- May 30, 2013
- 354
- 25
- 93
Hi there,
We have 2 Japanese quail hens and 1 cockerel. The hens are approx. 11 weeks old, but there's no sign of any eggs.
Originally we had 3 hens, but one dropped dead for no obvious reason a few days ago. The rest all seem fine, and we're totally stumped on that too. We plan to get 3 more hens in about 4 weeks time to even out the ratio, and because there seems to be enough space (we were worried that 5 hens would be too many so we got 3 to start with, then lost one).
They are living in an aviary with something like 15 sqr foot of space. They have plenty of hiding places, including a hut which is waterproof so they can get in out of the rain and drafts. They have been in the aviary with the male for 5-6 weeks now, so they should have settled in (they seem to be settled to me).
They are fed on chicken layers pellets, meal worms and spilt budgie seed from the top of the aviary. They also have bird sand in a wide dish for dust bathing and as a free choice calcium supplement (it has crushed oyster shell in it). I have also offered them crushed hard boiled egg (with shell) to increase their protein, but they so far haven't taken much of it.
The male is very good natured with the hens, he doesn't constantly chase them around and calls them to food, but they seem totally disinterested in him. Whenever he tries to mate with one of them she runs away (which does lead to some chasing) and even if he corners her she won't stand still and he can't keep his balance so I don't think that any mating actually takes place. One of them he can't catch at all, and the other he will grab and follow around until she gets into a corner, at which point he tries to mount her and promptly falls off. Why are they so disinterested in him?
They get plenty of daylight because they are kept outside, with sunrise at about 5am and sunset at about 10pm. However, it has been very wet, rainy and cloudy (we live in England) for most of the time they've been out, with the odd sunny day thrown in. Could the wet weather put them off lay?
There is no aggression or fighting of any kind, and their behaviour seems totally normal except for the non-mating and the lack of laying. They are definitely 2 hens and a cockerel.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks a lot
We have 2 Japanese quail hens and 1 cockerel. The hens are approx. 11 weeks old, but there's no sign of any eggs.
Originally we had 3 hens, but one dropped dead for no obvious reason a few days ago. The rest all seem fine, and we're totally stumped on that too. We plan to get 3 more hens in about 4 weeks time to even out the ratio, and because there seems to be enough space (we were worried that 5 hens would be too many so we got 3 to start with, then lost one).
They are living in an aviary with something like 15 sqr foot of space. They have plenty of hiding places, including a hut which is waterproof so they can get in out of the rain and drafts. They have been in the aviary with the male for 5-6 weeks now, so they should have settled in (they seem to be settled to me).
They are fed on chicken layers pellets, meal worms and spilt budgie seed from the top of the aviary. They also have bird sand in a wide dish for dust bathing and as a free choice calcium supplement (it has crushed oyster shell in it). I have also offered them crushed hard boiled egg (with shell) to increase their protein, but they so far haven't taken much of it.
The male is very good natured with the hens, he doesn't constantly chase them around and calls them to food, but they seem totally disinterested in him. Whenever he tries to mate with one of them she runs away (which does lead to some chasing) and even if he corners her she won't stand still and he can't keep his balance so I don't think that any mating actually takes place. One of them he can't catch at all, and the other he will grab and follow around until she gets into a corner, at which point he tries to mount her and promptly falls off. Why are they so disinterested in him?
They get plenty of daylight because they are kept outside, with sunrise at about 5am and sunset at about 10pm. However, it has been very wet, rainy and cloudy (we live in England) for most of the time they've been out, with the odd sunny day thrown in. Could the wet weather put them off lay?
There is no aggression or fighting of any kind, and their behaviour seems totally normal except for the non-mating and the lack of laying. They are definitely 2 hens and a cockerel.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks a lot
