Eggs and Sunlight

[lozzajp]

Hello I have just recently got my self 4 Japanese Quails, 1 male and 3 female. I have raised chickens from baby chicks before and I am taking a similar approach and done my research for raising them. They were apparently 8 weeks old when I bought them around 3 weeks ago so they should be laying at any point now.

The main thing I can think of is where they are is under shade cloth, they definitely get natural light throughout the day and the sun is even right above them at times of the day, however due to the cloth and other obstructions its not exactly direct sunlight. Is that what they need and why? Is it to do with synthesising vitamin D or something from the sun or is it more of a body clock thing the more hours it is day time the more they will lay?

Thanks with any help,
Laurence.

 

[sydney quailman]

hi how many hours of light are they getting?

 

[lozzajp]

on a sunny day id say 12 or so, but its not direct sunlight

 

[Sycamore27]

As long as they are getting good light and true dark at night to have a clear day/night cycle direct sun isn't required, if they are getting the sun directly overhead I'm sure their getting some amount of direct light for VitD absorption as the sun makes its arc to that point. You may just not have long enough light hours yet, what area are you in? You might put a light on a timer in/over their pen to extend your daylight hours to 14 if you're really needing them to start laying for you, though with your shade cloth you may not be weatherproofed for lighting? (Just remember if it's inside the pen to shield your light from being flown into and broken)
They can take a while to settle into new surroundings to lay, do they seem like they feel secure in their new home? Are they getting oyster shell or some form of calcium source on the side? Is their food at least 24% protein? Has anything been majorly changed since you brought them home- moved the cage, added new items inside, altered anything in their area that might have unsettled them?

If all is right with their housing and what you're giving them then just sit back and be patient. Or walk by every day and mention that non-laying quail go to freezer camp.

I was conjecturing about meat quail plans to my boyfriend while checking on ours when I found our first egg, and the rest fell in a few days later! (I also added an extra hiding place for them, so that probably actually was what trigger them to lay!)
Cheers,
Jessie

 

[lozzajp]

only food ive found in my area is chicken feeds and laying pellets etc, they get some scraps here and there.

i live in western australia, its coming into winter so its getting darker.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quail are seasonal layers, which means they only lay from spring thru to fall. Being that you are headed into winter, your quail are not going to lay unless you add more light and you may also need heat, depending on how cold it is at your place.

Quail do not need direct sunlight on them. As a matter of fact, direct HOT sunlight on the backs of females can cause them to lay squishy soft eggs. They do enjoy bathing in sunbeams, but should have the options to avoid it completely if needed. Quail are shade dwellers for the most part.

So, if you really want them to lay, you will need to add more light. Turn on a light a few hours early on the morning before sun up and turn it on again a few hours after sunset. No more than 16 total hours of light per day. If it gets below freezing at night or during the day, you will need to also had some heat.

Oh, and welcome to BYC and the quail forums!

 

[Stellar]

If you want your quail to lay, especially the Coturnix, you are going to have to add lighting to stimulate daylength for them. 14-16 hours is suitable.

 

[Sycamore27]

Shortening days will definitely keep them from starting to lay and supplemental lighting is probably needed, but I think diet might be your bigger problem. If you can't get your feed stores to order game bird or turkey starter for you then I would recommend feeding crumbled hard boiled egg, commecial fish food (the type for farming catfish and such), black soldier fly larvae, meal worms, crickets, and what ever other protein sources you have available to you to increase their protein intake.
Good luck!
Jessie

 

[cathalmire]

As long as they are getting good light and true dark at night to have a clear day/night cycle direct sun isn't required, if they are getting the sun directly overhead I'm sure their getting some amount of direct light for VitD absorption as the sun makes its arc to that point. You may just not have long enough light hours yet, what area are you in? You might put a light on a timer in/over their pen to extend your daylight hours to 14 if you're really needing them to start laying for you, though with your shade cloth you may not be weatherproofed for lighting? (Just remember if it's inside the pen to shield your light from being flown into and broken)
They can take a while to settle into new surroundings to lay, do they seem like they feel secure in their new home? Are they getting oyster shell or some form of calcium source on the side? Is their food at least 24% protein? Has anything been majorly changed since you brought them home- moved the cage, added new items inside, altered anything in their area that might have unsettled them?

If all is right with their housing and what you're giving them then just sit back and be patient. Or walk by every day and mention that non-laying quail go to freezer camp.

I was conjecturing about meat quail plans to my boyfriend while checking on ours when I found our first egg, and the rest fell in a few days later! (I also added an extra hiding place for them, so that probably actually was what trigger them to lay!)
Cheers,
Jessie

I have a similar problem iv one female no eggs male an females is in a shaded rabbit hutch. The female spent more time in nesting area so not much light is there should i close it off? I was thinkn of puttin a light in and settin the clock timer on it.

 

[Nabiki]

I have a similar problem iv one female no eggs male an females is in a shaded rabbit hutch. The female spent more time in nesting area so not much light is there should i close it off? I was thinkn of puttin a light in and settin the clock timer on it.

This is a 9 year old thread...

Shade isn't a problem. There is probably another reason that she's not laying as long as she's getting at least 14 hours of light per day.