First Eggs!

[Invision]

So it's been 6 weeks plus 6 days and I got my first eggs (didn't lay them until 5pm, I thought they would be in the morning), I did have to thin the flock yesterday due to a male getting a little possessive of my 4 females so I dispatched 4 males. easier than I thought and first time butchering a live animal (well dead). I've see on here that I should wait at least two weeks after the first eggs show up before I start collecting my eggs for incubation is there truth to this?

On a side note, all that have roos that crow consistently, after I remove the competition my roo only crows a few times in the morning and evening.

 

[dc3085]

So it's been 6 weeks plus 6 days and I got my first eggs (didn't lay them until 5pm, I thought they would be in the morning), I did have to thin the flock yesterday due to a male getting a little possessive of my 4 females so I dispatched 4 males. easier than I thought and first time butchering a live animal (well dead). I've see on here that I should wait at least two weeks after the first eggs show up before I start collecting my eggs for incubation is there truth to this?

On a side note, all that have roos that crow consistently, after I remove the competition my roo only crows a few times in the morning and evening.

After two weeks you can ensure that what eggs will be fertile are fertile, but more importantly it will take a couple weeks before they lay uniform eggs of the proper shape each day. If you run the early eggs that are too small or not defined enough in shape it causes any chicks that do develop to have to struggle to get out of shell assuming they aren't too cramped or in the wrong position to even try. So yeah there is a little science behind the two weeks thing.

Most people who have multiple roos in a hobby sized cage are headed for problems. It's wise to only keep one coturnix rooster per cage unless you have aviary sized pens. You'll find the overall stress level of your birds will drop considerably now that you've removed the extra roosters.

 

[Invision]

Quote:

Yes, after I build my house this winter I plan on building a 25' x 25' garden, at that point I will fence it in and put netting over it, should be able to have little more then 5 birds in it. Think I will only be shooting for 15 total just so I can get a dozen eggs a day. Eventual these will be for Falconry.Sponsors like it if you have a way to feed the bird in the off season. Have already had a Sharp-shinned attack one of the males I dispatched. Kinda laughed about it seeing as how this was what I was raising these quail for in the first place (don't worry, I cleaned the wounds and patched the bird back up and he was fat and happy for a 2 weeks before yesterdays processing).

 

[HowieNZ]

Yes it took me by surprise when my quail started laying not in the morning but always in the late afternoon.

 

[Dragons4u]

Out of four hens I currently have laying, two lay in morning, the other two lay after 4 pm.

 

[Invision]

So finally all my hens are laying! the latest to start laid hers at 7:30pm last night, I was shocked and she was pretty defensive of it, Wonder if I should just see what she does with them. Sign of possibly broody?