Coturnix quail - no eggs yet!

[oskizzle]

I purchased 6 female quail approximately 4.5 weeks ago. The individual I bought them from said they were current egg layers, and I have no reason to doubt him. They have had plenty of food/water, are on a Purina Game Chow Growth and Plumage food. I recently put a cat litter box in their pen with dirt/sand, which they really enjoy.

I've read online that it can take 2-3 weeks for birds that have been moved to begin producing eggs again. I tried my first hand at vent sexing just now, and I'm pretty confident that 2 of the 6 are female - I want to let them calm down before I try to look at more of them.

What would be keeping them from producing eggs? Their enclosure has a 2'x2'x2' completely wooded box, with a 4" x 4" door for them to get through into a much larger, 5' x 2' x 2' wire pen. There are six birds, so it should be plenty of room.

Any thoughts?

 

[mhwc56]

that is plenty of space. My coturnix slow waay down o laying when they are moulting are yours moulting or getting ready to? it sounds like you're doing it right...they may just be taking a break..Coturnix are like that

be patient with them ,they'll get around to it .

 

[oskizzle]

Now that you mention it, there were a ton of feathers in their full enclosure area and in the open wire pen - feathers everywhere! I thought it might have been a result of not having the dirt/sand to take dirt baths to maintain their feathers - but perhaps it's the molting? How long does that take, how often do they do it?

 

[oskizzle]

Quote:
I found a thread on this very molting topic! https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=578987 - looks like I just get to wait it out!