RobPS
Chirping
- Jan 9, 2017
- 73
- 6
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As the subject suggests... I have a pen with 8 coturnix quail, all from the same litter, and all about 8 weeks old. The pen exceeds the recommended 1 cu ft per bird--I have room for 10-12 birds according to that physical space requirement.
I purchased these birds from a local breeder at age "about 5 weeks" three weeks ago, and this is my first time with quail (or any other backyard egg layer). So by my estimate they are approximately 8 weeks old, though some surely hatched a few days before the others. And all of them are female, per the breeder, and my assessment of their plumage. Although they are roughly the same age, some are larger than the others, but all are "adult" size.
Egg laying began a week or so after I had them acclimated in my coop, and I got 3 eggs in a row (one per day), but then the temperatures dropped to sub-freezing, and I guess the stress of the temperature extremes was enough to stop egg production for a couple of weeks. Laying started again 5 days ago, and I get one egg daily. The eggs are on the large size (not the "fairy" eggs that new layers start out with sometimes).
My question is... why with 8 birds am I only getting one egg total per day? I expected them all to start laying about an egg per day per bird. They all seem to be healthy and happy, and share the same food, water and living conditions.
Do quail establish some sort of hormonal pecking order in all-female flocks, where only one bird rises to the "laying" status? Or is this just coincidence, and eventually all of these females will start to lay eggs for me?
Thanks for your thoughts!
I purchased these birds from a local breeder at age "about 5 weeks" three weeks ago, and this is my first time with quail (or any other backyard egg layer). So by my estimate they are approximately 8 weeks old, though some surely hatched a few days before the others. And all of them are female, per the breeder, and my assessment of their plumage. Although they are roughly the same age, some are larger than the others, but all are "adult" size.
Egg laying began a week or so after I had them acclimated in my coop, and I got 3 eggs in a row (one per day), but then the temperatures dropped to sub-freezing, and I guess the stress of the temperature extremes was enough to stop egg production for a couple of weeks. Laying started again 5 days ago, and I get one egg daily. The eggs are on the large size (not the "fairy" eggs that new layers start out with sometimes).
My question is... why with 8 birds am I only getting one egg total per day? I expected them all to start laying about an egg per day per bird. They all seem to be healthy and happy, and share the same food, water and living conditions.
Do quail establish some sort of hormonal pecking order in all-female flocks, where only one bird rises to the "laying" status? Or is this just coincidence, and eventually all of these females will start to lay eggs for me?
Thanks for your thoughts!
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