Civil servants could employ business strategy and utilize their available time for profitable venture like quail farming. This paper discusses way and means of employing strategy to plan and benefit from time management and profitable ventures. The concepts and theories of business enterprise are adopted in the construction of entrepreneurship attitude among civil servants working for government and communities in Nigeria. A case study of quails farming provides lessons and templates for hard work and reward in viable ventures. The paper strongly recommends the inculcation of entrepreneurship among individuals and in government programmes, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria.

1. QUAIL FARMING AND THE STRATEGY OF
PRODUCTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT:
AN EXPERIENCE OF A NIGERIAN CIVIL
SERVANT-FARMER
BY TANKO AHMED fwc

2. This is a full-length and upgraded version of an
earlier chapter of a book published by the
National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI),
Vom – Nigeria with this reference:
Ahmed, T. (2008), ‘Quail Farming: An
experience of a civil-servant’, Chapter 13, In
Usman, M., et al. (ed.). Quail Production in the
Tropics. Vom, NG: NVRI. ISBN-978-166-717-6

3. ABSTRACTION
• Civil servants could employ business strategy
and utilize their available time for profitable
venture like quail farming.
• This paper discusses way and means of
employing strategy to plan and benefit from
time management and profitable ventures.
• The concepts and theories of business
enterprise are adopted in the construction of
entrepreneurship attitude among civil servants
working for government and communities in
Nigeria.

4. A CASE STUDY
• A case study of quails farming provides
lessons and templates for hard work and
reward in viable ventures.
• The paper strongly recommends the
inculcation of entrepreneurship among
individuals and in government programmes,
particularly in developing countries like
Nigeria.

5. INTRODUCTION
‘The Spirit of Enterprise’
– Anonymous

6. Background
• The employment of strategy – getting things done
optimally – in the way we manage activities of our
lives is worthwhile and particularly beneficial.
• The spirit of enterprise or motivation for success in
ventures, within every one of us provides an
energetic drive in pursuance of various activities for
our individual, group, community or societal
growth.
• Such efforts are basis for positive contributions to
the general progress of our immediate
surroundings, and the nation at large.

7. The Use of Strategy
• This paper discusses the use of strategy in the
way we plan and run our activities.
• The emergence, performance, survival and
progress of any enterprise or venture are further
determined by the original idea or motivation of
its formation, structure, organization, functions
and relevance, as well as, its management
system.
• The ‘strategy’ employed for achievement of
these set goals is very crucial in getting things
done.

8. Realities of Environment
• The socio-economic and political
environment, within which enterprises are
created and sustained, in turn, influence all
these factors.
• We should always consider the realities of
the situation we found ourselves, in taking
decisions and putting into practice, in
pursuance of our activities.

9. Value of Enterprise
• An enterprise is any activity directed at making
profit; it is often considered as organized business
ventures aimed specifically at growth and profit.
• As a venture, an enterprise may be described as a
new, often risky activity requiring confidence and
initiative embarked by an entrepreneur or
somebody who ventures into something new.
• It sums up a project or undertaking that may be
difficult or requires effort in resourcefulness
including the selection of any idea that can be
translated into a planned and satisfactorily
implemented activity.

10. Commonsense and Entrepreneurship
• Olufisayo (2013) explains that in order to ensure
ideas are materialized and sustained, the
entrepreneur creates an enterprise utilizing and
controlling the available economic and human
resources.
• This is done through idea identification, planning,
implementation, successful completion of an
activity and accepting the reward.
• These steps determine the ‘commonsense’ required
for going into any challenging and profit making
venture, like quail farming.

11. Theory of Business Enterprise
• The directing force or drive, which animates the
material base or framework of any modern society, is
its industrial or business enterprises or ventures of
various sizes, big and small.
• The theory of business enterprise devised by
Thorstein Veblen (1904) is one of the oldest
assumptions of economic activities still in use and
going strong.
• It holds that enterprises are the basis for growth as
determined by the strategy behind their formation;
the spirit that drives them; and result orientation.
• The theory emphasizes on the tools of enterprise to
include intent and motivation, goal setting, inputs
provision, factors of production, marketing or
distribution of outputs, and general management.

12. DEFINITIONS
OF
TERMS

13. Quail Farming
• Quails are small poultry birds with meat and
eggs of delicacy and nutritional value.
• Quail farming is the rearing and breeding of
quails as a ‘farming enterprise’.
• Quail products are highly cherished; its
farming more rewarding due to higher rate of
egg laying, smaller floor space, less feed
consumption; and no vaccination or
deworming required, http://ebookbrowse.com.

14. Strategy
Strategy is a carefully devised plan of action to
achieve a goal or the art of developing or
carrying out such a plan.

15. Spirit of Enterprise
• An ‘enterprise’ is a project or venture
undertaken or to be undertaken; that is
important, but also difficult; and require
boldness, energy, organization and
commitment to get through.
• The ‘spirit of enterprise’ is the motivation,
power or drive to set up and succeed in an
enterprise or venture
http://www.thefreedictionary.com

16. Civil Servant
A Civil (or Public) Servant is a government
employee or worker employed to serve on a
regulated terms of service, including times for
resumption and closure of work.

17. Time Management
• Time is a limited period that an action, process, or
condition exists or takes place - a dimension
enables the arrangement and management of
events or activities aimed at given ends.
• Time management involves planning and control
over the amount of time saved or spent on specific
activities, especially productivity.
• Time management is a form of project management
(PMI, 2004); viewed in connection to social issues
such as the family, roles and amount of labour by an
individual (Buck, et el, 2000); and used as an
investable asset.

18. THE NIGERIAN SITUATION

19. The Land of Opportunities
• The Nigerian situation is blessed with
opportunities for any individual or group, no
matter the hurdles, including Civil Servants of all
categories.
• In the available opportunities and challenges,
the poultry industry has emerged, performed,
survived and is progressing remarkably.
• In recent years, industrious individuals
discovered and ventured into the practicality
and profitability of operating poultry projects,
sometimes at the backyard of their homes.

20. Inspiration for Quail Farming
• These crops of farmers produce meat, eggs and
other by-products, supplementing and
strengthening the protein requirements in the
food chain.
• From the simple intent to augment income,
these enterprises also demonstrate the
potentials for creating wealth and prosperity.
• Within the Poultry Industry, other new horizons
and challenges appear from time-to-time.
• The Codex Farms featured in this paper is mainly
dedicated to Quail Farming.

21. THE
CODEX QUAIL FARM

22. The Farm
• The Codex Farm, dedicated to the production
and improvement of quail meat, eggs, and by-
products, is situated in a village in Jos South
Local Government Area of Plateau State,
Nigeria.
• With nine rooms, it has a capacity for at least
5,000 quails, employing five people.
• The farm commenced in 1992 through the
research and development activities of the
National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI)
Vom, Plateau State.

23. From Backyard to Farm House
• The Farm began with only 20 birds obtained
from the NVRI Poultry Farm, and an overdraft of
N1,500.00 (one thousand, five hundred naira
only) from a salary account with the then
Savannah Bank branch of Kaduna Vom.
• The Farm gradually progressed from a backyard
pen to a full-fledged farmhouse with workers
and equipment making a turnover equivalent to
many years’ salary of the entrepreneur.

24. THE CIVIL SERVANT FARMER
AND TIME MANAGEMENT

25. The Civil Servant-Farmer
• The Nigerian Civil Servant is about the luckiest in
the whole wide world.
• At least, the Government employs and pays its
workers for 24 hour a day, seven days a week
and throughout the year, including leap year.
• Yet, the hardest working Civil Servant cannot put
in more than 20% of the total time engaged and
paid by the employer.
• No matter how hard you try, you cannot go
beyond, even if you are allowed to do so by both
your employer and colleagues at work.

26. Time Management
To understand how much free time an average
Nigerian Civil Servant enjoys, let us consider the
following simple free-time analysis of free working
days at weekends, annual leave and Public
Holidays in a single year:
2 days Weekend x 52 in a Year = 104 Days
30 Working Days Annual Leave = 30 “
Public Holidays = 12 “
Total Work-Free Days = 146 Days or
40% of 365 days

27. Time Analysis 1
• In addition to the 146 free-working days, the
balance (365 minus 146) of 219 working-days of the
year are 8-hour days, that is, only one-third of each
day is put into work; so Nigerian Civil Servants
actually work for only (219 /3) or 73 full-days,
which is less than 20% of the total 365 full-paid
days in a single year.
• Even at this rate, only the perfect, willing and
permitted workaholic Civil Servant coming to work
every working day, for every second of the 8-hour
day, without casual or sick leave and other excuses,
will be able to put in the less than 20% of actual
working time.

28. Time Analysis 2
• Now, the issue here is what to do with the 80% free time.
• For sure, this is too much free time for even the perfect,
willing and permitted workaholic Civil Servant.
• As for the entrepreneur, the free time is an investible asset
going into positive, productive, noble and legal activities like
Quail Farming.
• This will in no way interfere with the normal work of the
Civil Servant-Farmer, as long as prudent ‘time management’
including deliberate planning and allocation of what to do
and when are employed.
• This is the strategic basis for entrepreneurship of the Civil
Servant-Farmer which can be replicated in any other
enterprise, with time as an indispensable asset subjected to
prudent management.

29. INTENT
AND
MOTIVATION

30. Defined Intention
• Before you go into any venture, you have to decide
on clearly defined intention from where you can
seek for motivation to propel yourself in achieving
your set goals.
• Quail farming is new in this part of the world, many
people do not even know of its existence neither
have they ever seen the bird itself.
• As new, and risky, as Quail farming can be, the
intention was at first to try something new in town
and along the way, of course, to avail oneself access
to fine meat, eggs, and hopefully profit.

31. Motivation as Driving Force
• For motivation, apart from the encouraging
activities of the National Veterinary Research
Institute, in helps livestock farmers, no one was
initially interested in the venture, in most cases,
not even one’s immediate family members.
• So, one may therefore, be completely alone
from the beginning, pushed mainly by sheer
urge for adventure or enterprise.
• This would be the picture before one crosses the
line and made a breakthrough.

32. STARTING A QUAIL FARM

33. Starting
• Starting a quail farm is not much different
from that of other poultry birds, like chicken.
• It involves the same housing, production and
marketing methods for meat and eggs.
• There are however three fundamental
challenges with starting a quail farm.

34. Challenges
• Firstly, unless you have your own money on the ground,
nobody will give you money if you mentioned that you are
going into Quail farming, especially the banks. This is simply
because you will not be able to provide proof of making
quick, easy and plenty returns.
• Secondly, there is no ready-made market for quail products
like that of chicken meat and eggs. In some cases, to get
market for quail products you have to be armed with enough
wits, guts and patience to convince people to buy pet stones
along with feeds for the stones.
• Thirdly, the quail bird itself is so sensitive and
temperamental that a mistake in stress management can
affect its growth, production, lifespan and performance.
• Overall, it is an experience worth the time of anyone daring
enough to venture into Quail Farming.

35. QUAIL FARM
MANAGEMENT

36. Management Principles
• The success of any enterprise depends on its management
process.
• The basic principles or functions of management including
planning, implementation and control must therefore be
adhered to in achieving set out objectives.
• Planning involves the process of selecting a particular
strategy or line of action from various available alternatives
with the aim of achieving given goals or objectives;
• Implementation involves the acquisition of the required
resources to put your given plan into action, and;
• Control involves performance evaluation to determine
conformation to your plan and taking corrective measures to
improve.

37. Managing Quails
• The efficient observation and use of these basic
principles will produce the desired result in any
enterprise.
• A good farm, like any other enterprise, should be
run strictly on good management principles and
practices.
• A quail farmer should therefore set his or her goals
clearly; provide the required structures and
equipment for the birds; develop and nurture the
stock; produce the required quantity and quality of
meat, eggs and other outputs; develop and sustain
market for such products, and; keep accurate and
useful records of activities.

38. GOALS OF A CIVIL
SERVANT-FARMER

39. Set Goals of the Civil Servant-Farmer
• The goals of every farmer, particularly a Civil
Servant/Quail Farmer, should include the
maximization of profits or returns; increase in net
worth or wealth creation; ownership and control of
a larger farm or outfit and avoidance of low return
or losses.
• Also included are reduction of borrowing needs;
improvement on standard of living and general
comfort; having a neat and well-kept farmstead;
provision of employment to others; community
services, and the satisfaction of owning and running
a quail farm.

40. Self-Actualization
• A functional, independent and economically viable
outfit like the Codex Quail Farm would create
sizeable income and employment opportunities for
others.
• At the end of it all, job satisfaction and security of
tenure at work are enhanced by the thought of
something to fall back on in case of eventualities.
• As Professor Eghosa Osagie (1995) would say: ‘Help
the Government to keep oneself comfortable,
willing and ever-ready to serve, without the need or
urge to steal, and sometimes even contribute in
office expenditure whenever necessary’.

41. BUILDING
AND
EQUIPMENT

42. Quail Housing
• Housing, farmstead structures and equipment
for quails are designed and constructed on the
same principles as that for other poultry.
• Housing must cater for adequate space,
cleanliness, ventilation, pest control and general
comfort for the birds.
• The farmstead must provide for facilities and
amenities like adequate water, electricity or any
form of lighting, good shedding (trees) and
damp resistant floors.

43. Quail Equipment
• Equipment like brooders, heaters, feeders,
drinkers, incubators, etc., must be readily
available at all times for smooth operations.
• These items must be maintained accordingly. A
number of leaflets and other literature in form
of books, conference or workshops papers are
available and are very simple to follow.
• The NVRI, Vom has produced a series of such
literature on quails production and kerosene
incubators most of which are cited in the other
chapters of this book.

44. The Codex Farmstead
• The main farmstead of Codex Quail Farms was
built on an area of 2,500 square feet (or 50 x 50
feet) land space containing nine rooms for
storage, brooding, and bird stock.
• It consists of a central space, trees for shedding,
wells for provision of water and facilities for
workers.
• Also equipment like feeders, drinkers, brooders,
incubators, etc., are designed, built or adapted
to suit the sizes of the quail birds.

45. QUAIL STOCK

46. Developing A Quail Stock
• The initial quail-stock of the Codex Farm was
obtained from the NVRI Poultry, Vom.
• With a handful of birds, we practice and
improved on our ability and capacity to run and
sustain the farm more efficiently.
• Thereafter, the Farm obtained some fertile eggs
and one kerosene incubator from the same
source.
• Today the farm has graduated into the use of
automated electric incubators and providing for,
not only its own improved stock, but for others.

47. Categories of Quail Stock
• The Codex Farm keeps three categories of quail-
stock for its operations including parents stock for
breeding; grower stock for meat production, and
layer stock for eggs.
• The parents are subjected to regular selection,
matching and weeding, for improvements in the
desired production lines; growers are specifically
fattened for meat production; and layers are all
females, kept for production of fresh table eggs
only.
• The Codex Farm is amongst the very few quail farms
producing fresh table eggs, for eating, not fertile for
hatching.

48. QUAIL
PRODUCTION

49. Production Process
• Production is the process of efficient conversion of
a farm’s basic inputs like stock, feeds, labour and
other related items into basic outputs or products
like meat, eggs and manure.
• The handling of this process determines, whether
you are successful or not, is the venue for
management tricks.
• Our production process is therefore guided by the
knowledge, skills, and experience acquired over the
years through available literature, expert advice
and innovations.

50. Production Monitoring
• It is important to make improvements and
breakthroughs in stocks, production methods, disease
control, equipment handling, packaging, marketing
and finance, which are all interwoven into the
production finesse.
• An effective method of monitoring production is
employed through the introduction and maintenance
of a Production Monitoring Chart.
• This chart carries, at-a-glance, monthly information
on expenditure, production, income and daily events.
• It offers on the spot access to information and signs
for alarms and ease of taking immediate decisions.

51. MARKETING
QUAIL PRODUCTS

52. Deliberate Efforts
• Without available market for your products, the
entire farm including production methods will
go down the drain.
• For a farm to survive therefore there must be
market for the items it produces.
• The quail meat and eggs are not products with
ready-made markets like that of chicken.
• There must be deliberate efforts to obtain good
market for such products even before you go
into the process of producing them.

53. Branding Quail Products
• At the initial stage, we had to distribute our
products free to prospective customers after which,
they would place orders and gradually developed
the love and habit for the irresistible quail meat and
eggs.
• The free products were delivered with convincing
messages; high quality meat, without fats; tasty, big
and heavy eggs; well-dressed meat, ready-for-pot,
in attractive packages, for preservation of taste for
at least two weeks, and; packaged in our beautiful
farm logo.
• We make door-to-door delivery system and
payment schedule easy enough to attract and
expand our clientele.

54. CUSTOMERS
AND
CLIENTELE

55. Getting Customers
• Our customers are selected and prices of our products
range between minimum of N75.00 and N150.00 to
maximum of N120.00 and N200.00 for one dressed quail
and one crate of quail eggs, depending on the status and
affordability of the customer. (Please note that these are
2001 figures).
• Among our numerous customers are State Governors,
Bank Executives, Businessmen and women, Civil Servants,
neighbours and colleagues who have discovered and
accepted the low cholesterol, low fat and invigorating
value of quail meat and eggs as stated on our farm
package and Logo.
• See sample of Codex Farm ‘package and logo’ sticker
below:

56. Figure 1: ‘Package and Logo’ Sticker
(Codex Farms ©)

57. Target Customers
• It is important to note here that Quail products
are for the high-income earner who has too
much to eat, susceptible to obesity, and
naturally looking for exotic brand and class.
• Quail meat and eggs would take away the rich
from chicken meat and eggs so that the poor can
get more protein dose at lower price due to fall
in demand and increase in production.

58. FINANCING QUAIL FARMING

59. Source and Use of Capital
• Financial management process requires
consideration in sourcing and use of capital to
finance any given business operation; analysis and
choice of alternatives; risk bearing and
management; and standard accounting practice
that are not necessarily complicated.
• Our main sources of funds are personal savings and
loans from Thrift Societies charging up to 10%
monthly compound interest.
• The advantage of the latter is that it pushes you to
work harder to earn more than 10% profit margin
just to survive.

60. FARM RECORDS KEEPING

61. Proper Recordkeeping
• To operate a farm without proper records is like going on a
journey without destination.
• Organized farm operations must rely on both internal and
external flows of information on the past, present and
expected performance for easy access and use, for decision-
making.
• At the Codex Farm proper records from the drawing board to
present stage of our operations are kept religiously in
papers, files, booklets and electronic forms catalogued and
arranged in drawers, cabinets, shelves, and computer hard
disc.
• Our records include performance charts on production,
marketing, building equipment, labour, finance, customer
relations and accounts, and all other relevant activities
necessary for the smooth operation of the farm.

62. CONCLUSION

63. A Summary
• Establishing and running a quail farm is a
worthwhile venture.
• If a Civil Servant, who is tied down and
committed to demanding duties, can plan
and coordinate free-time to establish and run
a quail farm successfully and profitably, then
anyone out there can do it.

64. A Conclusion
• In addition to creating wealth and making personal,
immediate family, friends and other members of the
community more comfortable and secured, there is
also the accomplishment of self-actualization in
owning a production outfit, which gives pride and
security of tenure.
• Opportunities are available for everyone ‘for-the-
taking’ to contribute in the general struggle to make
our nation great. In my small or big way, a civil
servant can run the job effective and at the same
time be a proud and comfortable quail farmer.

65. The Challenge or Recommendations
• The challenge here is: ‘What can you do to yourself, family,
community, country and humanity at large?
• Among the many projects introduced and run by the
National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, the
Quail Project is one of the most successful and should not be
allowed to deteriorate like similar noble ventures in many of
our Research Institutions.
• It is hoped that the NVRI and similar institutions will
establish, improve and sustain efficient Extension or
Consultancy Units for projects of this nature.
• The paper strongly recommends the inculcation of
entrepreneurship among individuals and in government
programmes, particularly in developing countries like
Nigeria.

66. References
Buck, M. L., et al. (2000), ‘Reduced load work and the experience of
time among professionals and managers: Implications for personal and
organizational life’ in C. Cooper & D. Rousseau (Eds.), Trends in
Organizational Behavior (Vol. 7). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Olufisayo, O. (2013), ‘Meaning and Scope of Enterprise’ in The Secrets
of Entrepreneurship, http://www.entrepreneurshipsecret.com
Retrieved 8/4/13
Osagie, E. E. (1995), Opening Remarks by Professor Eghosa Osagie at
the Self-Improvement Workshop for Staff of National Institute for
Policy and Strategic Studies held at the Chapel of Salvation, August
15th.
Project Management Institute – PMI - (2004), A Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). http://www.pmi.org
Retrieved 4/12/12

67. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION
Contact:
Tanko Ahmed, fwc
Senior Fellow (Security & Strategy)
National Institute (NIPSS), Kuru-Jos, NIGERIA
+234 803 703 1744 ta_mamuda@yahoo.com