Remember the quail craze? Here’s a man making money off of the little birds.

After several failed attempts at various projects, Clement Kotonya finally decided to breed ornamental birds.

It has turned out to be a success story. Kotonya has moved from being a vendor in Nairobi to raising quails, which has been quite rewarding, as has his chickens and guinea fowl.

He stands out among the farmers in Yimbo village in Homa Bay County and speaks proudly of having become a reliable supplier of ornamental birds in the Nyanza region and beyond.

Ornamental birds are raised for human consumption, as pets or for breeding. They are high in protein and have an easy market to sell.

Not only does Kotonya sell them, but her family of six typically eats three birds twice a week, which have become the preferred choice as a more reliable delicacy compared to other protein sources.

“I have been able to sell each bird for 200 shillings and we have planned as a family to sell 400 birds every month in the future,” he said.

It all started in Nairobi, where Kotonya was working as a salesman, when he came across a farmer who was raising Japanese quails. This sparked his curiosity and he visited the farm. From then on, Kotonya made the decision to venture into this type of farming as a source of food and as a business.

He said quails lay eggs quickly, as well as growing quickly, adding that within a month the birds would be ready for sale. The business has so far proven to be a reliable source of income for the family.

The birds eat the same food as chickens and guinea fowl, which they also have.

“I started this breeding with 57 birds. We ate four, which reduced the number to 53. This is how many have managed to grow and so far this unique project has attracted the local community to consider keeping the birds,” he said.

Kotonya said he was aware that the Kenya Wildlife Service regulates the keeping of ornamental birds and revealed that he was in the process of acquiring the certificate to legally proceed with the project.

The birds are fed twice a day, at 9 a.m. and at 9 p.m., and drink several liters of water.

The farmer said that 10kg of feed could feed the birds for two weeks at a cost of 1,200 shillings.

Research has shown that it is easy to maintain a quail farm as these birds are the smallest poultry species, and farmers rate the venture as very easy, lucrative and entertaining.

Commercial quail farming began in Japan before spreading to other parts of the world, where it flourished alongside other agricultural activities such as chicken, turkey and duck farming.

Almost all climatic conditions are suitable for breeding quails. Their meat and eggs are delicious and very nutritious. Quail eggs are more nutritious than those of other poultry.

Since quails contain protein, phosphorus, iron and vitamins A, B1 and B2, quail farming can play a vital role in meeting food and nutritional needs.

Quail farming requires little capital and labor as the birds can be raised alongside other poultry for meat and eggs.

An adult quail weighs between 150 and 200 grams and an egg weighs between seven and 15 grams. Female quails begin laying eggs at six or seven weeks of age and continuously lay one egg per day.

Birds lay about 300 eggs in their first year of life, then produce 150 to 175 eggs in the second year, when egg production gradually declines.

Quail eggs are ideal for human health as they contain 2.47% less fat than chicken eggs. Many people believe that quail eggs help maintain blood pressure and control diabetes, among other complications.

Quail meat is delicious and nutritious and has low fat content.

The eggs are beautiful and multi-colored, which is why they are considered ornamental birds. Quail do not incubate their eggs, so the farmer must use an incubator to hatch them.