Japanese quail chicks at a hatchery of the Central Poultry Development Organisation in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 26: The nutritional value of meat and eggs of the Japanese quail, a poultry variety, has created a good market demand for itself in and around the city.

With less cholesterol content, its meat is suitable for cardiac patients, feel veterinary experts.

The small bird, reared at the Central Poultry Development Organisation for eastern region at Jayadev Vihar, is called gunduri in Odia. Director of the organisation Prasanna Kumar Panda said: “Consumption of quail eggs can also be advisable for people with diabetes. They are also good for women during the pre and post-natal periods as they provide enough nutrients for both the mother and the baby.”

At times, the birds also lay white eggs. They are important sources of vitamin D and rich in anti-oxidants. The mottled brown egg of the Japanese quail, often covered with a light blue chalky material, generally weighs around 10 grams.

It can be kept in much smaller spaces as compared to some other poultry species, becomes mature in about six weeks and lays eggs by the age of 50 days. The bird survives for two to two-and-a-half years.

This bird with a faster growth potential was first introduced at the Bhubaneswar institute after getting hatching eggs from its counterpart near Mumbai. “We sold around two lakh chicks of Japanese quail till January 2012. However, we lost the entire parental line following culling at the institute as some of the birds were affected by avian influenza virus H5N1. Then again, we got the hatching eggs from the northern region centre in Chandigarh in September last year. Now, there are around 8,000 chicks in the hatchery,” Panda said.

To start breeding Japanese quail, which is genetically related to the jungle quail, on a commercial basis, one needs permission from the organisation. The eastern region institute has so far given permission to five persons in the state for breeding the bird. However, one can purchase the birds to keep them at home or farmhouse for personal use and this needs no permission.

Baripada resident Kedar Singh has a collection of several species of poultry, including the Japanese quail, at his hometown. “I am impressed with the body weight of the bird, which comes to around 170 grams to 190 grams after five weeks. It can procreate six to seven weeks after its birth and produces 280 eggs a year,” Singh said.

Singh looks forward to starting an independent Japanese quail hatchery at his hometown. “I will get all technical know-how from the organisation at Jayadev Vihar and start a full-fledged commercial unit as the Japanese quail can become a profitable venture with very little investment,” he said.