Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[mrsengeseth]

my outdoor quail STILL aren't laying. The indoor ones (inside my actual house) are laying about once a day. the outdoor quail have same food, water, get extra light (via a light bulb that comes on when it gets dark, so they do have 14+ hours) a much bigger living space in ratio to the indoor ones, access to fresh veg often, etc etc.

Light
Space
Sunlight
Food
Water
Age (they are closing in on or have passed 15 weeks old!!! Boogers)

What else effects laying ability??? What else can I be doing wrong?

THe indoor area of their living space (a double, retroed bunny hutch) has shavings for a substrate. the outdoor area where food water and sunlight is is a bunny hutch bottom. They have sand to dust with and so on. They eat game bird food. Same as indoor birds who ARE laying. the temps are reletively equal, as I do not have A/C.

 

[mrsengeseth]

Quote:
edit, nothing can get into their hutch to eat any eggs, the mesh is never tampered with, i look, they arent hiding them either. Honest, if ANYThing got near them the whole block would know about it as the dog run is within eyeshot and I have very alert dogs (beagle and border collie) that enjoy watching quail tv.

 

[monarc23]

the only other thing i can think is what color are these coturnix? Are you sure they are hens?

 

[mrsengeseth]

speckled chests, like in the hen pics. the whites are all white for the most part, the tibetans??? look...well tibetan. The crowing males are in freezer camp. I compared to your pics, these are the same ones that I ordered from ya.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
yeppers I know they're the same ones but i was just curious if they were all tibetans or something which visually you cannot tell roo from female just on the feathers so I was taking a stab at you havign all roos or something lol!!! However speckled chest on browns and goldens yep that'd be hen... as for the others if no crowing they should eb laying and im at a loss why they aren't it doesn't make any sense at all.


ETA is it possible to at all bring them in with your other hens for 2 weeks to see if its something environmental causing them not to lay?

 

[mrsengeseth]

i could switch out a few, yep. I'll give it a shot.

 

[monarc23]

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it's definatly worth trying because this is an annoying mystery that needs cracked! LOL! It may take up to 2 weeks before they start laying but if you can do it sooo do it!

 

[JenEric Farms]

Okay, I just realized in your first post you say non medicated food...

I have been feeding mine medicated chick starter. Can you tell me what the risk is. Should I stop now?!?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
If they are fine on it and you can't find nonmedicated game bird feed, stick with it

Specifically, for coturnix I can't say for sure the reason but one theory is that if you're going to eat the quail it's not good ot have them on medicated feed. I am a firm believer in not medicating animals for no reason, and medicated feed IS medicating birds for no reason (as it's an antibiotic). However if you don't have any nonmedicated feed in your area to offer them then taht's what you've got to work with and theres many who do feed medicated feed on here to their coturnix and have no issues then theres others who do have issues. I know in water fowl and game birds (as quail are game birds) that it can actually poison them.

 

[JenEric Farms]

Oh good grief. I have chicks as well and "assumed" the same chick starter was fine. I'll call the Farmer's union tomorrow morning and see if they have gamebird feed. Mine are almost three weeks now, should I still purchase starter for them or regular...

I'm sure they'll have something gamebird wise as lots of people around here raise turkeys...same food...is that correct?