The local economy (TG): Catherine, tell me, what was the impetus for doing rural business? Why did they choose this direction - quail breeding?

Ekaterina Tishuk (ET): I am a software engineer by training. I had a good position, decent wages. But the work required a lot of effort and there was practically no time left for the family.. We have three children. My husband really wanted, so that I spend more time with my family, children. Therefore, my family served as the impetus for the change in lifestyle.. But just become a housewife, stay home, with folded arms, it's not about me. Therefore, I decided to go into agriculture and my choice fell on quail breeding.. We decided to create a personal subsidiary farm "Important bird".

TG: To pursue such a direction in agriculture, appropriate knowledge is required, quail breeding room, equipment.

ET: Yes, I really started from scratch. It was difficult at first. But I like to discover something new.

We moved from the city to the agro-town of Edki, Lida district, because at one point we understood, that our big family is cramped in the apartment. And we decided to build our own house. And now we have been living in our house for three years, doing our thing. Children really enjoy living in the countryside. They help me with the housework.

With regard to agricultural knowledge, then I approached this process with all responsibility. I studied a lot and am still studying literature, I watch videos on the Internet on this topic. And like this, gradually learned to feed, watering and bird care.

We started with twenty-four quails and a year later we came out with a thousand quails.. Our farm is located close to home, since according to the legislation, housekeeping on your personal plot is prohibited. We were lucky, the local authorities gave us about 4 hectares of land, where we have our quail farm. And this site is not far from our house.

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

TG: Catherine, share your experience of quail breeding. What problems did you face?

ET: First of all, I want to note, that quails are unpretentious in care. They take up little space and grow quickly.

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

Secondly, necessary, for the sparrowhawk to be equipped in accordance with the requirements for keeping quails - it must be warm with a temperature of at least + 20 ° C, dry. There must be ventilation, which will provide fresh air, but no drafts, it is very important, since quails do not like cold air.

Considering, that birds are very mobile, quails are better kept in cages. In this case, the main thing to pay attention to is the correctly selected cell size. Different age groups require grids with a specific cell size. This prevents the bird from falling onto the floor., her injury when trying to crawl through the net.

The cage should be made from environmentally friendly materials, which will not cause allergic reactions in birds, the tensioned wire must not be rusty or have sharp edges, and also equipped with a feeder and drinker. Besides, for greater comfort of young animals it is necessary to install additional sources of air heating.

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

In addition to the temperature regime, the light regime must also be observed - quails do not like bright light, in bright light, birds get excited and peck each other to death.

Thirdly, this feeding. For my quails, I buy quality balanced feed with a high protein content, vitamins and minerals. My principle is to grow poultry without adding artificial additives and antibiotics.. I am not worried about the quality of my products, as it really turns out natural dietary quail meat and a healthy egg. On our private backyard, we sell quails of such breeds as Phoenix, Pharaoh, Texas quail.

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

TG: And how to choose the right bird before buying?

ET: The bird should be inspected carefully before purchasing. The quail must be healthy, outwardly clean, without any pollution, clean feathers, the bird should be cheerful, of medium height, that is, not greasy, no skinny. To get offspring, females are chosen at the age 3-8 months, males are suitable from 3 to 6 months. Breeding individuals of the same breed without blood ties.

TG: Well, not everything is so simple, as it seems…

ET: The first stage is difficult, but if you follow all the rules for keeping quails, then you will succeed!

What is really difficult, so it is to surprise people in our time.

For this we, eg, began to produce not only fresh eggs or chilled meat, but also pickled and smoked egg, pickled meat, various sauces, mayonnaise, quail egg-based italian pasta, sourdough bread and pastries.

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

TG: Where and how can you buy your products?

ET: We deliver our products to your home, in Belarus by agreement. We actively use the Internet, social networks to promote their products, to communicate with clients. I take part in various gastronomic, agricultural festivals, where I propose to taste my products. Plans to start working with restaurants, with retail chains.

Photo from the personal archive of Ekaterina Tishuk

TG: What would you recommend to novice farmers? What would you like to warn those, who is only at the beginning of the journey?

ET: Starting new is always scary. Therefore, you need to overcome fear. Be more decisive!

First of all, think about what is close to you? There are a lot of directions in agriculture, and, respectively, different resources needed, knowledge.

I believe, that you need to be an expert in your business, delve into details. If you do not know and do not understand the whole production process, then things won't move.

When you've decided on a direction, need to look for land, choose area, where will your subsidiary farm be located, either a farm.

It would be nice, if you find a dialogue with local authorities, which will help you deal with the current legislation in that area, which you chose, and will also assist in providing a point of sale in the local market.

Nowadays, participation in various fairs helps a lot to promote and sell their products, festivals. Share and show yourself actively on social media. People should know, who made the goods, how was it produced. If they don't know, they will never believe or buy. This is the key to success - to be close and open to people..

And that's when farming becomes your way of life, believe me, you will understand, what are you doing, which brings not only money, but also joy!

Owner of a personal subsidiary farm “Important bird” – Ekaterina Tishuk

ad. Edki of the Lida region, The Grodno region

Tel.: +375 29 399 39 47

Interview was conducted by Julia Koroleva, EVIL “MAP ZAO” Minsk district