California Quail only laying infertile eggs

[duckncover]

Can anyone offer advice on why my California quail pair would be consistently laying clear eggs and how to fix that? I also need advice on getting them to stop laying if that's part of the fix because they just make a new nest if I take what they have away.

 

[007Sean]

Can anyone offer advice on why my California quail pair would be consistently laying clear eggs and how to fix that? I also need advice on getting them to stop laying if that's part of the fix because they just make a new nest if I take what they have away.

Are you sure you have a pair? Post a clear pic of the pair, we'll see if it is a pair?
They shouldn't be laying this time of year!!! Are they inside and receiving artificial light?

 

[duckncover]

They are male and female although I'd be glad to get you a picture. Had no idea how to take care of them at first or what they exactly were for that matter. I bought coturnix quails and the seller had them in his garage so we ended up with them and zero instructions besides that they are very flighty and he only has chicks due to his garage lights. They are inside here as well in the basement but I try my best to controll and limit their lighting. There is plenty of information on their actual wildlife information but finding information on some of aspects their care is not easy.

 

[duckncover]

This is a picture i took of the male a month or two ago

 

[duckncover]

This is the hen.

 

[007Sean]

They are male and female although I'd be glad to get you a picture. Had no idea how to take care of them at first or what they exactly were for that matter. I bought coturnix quails and the seller had them in his garage so we ended up with them and zero instructions besides that they are very flighty and he only has chicks due to his garage lights. They are inside here as well in the basement but I try my best to controll and limit their lighting. There is plenty of information on their actual wildlife information but finding information on some of aspects their care is not easy.

He must have been raising them for several generations....for their offspring to be laying in the fall/winter seasons, they are seasonal breeders/layers and that season is in the spring, early summer time.

As far as care is concerned, they need a balanced and complete feed of 24% protein. Being in your basement, you don't have alot of space for a large pen but the biggest pen that you can have in the amount if room you have will be best for them....artifical light will induce them to lay out of season, which will shorten their life span, so it would be best for them to have natural lighting if possible.

 

[007Sean]

Yep, you have a pair! I guess it's the Corona that's making her lay this time of year!

 

[duckncover]

What are my best options for housing them outdoors? We are Northeastern Pennsylvania so it's currently getting to be chillier every night. Predators are not a huge issue here due to the volume of dogs surrounding us and that our yard has one way in or one way out if they can't scale a fence. If they can live outside through this winter then it would be better for them considering that artificial light is probably unavoidable in our house? We have an enclosed porch if you think that would help with the windchill or something. What I need is an example of what to keep them in as a single pair and what they would need inside that pen.

 

[duckncover]

When I got them they were not much different looking than the coturnix chicks so I was initially thinking they would be similar care. Obviously not the care but I'm here to fix this so they can lay normally and live a more normal lifespan...and produce fertile eggs because despite them having zero personality they are very pretty and pleasant thus far.

 

[007Sean]

When I got them they were not much different looking than the coturnix chicks so I was initially thinking they would be similar care. Obviously not the care but I'm here to fix this so they can lay normally and live a more normal lifespan...and produce fertile eggs because despite them having zero personality they are very pretty and pleasant thus far.

Yeah, Valleys, Gamble's, Blue Scaled, Mountain, and Bobwhites are totally different than Coturnix. It takes a trained eye to tell the differences in the day old chicks, Blues and Mountain quail chicks are easy to tell the difference from other species. Valleys and Gamble's are harder to tell the difference between the two but are definitely distinguishable from Coturnix because they have top knots and Cots don't. Bob's and Cots are harder to tell the difference as day olds.

How much area/space do you have in your yard to build a ground aviary? If you don't have the room for that large of a ground pen, a 'cage type' enclosure can be built. As long as the are protected from the elements, ie; snow, rain, heat, and drafts, etc....they can handle temperatures down around -20°F, as long as they are dry! Gamebirds, in general, can not handle wet, muddy, extreme cold conditions. They can handle the extreme cold as long as they are in a dry enclosure.

Here are some examples of my pens, both pheasant and quail, ground and above ground or wire flooring cages.