Button quail question...

[Ashleigh]

So I have 3 female button quails, 1 male and 6 one-week old chicks. From everything I read before getting them (and since having them)I thought buttons lay one egg a day. But I'm getting 4 eggs (one when I wake up two when I get home from work and another one before I go to bed). Am I wrong with the whole one egg a day thing? Any help would be much appreciated! I'm very confused. Thanks in advance, I don't post much but I'm pretty much addicted to reading the information on this forum.

 

[JJMR794]

Are We Absolutely Sure Its 3 Females And 1 Male? Although Its Not Uncommon For Females To Be Able To Lay More Than 1 Egg A Day...

 

[Ashleigh]

Yes, I am certain. I just feel bad for the poor girl doing all this work! I have no idea which one it is either. I've had them since March (they were 5 and 6 weeks old) they just started laying eggs this week. AFTER I went and picked up 6 one-day old chicks... Hahaha I feel like they are doing it to spite me

Now I'm doubting if Qual is a male... Here's some pictures of my buttons

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=248362&id=767430603&l=bd69caac61

thats the only way I can figure out how to post them hope it's okay

 

[shelleyd2008]

It's hard to tell from the pics. There is one (redbreasted?) silver that has a bib, but having a bib doesn't always mean it's a boy. Do any of them have red/rust/pink colored feathers around their vents? That's about the only sure way to tell. I would think since you get 4 eggs everyday from what you say, that you have 4 females. One way to tell for sure is to seperate some of them. If you have 2 birds in one pen, and 2 in another, and each pen has 2 eggs daily, then you have 4 girls. If you get 3 in one pen and 1 in the other (with birds seperated 2 and 2), then you just have a freaky girl that is making up for lost time

 

[Ashleigh]

The one I think/thought was a male does have the red feathers around his vent... oh man. I feel like I've been living a lie

"He" is mating with the females... He is always pestering them now that they've started laying so I just assumed. Gah. Would it be okay to just seperate "him" for a day or so and see? With my luck I'd put the girl who is laying two eggs in with him and think he was a she.

 

[shelleyd2008]

If it does have red vent feathers then it has to be male, the females don't get those. You can seperate them and see what happens though, it wouldn't hurt.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Maybe seperate them in the cage? With wire or plexiglass or something to seperate them? That way, they wouldn't stop laying from being moved, and the one wouldn't cry constantly from being alone.

 

[Ashleigh]

Hmm thats a very good idea!

I'll do that tomorrow before feeding everyone