wouldnt even know where to get the bloody birds in the first place, what would be a fair price, what to do with them once they stop laying a sufficiant quantity to make them viable anymore... who would buy them, for instance?
See? Lots of questions, but not enough info to answer them.
The wife is going home to Thailand soon, so i am left here to finalise house sale etc, before joining her. I HOPE i can find out a bit more of the practial side of this for her. Otherwise, she will be back in the bosom of her family and friends. ALL with wonderful ideas, etc. NONE of them worth a satang. I think we can all agree on that

(BTW, isnt that site you posted........yours? that, or did you contribute the quail articles to it?)

Reg

I see two factors here. Firstly the farming of quail. Thai Farm is a good place to start getting advise on that. But the more important issue is that of Thai farmers and farming. I have a pig farm is Isaan, and can report from personal experience, that keeping the family or paid labour interested in anything that involves a daily grind of feeding, watering and cleaning animals/birds is practically impossible. Things go well enough for a while then corners start to be cut until there are none left. Life for rural Thais is too be enjoyed, once the rice bowl is full stop pouring rice.

Thats exactly my experience with most of her family. Too much sanuk sought (the attitude that isnt exclusive to just farming, btw )
An example ....a few years ago (on my advice, btw) her sister got herself a stall on the market in the grounds of the local temple. Using produce from the family farm, she made a better living than most in the area. Wasnt long, however before she started saying "I only need to run the stall 3 or 4 days a week to get by, and do "nice" things..... BTW, can you let me have a "loan" of some money to get the car sorted?"
I think the wife will make a better "fist" of this plan of hers, but, like i say, neither of us know wher to get practical INDEPENDENT advice on the "where, why, how and wherefores" etc, keeping her family and friens WELL away from any input

Guide to Quail Raising | AgriPinoy.net If you haven't read this site it may answer some of your questions. You got me interested in quail production and I found a lot of info out there.

Originally Posted by runker

Guide to Quail Raising | AgriPinoy.net If you haven't read this site it may answer some of your questions. You got me interested in quail production and I found a lot of info out there.

A nice site, and one i hadnt come across...thanks for sharing
I Still haven't turned over any info on Thai specific supplies, etc yet, though
Proving to be VERY elusive, lol!!!!

Reg