Tran Nguyen Ho was the first man in Long Binh Hamlet to experimentally implement the model of raising commercial quails in 1998. At first, recognizing that this variety of bird is easy to raise, has a high economic value and is suitable to the climate in the area, Nguyen Ho and some farmers in the hamlet learned quail-raising in different areas and then raised a small quantity of quails for trial purposes.

With the experience gained after several failures, Nguyen Ho and other farmers have invested in increasing flocks of the breeding quails and farming facilities. So far, over 25 households in Long An Commune are involved in quail raising in a total area of 7 ha and the total number of quails has reached nearly 200,000.

Every year, after deducting expenses, each household earns a profit of nearly 200 million dong. The largest farm in the region is owned by Nguyen Ho’s family and has an area of over 6,000m² with 100,000 quails. Every day it provides the market with about 50,000 fertilized and unfertilized eggs for hatching and for food respectively, earning him approximately one billion dong a year. His farm also serves as a place for purchasing products of other farms with the aim of establishing a specific brand of the locality.
 

«       To have quail eggs on meals, we have hard working days, but that is our happiness and I pride of prestigious brand name for myself. (Tran Nguyen Ho)                         »

To have fresh clean quail eggs to meet the needs of the market, the quail farms owned by Nguyen Ho and other households follow a meticulous process of care.

Only visiting the quail farms in Long Binh could we know the creative and monopolistic model of facilities researched and designed by Nguyen Ho. The entire system of cages is made of iron and is designed to look like a three-step staircase to save space. Each cage has an area of 1m² accommodating 120 quails. There is an automatic system of food and drink to help reduce manual labour. The cage-support stand is fixed to the wall instead of to the ground, which is very convenient for the cleaning of the cages every day. The cages are equipped with an automatic lighting system to promote the fertility of the birds. Every day, the quails are fed twice, in the morning and afternoon. Their manure is processed with coconut fibers covered with a layer of bio-yeast. After two days, the mixture becomes a micro organic carpet which is hygienic to the environment and is used as fertilizer for crops. Disinfectants are periodically sprayed on the cages to remove odors and bacteria. Nguyen Ho’s structural design of the cages has been granted a certificate of brand protection by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The production and treatment of the quail eggs at Nguyen Ho’s farm has also been modernized. Quail is a variety of bird which grows fast. It starts laying eggs at the age of about 45 days and maintains this output for eight months. The eggs collected from the cages will be selected, classified and processed. Unfertilized eggs are packaged, tested and distributed for consumption. Fertilized eggs are hatched in an incubator with a temperature of 37⁰C in about 10 days. Then they are tested with a lamp in a dark room and are selected again before being packed for consumption. Before being brought to the market, all the eggs are monitored by veterinary officers who examined the quality of products and conduct disinfection with drugs to ensure food safety and sanitation.

Quail eggs of Nguyen Ho’s farm. Tran Nguyen Ho checks the temperature of a brooder. Classifying quail eggs before putting into brooder. Half-hatched quail eggs which were hatched at 370c in a system of brooders in ten days. Pasteurizing quail eggs before selling to the market. Quail eggs are put on cages for sale. Checking the quality of quail eggs. Classifying and packing quail eggs.

Now, Nguyen Ho’s farm provides quail eggs for many agents and supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Rach Gia. This economic model is being followed by many people in his locality and other areas. Apart from supplying quail eggs for the domestic market Nguyen Ho has also planned to produce quail eggs packed in boxes to export to the Japanese market. If his plan is successful it will open up a new, promising direction for the brand of Nguyen Ho’s quail eggs.