Idukki: When the COVID crisis affected their means of income, a school teacher and a toddy tapper joined hands and started a new venture for survival. They reared quail birds on rooftop and are successfully managing the polutry farm.
Kanthalloor Dandukombu natives K V Ajayakumar (35) and Maneesh Kumar (44) started the quail farm on the rooftop of Ajayakumar's house. The farm was set up in appropriate measurements in an area of 450 square feet.
After the COVID lockdown was imposed, both Ajayakumar and Maneesh were struggling make the ends meet. Ajayakumar is a social science teacher at a private school in Marayur. As the schools were not functioning, his income decreased. Maneesh, who is a toddy tapper, was also facing a hard time after toddy shops were closed.
At this time, the duo came to know about quail farming. They studied more about the farming techniques from their friends who were working in the same industry. They purchased 1200 quail hatchlings from Pallippuram in Cherthala.
The price of the bird was Rs 48. The birds survived the cold weather in Marayur and lay upto 1000 eggs a day. Quail egg fetches Rs 2.5 in the local market. The quails start laying egg when they turn 40-42 days old.
Ajayakumar's wife Beula and children Ananya and Abhiraj along with Maneesh Kumar's wife Sindhu and children Surya and Devanandana also take care of the birds. They are planning to go ahead with quail farming with their teaching and toddy tapping jobs.
