Coturnix quail not laying. Why?

[Starrponies]

I have two sets of breeding quail. They are 9 weeks old today. Ratio is 4 hens to each male. I feed them 30 percent protein game starter. They each have their own rabbit hutch that is 2ft by 4ft with an enclosed nesting area. They have free choice feed and water. They have been out in the bigger cages for about a month before that it was cold and they were inside my bathroom. They are kept away from predators and it is very quiet inside my she shed. It has big windows and i have been supplementing light with Christmas lights. They have sand to play in every few days. They seem happy and healthy. But NO EGGS! Should I maybe remove the males? I'm at a loss of what I'm doing wrong. I'm working on a big ground pen that's large for them. Should I move them into it when done or wait for eggs first? I hate to go through all that building for no eggs...My friend has the same rabbit cages and hers are laying like crazy at a younger age than mine! No predators or mice. I have a camera in there and it hasn't noticed any motion. Thanks for any help. I'm new to quail and worried they just didn't like me they sure like my friend

 

[muddy75]

Sometimes they are delayed in laying when hatched/raised in low-light conditions. Any changes can delay or disrupt laying so I would move when pen is ready and be patient!

 

[Mantisquailman]

I would give them a LOT of enrichment like sand bath, a few cardboard boxes cut out to make hides and a lot of grass. Also could you show pictures or a link to the rabbit hutch?

 

[Starrponies]

Guess it's two feet by 3 feet. I took out the wire and put in shavings on trays. I also made a tiny entrance to nesting box so they had more privacy. They have two hides in each cage other than nesting area and some sticks to jump over. My friend (adopted grandma) has nothing fun inside and they lay. She gets a kick out of showing off her eggs to me I love these quail. I know the cage isn't ideal but it's better than battery cages I hope!

 

[Starrponies]

Sometimes they are delayed in laying when hatched/raised in low-light conditions. Any changes can delay or disrupt laying so I would move when pen is ready and be patient!

They have always had supplemental lighting, but anything is possible (other than eggs ) I've read and read! My friend has hers outside in her barn in the rabbit cages. where horses cats, dogs, and goats all roam around where they can see. She's convinced it's cause I'm trying too hard

 

[muddy75]

They have always had supplemental lighting, but anything is possible (other than eggs ) I've read and read! My friend has hers outside in her barn in the rabbit cages. where horses cats, dogs, and goats all roam around where they can see. She's convinced it's cause I'm trying too hard

“a watched hen never lays”

 

[Starrponies]

Watched by me on my camera for sure they don't my husband is losing his patients and hoping I'll just go back to only chickens. I'm bound and determined to get these quail going.

 

[Starrponies]

Could it be the other males nearby? They are able to watch from their cage, and wish they had the females I bet. I bet by the time I don't care anymore they will lay eggs

 

[scyllarus]

It took my quail a while to start laying - we bought full grown adults but we had them inside for a while before we made their enclosure, then we got more quail, then we had quail drama/trauma, then I couldn't figure out why they hadn't started laying by 3 months (12 weeks!)...

They lay now, constantly. Tbh I wish they'd take a break. I would make sure they're getting around 14-16 hours of bright light (Christmas lights may or may not cut it) and give them about 2 weeks from your last big adjustment to see if they'll lay. You might even be fiddling around too often with their enclosure for them to get used to their environment - some quail seem more sensitive.

 

[Nabiki]

I would remove a male or two to get closer to a 1:5 ratio. Other than that, especially with winter hatches, sometimes it can take up to 12 weeks before they lay.