Quails that live wild in forests, gardens, or rice fields can actually be used as livestock and their maintenance is not difficult, they tend to be very profitable. This was said by Kusnan alias Gendut, a quail breeder from Madiun, East Java.
"There are two kinds of quail, namely broiler and laying quail. As a side business, I prefer to choose laying quail livestock because the initial capital is also not too much, the place for maintenance can also be in the yard and can be done or done by family members themselves, "he said.
According to Kusnan's story, who is often called Pak Fat, before pursuing this type of laying quail business, at first he only dabbled in the business on a friend's suggestion in 2009, but was stopped because at that time in Indonesia, especially in East Java an outbreak of bird flu.
"After experimenting with laying quail livestock (Echo in Javanese) and being stopped due to the bird flu epidemic, I finally decided to continue the business again. The business capital comes from my wife who is an Indonesian Migrant Worker in Hong Kong (BMI HK), namely Karyati or who is familiarly known as Bunda Yati (a member of the Hang Hau Muslim Mother Council), "he said.
The number of laying quails that Mr. Fatty kept was initially only a small amount, namely 500 birds. However, due to continued injections of capital by his beloved wife, the current number of livestock is 2000 quails.
He started the business from scratch, namely from the age of 5 days old Gema ducks or laying quail seeds. After going through the mopping process until the seeds are ready to climb into the cage where they are laying eggs at the age of 25 days and the laying quail begins to be productive when they are 78 days old.
"For 1000 Gema Ducks, the capital that I had to spend at that time was only eight million, which includes a complete pen, eating and drinking utensils. Meanwhile, the feed and medicines are bought by themselves from a shop that provides livestock equipment. The method of raising livestock must also be correct. Gema ducks must not be late for water or eat so that they do not die or their production results decrease, "he said.
A good detail of the size of the cage is an area of 1 × 3 meters with a height of 80 cm for 250 Gema Ducks. “I put the cattle at the back of the house with a distance of seven meters from the house. The hut or cattle shed must be well ventilated and transparent to sunlight and away from environmental noise. "The cage must also be cleaned every day and sprayed with antibiotics twice a week," he explained.
The thousand Gema Ducks need up to 16 kilos of food per day and the current feed price is Rp. 4000 per day. Meanwhile, 1000 quails can produce eggs around 7-8 kg per day. The profits he usually gets also vary depending on the results of production, market demand and prices prevailing in the market.
"The most crowded orders, if you want Eid, national holidays or festive season can reach Rp 24.000 / kg. On a daily basis, usually there are collectors or agents and market traders who come to take eggs and market them. The profit is not only obtained from the production but also from the waste or excrement, ”he said.
With the help of his only child, namely Denis Juan Ariyanto (Class 3 STM), every morning he collects the Telek Ducks Echo (Dirt) to be used as compost or natural fertilizer, namely by sprinkling it directly into the fields so that it quickly dissolves in water and is absorbed. into the ground.
"Alhamdulilah, the results are fertile rice fields, good rice plants, and rice yields have proven to be better in terms of weight and quality, much different from the previous harvest," he explained.
He added about how to overcome the difficulties experienced when starting the business. For example, during the rainy season, Echo should not be cold because if it is cold, usually if it doesn't die, the quail doesn't want to eat and can't be productive. If that's the case, the place or cage of the ducks must always be warm. In order for the eggs to be good, every morning the cattle must be given a drink that contains vitamins.
When night falls, we must also check the cage to make sure there are no animals such as rats and cats that disturb. If it is disturbed by wild animals or a noisy environment, it can cause stress for the quail, not wanting to eat or drink. At night, make sure there is enough water and food in the cage or not. If the condition is disturbed, stressed and does not want to eat, it will not produce eggs even the quail is threatened with death. The cage must also be sterile so that the place does not smell and become sickly.
He also hopes that by running the business, his wife's money in Hong Kong will not be wasted so far.
"The house already exists, the children are grown and have a side business. What else do you want to try if you continue to work abroad, don't you feel sorry for your wife? Hopefully my wife can come home quickly and hopefully my efforts can be a good example to motivate husbands or families of female workers wherever they are, "he concluded. (Tati Tia Surati / localhost / project / personal / ddhongkong.org / ddhongkong.org). *
