Anyone having luck with their mountains yet?

[drowe005]

This year has been horrible for me so far with the weather, and has messed my birds laying routines all up. One week is 60s with lows in the 40s, and the following week 90s with lows in the 70s. My mountain quails have been breeding since April and layed a couple random eggs at the end of April and a couple the first of May, but ever since nothing. Just curious if any of the fellow mountain quail breeders have been having any luck yet this year with the crazy weather extremes? I'm hoping its going to get to consistent temperatures anytime now. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

[Ntsees]

Mines have just stopped laying for the year. I didn't count, but think I've had over 20 eggs from 2 hens.

1st hen: laid around 10 or so eggs; I witnessed she was mated with the male before the first egg was even laid and several times afterwards; of all her eggs, only one developed but failed to hatch. Poor fertility. I blame it on the hen because the male had proven his fertility.

2nd hen: all the eggs she laid were unfertile because she won't mate with the male. Word of advice, if you hand raise them, don't let them get comfortable with you because if you do and you have the unfortunately experience like me where in my case the female mountain chose a human (me) as it's mate, it won't allow the male to mate with her. All those eggs...wasted! There is one last egg left in the incubator from that 2nd hen which I'll candle for development this weekend. I'm going to say it unfertile too.

 

[drowe005]

Thanks for the reply Ntsees.

I did the complete opposite of you. From 8 hens, I've got 6 eggs, all of which were fertile. I'm hoping they'll start back up but it's looking like the extreme weather swing screwed me up for 2013.