With educational institutions closed during the coronavirus pandemic, students have been spending idle time at home. Making use of the long break, Md Sakikul Islam Nadim, a student of Gono Bishwabidyalay (Gono University) in Savar, has succeeded in quail farming in Shibpur in his home district of Narsingdi. His quail farm now earns him about Tk 20,000 a month.

Nadim told Jago News his success story on Friday (29 January). He is a fourth-year student in the university's Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

His quail farm began on 3 August last year. He became interested while at school, after seeing quail being reared at a relative's house in Sylhet, and kept finding out more, but lack of knowledge and time kept him from starting. The chance came when the campus closed in March, though he could not start then because of concerns over egg demand during the pandemic.

When infections eased somewhat, he built a shed at home and brought in more than 7,000 day-old chicks at a cost of about Tk 50,000. Building the shed and buying equipment cost another Tk 70,000. The quail started laying after a month. Meanwhile, Nadim earned about Tk 60,000 by selling some 3,500 male quail at 30 days old.

Profit from quail comes mainly from eggs. Nadim's farm now has more than 3,000 female quail, laying about 2,250 eggs a day on average, which he sells at an average of Tk 150 per 100. With online classes under way, he has hired a worker for the farm. After all costs he earns Tk 20,000 a month on average, he said.

Being a veterinary student himself, and with advice from his teachers, Nadim manages the farm well, and chick mortality is very low compared with other farms. But the pandemic has brought various problems.

"Egg production is as expected, but the price is quite low," Nadim told Jago News. "Demand for eggs has fallen because schools and colleges are closed. At other times 100 eggs sold for up to Tk 170 to 190, but now they sell for only Tk 150 on average. If the market were good, I would earn Tk 10,000 more a month."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.