Quail farms spread across Punjab as hotels seek cheaper meat

Small quail farms are being set up in rural and suburban Punjab to supply hotels and restaurants in Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan, drawn by the bird's short production cycle, low space requirement and modest start-up cost, according to a report by the Associated Press of Pakistan.

Quail meat sells for about Rs1,450 a kilogram against Rs2,400 for mutton, said Dr Faizan Rashid, who owns a quail farm in Pattoki, near Lahore. He told APP that quail meat is treated as a luxury item and is eaten mainly in large cities where purchasing power is higher, and that its nutritional profile is comparable to mutton.

Space needs are small. A room of 100 square feet can hold up to 1,000 birds, Dr Rashid said. Brooding and general management follow poultry practice, with temperature control most important in the first days. Quails are hardier and more resistant to disease than conventional poultry and, under some farming practices, are not vaccinated routinely, though he said disease prevention and veterinary care remain essential and antibiotics are given when prescribed for bacterial infections.

Feed is the largest recurring expense. A day-old chick costs about Rs17 and a mature bird sells for Rs70 to Rs100 depending on size and market demand, he said. A Japanese-breed chick weighs eight to nine grams at birth and about 100 grams at maturity.

The Avian Research and Training Centre at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, has developed a jumbo breed. Dr Rashid said egg weight rose from 9.5 grams to 12 grams, day-old chick weight from 6.5 grams to eight grams, live weight at 28 days from 100 grams to 200 grams and dressed weight from 50 grams to 100 grams. Hotels and restaurants have not widely taken up the larger bird, he said, because they prefer smaller birds for serving, and the UVAS breed sells mainly to households that cook at home.

Dr Farhan Afzal, director of the Poultry Research Institute, Punjab, listed compact housing, limited land needs, early maturity and a short cycle as the sector's advantages. He cautioned that uncertain demand, price swings and few regular buyers hold back commercial expansion. "These potential advantages do not automatically guarantee profitability," he said, citing reliable buyers, feed costs, chick quality, mortality rates and farm management among the factors that decide viability.

Dr Afzal said the Punjab Livestock Department helps the sector through general poultry research, extension services, farmer training, veterinary diagnostics and regulation rather than through a dedicated quail-farming programme.