How Do I know If my Bobwhites will start laying eggs soon?

[crash0330]

Like the topic says, are they any kind of sounds they make or do they behave in a certain way?
Also I keep my quails in the side of my house so they only get like 2 or 3 hours of direct sunlight, and the rest of the day is pretty much shaded where my pen is, so my question is is all that time that they spend on the shade is considered part of the 17 hours of sunlight they need or should i turn on the lightsd as soon as my coop gets shade?
thanks in advance

 

[UmbraVulpis]

Shade counts as light for breeding purposes. Mine get no direct sunlight all day and still lay.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I have not noticed any particular behavior before they start laying... it took about 5 months and suddenly an egg appeared.

 

[JJMR794]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

I have not noticed any particular behavior before they start laying... it took about 5 months and suddenly an egg appeared.

YEP, thats a sure fire sign they're about to lay....

 

[CoyoteMagic]

My understanding is that they are warm season layers. Mine usually start laying in April unil late October

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
YEP, thats a sure fire sign they're about to lay....

About as sure-fire as it gets! LOL! normally they are seasonal, but mine are indoors and get a fair amount of residual light, so they just started when they were old enough.