Do you want to start a quail farm? If YES, here is a complete guide to starting a quail farming business with NO money and no experience plus a sample quail farming business plan template.
If you have a knack for business, then you may want to consider leveraging on the agricultural industry to generate huge income. One of your best bet is to start a poultry farm business and concentrate on the rearing and sale of quails and other birds.
One thing is certain about starting a quail farming business, if you are able to undertake market research and feasibility studies, you may not likely struggle to sell your quails and birds because there are always food processing companies and consumers out there who are ready to buy from you, coupled with the fact that quail eggs are considered very healthy.
Beyond the general knowledge of rearing birds, you would need to study the process of quail farming if you want to become successful with the business. In order to maximize profits with your quail farming business, you would have to learn the process of helping your quails through hatching and then groom their young ones to maturity.
Just like any other business, starting a quail farm business comes with its own fair share of challenges, but that does not rule out the fact that it is indeed a profitable business venture especially if you know how to reach out to your target market.
An aspiring entrepreneur can either choose to start a quail farm on a small scale or on a large scale depending on their financial status.
If you are serious about starting your own quail farming business, all you need do is to read this article and you will be well equipped. You can start your quail farming business from a small town in the United States and if you are consistent and creative, it won’t be too long before your business becomes nationally recognized.
Steps to Starting a Quail Farming Business
1. Understand the Industry
Quail is a name that is given to a mid-sized bird generally placed in the order of Galliformes. Quail eggs are a sweet delicacy in many parts of the world, including the united states of America, Canada, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. There are loads of poultry businesses that raise quail for meat and eggs and they are making huge profit from the business.
The Chicken and Quail Farming industry includes poultry farms that raise quails and chickens basically for meat and egg production. Downstream meat processors and food producers supply farmers with quails, chicks and feed according to contractual agreements. Poultry farmers provide growing facilities, bird care and agricultural expertise.
The Chicken and Quail Farming industry in recent time has experienced positive trends in demand for quail and chicken meat. Increasing health consciousness among American meat consumers has boosted consumption of white meat such as quail and chicken, which is also more affordable than beef or pork.
Going forward, the industry will continue to enjoy appreciable growth and quail and chicken farmers will keep smiling to the bank. Falling input prices will enable quail and chicken farmers to increase production volumes.
In the United States of America, most poultry farmers have been functioning for more than ten years. They are often family enterprises passed down from one generation to another.
The major barriers facing new entrants into the industry include the competitive nature of a contract based income system, the medium level of investment required and of course compliance with various environmental regulations.
The Chicken and Quail Farming industry is indeed a very large industry and pretty much thriving in all parts of the world.
Statistics has it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 38,065 licensed and registered chicken meat production companies (some of which include quail farming) directly responsible for employing about 56,306 employees.
The industry rakes in a whooping sum of $34 billion annually with an annual growth rate projected at 2.7 percent. It is important to state that there are no establishments with a lion share in this industry.
Some of the factors that encourage entrepreneurs to start their own quail farming business could be that the business is a rapidly becoming a profitable business; you can actually start your own quail farming business in your compound if you live in rural/farming community.
All you need to do is to purchase the first set of quails, purchase quail feed, purchase poultry farming tools, build your hatchery, poultry and then build your fence.
Despite the fact that poultry (quail farming inclusive) farming business has been in existence since time immemorial, that does not in any way make the industry to be over saturated. The fact that there is always a ready market for quails and quail eggs makes the business evergreen.
Over and above, there are few barriers to entry into the quail farming line of business. Usually, all inputs are readily available. In the nearest future, players in this industry may face the highest costs associated with accessing technology, especially in relation to genetic modification engineering in quail breeding.
So also, intellectual property rights protecting new inventions and technology may mean that new entrepreneurs coming into the industry will need to pay license fees and this of course will cause an increase in startup fee for the quail farming business.
2. Conduct Market Research and Feasibility Studies
- Demographics and Psychographics
The demographic and psychographic composition of those who consume quails, its eggs and other poultry birds are not restricted to a group of people. People of different races and cultures consume quails, quail eggs and other birds hence the market for quail farm produce is all encompassing.
So, if you are looking towards defining the demographics of your quail farming business, then you should make it all encompassing. It should include grocery stores, food hubs, supermarkets, households, hotels, restaurants and businesses that rely on the supply of quails, quail eggs and other birds that you rear in your poultry.
3. Decide Which Niche to Concentrate On
There is no niche area in the quail farming business, every player in the industry simply farm quails and other related birds in their poultry but some may decide to go into quail and other birds processing and packaging as against selling directly to grocery stores, food hubs, or in a farm market.
So, if you are looking towards starting your own quail farming business, then you should clearly define your market so that you will be able to know how to get quails, eggs and other birds to them.
The Level of Competition in the Industry
The level of competition in the poultry farms industry cum quail farming to some extent depends on the location of the business and of course the capacity of your quail farm. If you can successfully add quail processing and packaging to your quail farming business, you are likely going to experience little or no competition.
For instance, if you are the only quail farm in your location that is into rearing other birds in your poultry and also into food processing and packaging, you can successfully monopolize the market for a long time before you start having competitions.
It is important to also state that the competition in the poultry farms industry depends on the scale of your poultry (quail) farms. There are poultry (quail) farms in the United States that are competing with global poultry (quail) farms and there are poultry (quail) farms in the United States that can only compete at the local level.
4. Know Your Major Competitors in the Industry
In every industry, there are always brands who perform better or are better regarded by customers and the general public than others.
Some of these brands are those that have been in the industry for a long time, while others are best known for how they conduct their businesses and the results they have achieved over the years. These are some of the leading poultry (quail) farms in the United States of America and in the globe;
- Circle L Quail Farm Inc
- Texas Quail Farms
- Griggstown Farm
- Manchester Farms
- Meadows Quail Farm
- Plantation Quail
- Urgasa Quail Farms Inc.
- Quail Haven Farm
- Quail H Farms
- Foster Poultry Farms
- Hy Line North America
- Giroux’s Poultry Farm Inc.
- Harrison’s Poultry Farm
- Cobb-Vantress Inc.
- Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation
- Mountaire Farms of North Carolina Inc
- Saba Live Poultry
- Perdue Farms Inc
- Peacock’s Poultry Farm
- International Poultry Breeders Hatcheries, Inc.
Economic Analysis
When starting a quail farm business, you just have to get your costing cum economic analysis right if your intention of building the business is to generate profits, grow the business, expand the business and start exporting quails and quail eggs within your country and to other countries of the world.
When conducting costing and economic analysis for your quail farm business, you just have to critically examine these key factors; access to the market, access to cheap labor and of course good climatic condition. As a matter of fact, you would have to continue to review these key factors at regular intervals while running your quail farm business.
As a quail farm owner, you just have to have a proper grasp of your competitive landscape if indeed you want to maximize profits and be in the frontline of the industry.
It is important to note that medication/treatment and feed cost are some of the most important factors contributing to the overall cost of a quail farm business and should be considered as a major factor when carrying out your costing and economic analysis.
5. Decide Whether to Buy a Franchise or Start from Scratch
If you are looking towards starting a quail farm, you would have to start from the very scratch because you can hardly get the franchise of a quail farm to buy.
Besides starting a quail farm from the scratch is less stressful when compared to other small – scale businesses which usually require detailed groundwork before launching the business.
With a quail farm, you should just try as much as possible to secure your business license, pool your startup capital, secure a good poultry farm land in a good location, build business relationship with key stakeholders and then leverage on every marketing tool within your disposal especially the internet to market your quails and quail eggs.
Please note that most of the big and successful poultry (quail) farms in the industry started from the scratch and they were able to build a solid business brand.
It takes dedication, hard work and determination to achieve business success and of course you can build your own quail farm to become a successful brand across the length and breadth of the United States of America and other countries of the world if you choose to go into the exportation of quails and quail eggs.
6. Know the Possible Threats and Challenges You Will Face
If you decide to start your own quail farm business today, one of the major challenge you are likely going to face is the presence of well – established quail farms in your target market location. The only way to avoid this challenge is to create your own market; concentrate on households, individuals and also small restaurants and hotels who need supply for quails and quail eggs.
Some other threats and challenges that you are likely going to face when you start your own quail farm business are global economic downturn that can impact negatively on household spending, bad weather cum natural disasters, unfavorable government policies and the arrival of a competitor within the same location.
There is hardly anything you can do as regards these threats and challenges other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for your good.
7. Choose the Most Suitable Legal Entity (LLC, C Corp, S Corp)
You have the option of either choosing a general partnership, limited liability company which is commonly called an LLC, or a sole proprietorship for a quail farm business. Ordinarily, sole proprietorship should have been the ideal business structure for a small – scale quail farm business especially if you are just starting out with moderate start – up capital.
But if your intention is to grow the business and sell your quails and quail eggs all across the United States of America, then choosing sole proprietorship is not an option for you. Limited Liability Company, LLC or even general partnership will cut it for you.
Setting up an LLC protects you from personal liability. If anything goes wrong in the business, it is only the money that you invested into the limited liability company that will be at risk. Limited liability companies are simpler and more flexible to operate and you don’t need a board of directors, shareholders meetings and other managerial formalities.
These are some of the factors you should consider before choosing a legal entity for your quail farm business; limitation of personal liability, ease of transferability, admission of new owners, investors’ expectation and of course taxes.
If you take your time to critically study the various legal entities to use for your quail farming business, you will agree that limited liability company; an LLC is most suitable. You can start this type of business as limited liability company (LLC) and in future convert it to a ‘C’ corporation or an ‘S’ corporation especially when you have the plans of going public.
8. Choose a Catchy Business Name
When it comes to choosing a name for your business, you should be creative because whatever name you choose for your business will go a long way to create a perception of what the business represents.
It is the norm for people to follow the trend in the industry they intend operating from when naming their business. If you are considering starting your own quail farm business, here are some catchy names that you can choose from;
- Matthias Davenport & Family Poultry Farms, LLC
- Kingston Johnson Quail Farms, LLC
- Benjamin Sydney Quail Farms, Inc.
- Victor Vitalis Quail Farms Ltd.
- Williamson Anderson Quail Farms, LLC
- Brown Backyard Quail Farms Ltd.
- Donald West Poultry Farms, Inc.
- Garry Bent Quail Farms, Inc.
- Sanchez San Diego Poultry Farms, Inc.
- Texas United Quail Farms, LLC.
9. Discuss with an Agent to Know the Best Insurance Policies for You
In the United States and in most countries of the world, you can’t operate a business without having some of the basic insurance policy covers that are required by the industry you want to operate from. Thus, it is imperative to create a budget for insurance and perhaps consult an insurance broker to guide you in choosing the best and most appropriate insurance policies for your quail farm business.
Here are some of the basic insurance covers that you should consider purchasing if you want to start your own quail farm business in the United States of America;
- General insurance
- Health insurance
- Liability insurance
- Farm Equipment and Auto Insurance
- Commercial Agribusiness Insurance
- Workers Compensation
- Animal (Birds) Mortality Insurance
- Overhead expense disability insurance
- Business owner’s policy group insurance
- Payment protection insurance
10. Protect your Intellectual Property With Trademark, Copyrights, Patents
If you are considering starting your own a quail farm business, usually you may not have any need to file for intellectual property protection/trademark. This is because the nature of the business makes it possible for you to successfully run the business without having any cause to challenge anybody in court for illegally making use of your company’s intellectual properties.
11. Get the Necessary Professional Certification
Apart from your ability to farm quails and other birds, professional certification is one reason why some poultry (quail) farmers stand out. If you want to make an impact in the poultry farms industry, you should work towards acquiring all the needed certifications in your area of specialization.
You are strongly encouraged to pursue professional certifications; it will go a long way to show your commitment towards the business. Certification validates your competency and shows that you are highly skilled, committed to your career, and up-to-date in the competitive market.
These are some of the certifications you can work towards achieving if you want to run your own quail farm;
- Certificate III in Poultry Production – AHC30510
- Certificate in Poultry Farming (CPF)
- Certificate in Poultry Management
- Degree or Diploma in Animal Production and related courses
Please note that the average local poultry (quail) farmers in suburbs in the United States do not have certifications but that does not in any way stop them from growing their poultry (quail) farms to enviable heights.
12. Get the Necessary Legal Documents You Need to Operate
The essence of having the necessary documentation in place before launching a business in the United States of America cannot be overemphasized. It is a fact that you cannot successfully run any business in the United States without the proper documentations.
These are some of the basic legal documents that you are expected to have in place if you want to legally run your own quail farming business in the United States of America;
- Business and liability insurance
- Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration for distribution truck
- Appropriate driver’s licenses for drivers
- Assistant’s licenses for assistants
- Health inspection Certificate
- Proof of ownership, proper identification and vehicle license
- Tax Payer’s ID
- Fire certificate
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Business License
- Business Plan
- Non – disclosure Agreement
- Employment Agreement (offer letters)
- Employee’s Handbook
- Operating Agreement for LLCs
- Farm Partnership Agreement
- Operating Agreement for LLCs
- Insurance Policy
13. Raise the Needed Startup Capital
Starting a standard quail farm can be capital intensive especially if you choose to launch a large quail farm with the capacity to supply quails and quail eggs beyond your immediate community.
Securing a large poultry farm land, building well-secured and conducive poultry cages, purchase of the first set of juvenile quails and other birds, hatchery and other quail farming tools are part of what will consume a large chunk of your start-up capital, but if you choose to start the business on a small scale, you may not have the need to go source for fund to finance the business.
When it comes to financing a business, one of the major factors that you should consider is to write a good business plan.
If you have a good and workable business plan document in place, you may not have to labor yourself before convincing your bank, investors and your friends to invest in your business. Here are some of the options you can explore when sourcing for start-up capital for your quail farming business;
- Raising money from personal savings and sale of personal stocks and properties
- Raising money from investors and business partners
- Sell of shares to interested investors
- Pitching your business idea and applying for business grant and seed funding from government, donor organizations and angel investors
- Source for soft loans from your family members and your friends
14. Choose a Suitable Location for your Business
Predators are one of the major challenges poultry (quail) farm owners’ faces and that is why it is necessary to put into consideration an effective fencing option when designing your poultry (quail) farm and choosing a location.
Poultry (quail) farmers in the United States and in other parts of the world are always improvising on ways to keep foxes away from their farms. The truth is that if foxes or other predators can find their way into your poultry farm; they are likely going to keep coming until they eat-up all the available birds in your poultry.
It is important to note that a business facility in good location does not come cheap hence you should be able to allocate enough fund for leasing/renting in your budget.
If you are new to the dynamics of choosing a location for a business such as quail farm business, then you should feel free to talk to a business consultant or a realtor who has a full grasp of the city and perhaps country you intend starting your quail farm business.
Most importantly, before choosing a location for your quail farm, ensure that you first conduct a thorough feasibility studies and market survey.
The possibility of you coming across similar business that just closed shop in the location you want to start yours can’t be ruled out. This is why it is very important to gather as much facts and figures before choosing a location to setup your own quail farm.
These are some of the key factors that you should consider before choosing a location for your quail farm;
- The demography of the location
- The demand for quails, quail eggs and other birds in the location
- The purchasing power of residents of the location
- Accessibility of the location
- The number of quail farms and related poultry farm businesses in the location
- The local laws and regulations in the community
- Traffic, parking and security et al
15. Hire Employees for your Technical and Manpower Needs
You will need a hatchery and a good poultry fence for your quails and the major poultry fencing option available are chicken wire which is also known as rabbit wire in the market place and chicken netting. The choice you make on the best poultry fencing option that you want to use in your poultry farm will be largely dependent on some factors.
Some the factors to consider before choosing the right poultry fencing option are the kind of predators your birds will be exposed to, climatic condition of the location you intend building your poultry farm and also the geographical composition of your choice location.
When it comes to choosing between renting and leasing a poultry farm land for your quail farm, the size of the quail farm should determine your choice.
If you have enough capital to run a pretty large and well – equipped quail farm, then you should consider the option of long lease or out rightly purchasing a poultry farm land; when you lease, or purchase a poultry farm land, you will be able to work with long – term planning, structuring and expansion.
As regards the number of employees that you are expected to kick start the business with, you would need to consider your finance before making the decision.
When it comes to starting a standard quail (poultry) farm business on a large scale, you would need the services of the following professionals; Chief Operating Officer (you can occupy this position), General Farm Manager, Accountant/Cashier, Sales and Marketing Executive, Field Employees, Cleaners, and Security Guards.
Over and above, you would need a minimum of 5 to 10 key staff members to effectively run a medium scale but standard quail farming business.
The Service Delivery Process of the Business
When it comes to the operational activities of a quail farm, the process is simple and straight forward, and as a matter of fact, a quail farm can successfully run on auto – pilot with little or no supervision from the owner.
Basically, when the poultry cage (fence) and the required facility has been put in place and the juvenile quails and other poultry birds placed inside, then every morning and evening and perhaps afternoon, the quails are fed and once in a specific period, the water in the water trough is changed.
Once the quails are matured and start laying eggs, the eggs are picked and the quails are harvested and then sold to buyers or they are transported to farm markets or food hubs, grocery stores or to hotels and restaurants et al as requested.
It is important to state that even though the above stated is the ideal business process of a quail farm, a quail farm may decide to improvise or adopt any business process and structure that will guarantee them good return on their services and investments; the above stated quail farm business process is not cast on stone.
16. Write a Marketing Plan Packed with ideas & Strategies
As a quail farmer, you would have to prove that you have the capacity not only to manage a quail farm, but also to supply quails, quail eggs and other poultry birds in commercial quantities, and on a consistent basis.
So, if you have plans to start your own quail farming business, it will pay you to first build your capacity before sourcing to supply quails and quail eggs to larger hotels or food processing and packaging companies who require them.
The fact that the entry barrier for starting a small scale quail farming business is low means that there is bound to be more players in the industry no matter the location you choose to start yours.
When you are drafting your marketing plans and strategies for your quail farming business, make sure that you create a compelling personal and company profile.
Asides from your qualifications and experience, it is important to clearly state in practical terms what you have been able to achieve in time past as it relates to the industry you intend starting your business. This will help boost your chances in the market place when marketing your quails and quail eggs.
Here are some of the platforms you can utilize to market your quail farm and its produce;
- Introduce your business by sending introductory letters alongside your brochure to households, hotels, restaurants, food processing and packing companies that need steady supply of quails and quail eggs, grocery stores and related businesses in the United States (if you are just starting out, you may want to concentrate on startups and smaller businesses)
- Promptness in bidding for quails and quail eggs supply contracts
- Open your quail farm with a party so as to capture the attention of residents who are your first targets
- Engage in roadshows in targeted communities from time to time to sell your quails and quail eggs
- Advertise your quail farm in community based newspapers, local TV and radio stations
- List your business and products on yellow pages ads (local directories)
- Leverage on the internet to promote your quail farm
- Engage in direct marketing and sales
- Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals)
- Leverage on the internet to promote your business
- Join local chambers of commerce and industry around you with the main aim of networking and marketing your farm produce; you are likely going to get referrals from such networks
- Engage the services of marketing executives and business developers to carry out direct marketing for you.
17. Work Out a Reasonable Pricing for your Services & Products
One key factor that will help you sell your quails and quail eggs at a price that is highly attractive is to ensure that you source your startup capital from sources that won’t put pressure on you or give you high interest rate. So also, when it comes to the supply of juvenile quails and other birds, farming equipment and tools, feed and medications, it is advisable that you also purchase them directly from the manufacturers or from wholesalers.
Another strategy that will help you sell your quails and quail eggs at the right price is to ensure that you cut operational cost to the barest minimum and channel your efforts towards marketing and promoting your brand name. Asides from the fact that this strategy will help you save cost, it will also help you get the right pricing for your services.
You can also try as much as possible to work with independent contractors and marketers; with that, it will help you save cost for paying sales and marketing executives.
18. Develop Strategies to Boost Brand Awareness and Create a Corporate Identity
If your intention of starting a quail (poultry) farming business is to grow the business beyond the city where you are going to be operating from to become a national and international brand by supplying quails and quail eggs across the United States of America, then you must be ready to spend money on promotion and advertisement of your brand.
No matter the industry you belong to, the truth is that the market is dynamic and it requires consistent brand awareness and brand boosting cum promotion to continue to appeal to your target market. Here are the platforms you can leverage on to boost your brand awareness and create corporate identity for your quail farming business;
- Place adverts on both print and electronic media platforms
- Sponsor relevant community based events
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote your business
- Install your billboards on strategic locations all around your city or state
- Engage in roadshows from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
- Distribute your fliers and handbills in target areas
- Contact households, hotels, restaurants, food processing and packaging companies that need regular supply of quails and quail eggs, grocery stores and related businesses in your target areas by calling them up and informing them of your quail farm
- List your quail farm in local directories
- Advertise your quail farm in your official website and employ strategies that will help you pull traffic to the site
- Ensure that all your staff members wear your branded shirts and all your vehicles and trucks are branded with your company logo et al.