Bobs hatched in march still not laying

[missred871]

okay we have a problem, I have atleast 14 females, and 4 males, they hatched out in March, not one egg yet. Why?!?!?!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Sometimes it takes up to a year for them to lay.

 

[missred871]

Quote:
oh, no. that really sucks, we butchered a few extra males, they were soooooooooo delicious! I neeeed EGGS!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

The first batch I had didn't lay the first year. They laid the 2nd year and only for one year.

The second bath laid the summer after they hatched and again this spring. I no longer have them so I'm not sure how long they lay

 

[missred871]

Quote:
sheesh, sounds like they are hard to keep as far as breeding goes, they taste much better than the coturnix though. dang, wish I'd known that. The breeder I got the eggs from said they'd lay in 8-10 weeks. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to hope.

 

[jenjscott]

Sorry about your Bobs, and that the breeder mis-informed you. Bobs take about 24 weeks to mature, and that should be slaughter age also I believe. That usually puts them far enough into the fall that they won't lay until the following spring. You might be able to push that with some artificial lighting. I think they take like 17 hours of sunlight or something. They don't lay a lot of eggs like coturnix (which do lay in 6 to 8 weeks). So when they do start laying, don't waste time hatching all you can get, if you are serious about raising them for meat birds.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
THEY ARE A SEASONAL LAYER AND WONT LAY UNTIL THEY ARE A YEAR OLD IN MOST CASES

 

[kingpincray]

I use artificial lights on mine and I find even that takes 8 months before they lay.

 

[aprophet]

I lucked out the local breeder I bought mine from sold them at 4 months old in feb and come april they started laying like clockwork. I have hatched as many as I could this summer. the heat kina shut my girls down, they have barely started laying again but I think it is pretty much over for this season my coturnix are still laying like crazy. when I put lights on mine I increased a little at a time until it was 16 hours a day we have about 12 hrs here now so it is like 2 hrs at either end more.

 

[_Randall_]

Quote:
sheesh, sounds like they are hard to keep as far as breeding goes, they taste much better than the coturnix though. dang, wish I'd known that. The breeder I got the eggs from said they'd lay in 8-10 weeks. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to hope.

Either they don't know much about a breed of bird they're selling, or they just took you for ignorant in order to make a few pennies.......and I hope it's not the latter. If so, they need to publicised for their great scam work!