Ain't Got No Stinkin' Eggs.

[rodriguezpoultry]

I am STILL waiting for eggs from my coturnix!

What's going on? We removed some of the males, the wounds on the heads are disappearing (still going to be trimming them), but no eggs?

They are 7 weeks old now!

Am I doing something horribly wrong?

 

[Isablahblah]

don't worry they will lay mine took 3 months to start laying eggs just give them time they may just be late bloomers like mine!

 

[bigkford]

Don't stress. Mine are 7 weeks old and I got my first egg. I have eard some take longer. Also some are early. What are you feeding them?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Are they jumbos or pharaohs? That makes a big difference. My pharaoh-sized birds usually start laying between 5 and 8 weeks, the jumbos don't start till between 8 and 12. At least that's my experience

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Um...I have no idea? How do I tell the difference between jumbos and pharaohs?


ETA: They are on chick grower. When I fed gamefowl feed, they got really aggressive with each other. Not breeding aggressive, just downright evil. They'd peck for not reason that I could see?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Sounds like you have a lot of males, what color are they? If they are brown, golden, or cinnamon, you can tell the sex by the breast feathers. Females should have a spotted breast, on either a blonde or rust colored background. Males should have a solid rust colored breast.

The only way to tell what size they are (other than color, most of the different colors are in pharoah size only) is by 1) asking the breeder you got them from (sometimes works) or 2) weighing the birds. A jumbo should be at least 10-ounces, pharoahs anywhere from 6-10.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Nope, definitely have females. I learned that much!

I have around 11 females, one with a broken leg from some over zealous males. She's getting around fine now, but I'm waiting another week to reintroduce her.

The males have speckle-free breasts with rust-coloring. The females have the speckles. And the sores on their heads...poor things. At least the ointment helped a bit there.


The person I got them from has no idea. She only knows they were coturnix. She got them in an egg swap.

 

[magikchick]

I feel your pain! Mine are 16 weels old and I get one or two eggs a week. I switched mine over to gamebird started but no change yet.

 

[monarc23]

Ah ha theres your problem lady!!!


they have booboos on their heads.

Any bit of stress and they will not lay until teh stress is gone. Like your hen with the broken leg may never lay again to be honest you'll be lucky if she does. I've seen it in chicken hens... broken leg and never once layed again sucked And in her case I splinted her leg and it healed perfectly you couldn't even tell she broke it at one point (due to me stepping on her...

).

My scalped tuxedo hens took about 4 weeks before they layed. So they were 3 months hwen they started laying as they were scalped around the time they were 8 weeks and should have started laying.

Jumbos are pretty easy to tell apart if side by side. If not if you have nothign to compair to it can bea challenge. Best way i can think to explain if you dont weigh them is to pick them up.. if you have average sized hands and the hens especially almost dont fit inyour one hand they are jumbos i can almost guarrentee it. A pharaoh hen would fit nicely in your one hand iwth no issues. Jumbo hens are big chested gals

It may be 2-4 weeks im betting before you see an egg from teh just scalped girls as long as they dont experience more stress. The broken legged girl, is iffy.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

You are joking me.


Just because their heads got a little tore up they won't lay?! What wimps!!!