The University of Agriculture, Peshawar-Pakistan

The closing ceremony of 2-days training course was conducted at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar at 25 November 2011 under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Khan Bahadar Marwat. The Dean Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences Prof. Dr Muhammad Subhan Qureshi, Chairman, Deptt of Poultry Science Dr. Sarzamin Khan and other faculty members attended the ceremony. The training was arranged with the help of financial support of SRSP. The staff member of SRSP Mr. Zafar (Team Leader) and Miss. Salma (Program Officer) also present there. The female farmers were belonging to Charsada and the suburbs. A total of 12 female farmers were trained in management of health, productivity and management of quails. The Department of Poultry Science offered 80 quails birds, 5 kg of feed and 1 kg feed supplement was donated by the ICI to the training participants.

In the training the females of Charsada, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was trained on the basic of quails farming. The farmers were trained on the brooding, rearing and laying management of quails. The female’s farmers of the Charsada found this training very beneficial in aspect of generating income at home in short period of time. They are able to raise the quails in their home easily.

Quails are raised form centuries in the world. They were called "Bible quail" Their small size makes them ideal for raising either in a garage, the basement, or on a outside deck. Beginners should start with a small number of quails. Six to eight of these can be reared within a square foot. A good number to start with is 20 birds: 12 females and 8 males. The males are polygamous meaning they mate with any and all females. These quail possess a remarkable resistance to disease, start laying at six weeks of age, and can be consumed at four to five weeks of age. The meat is fortified with nutrients and has a very low cholesterol percentage. Dressed, the hens weigh about 4 to 5 1/2 ounces with the male being slightly smaller. Eggs weigh about 1/3 ounce which is about 8 per cent of the body weight of the hen as compared to three percent for chicken eggs.

Such trainings can enhance the income of rural people through better utilization of the available resources. The triangle of the University, SRSP and ICI are engaged extensively to transfer technology and research findings of the faculty, to the people focused at demonstrating new enterprises, reducing cost per unit productivity and improving products quality. Prof M Subhan Qureshi proposed that the SRSC and the faculty may think of preparing a dynamic database of the poultry and dairy farmers for more effective interaction and seek business support from relevant agencies. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Khan Bahadar Marwat assured his support for such novel activities of the faculty and wished a prosperous future for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through coordinated efforts. The organizers, participants and sponsors were acknowledged for their participation and the training program was declared closed.