My littlest button quail, Buzz, began laying eggs four days ago. So far she's been laying every evening around 5-7pm, getting a little later each day. Today, though, no egg. I checked on her around 11pm and noticed she was sitting in the sand bath, poofed up into a little feather ball with eyes, and straining. She's been picking at fresh greens and at the sand and looking around, but she seems uncomfortable. Is this pre-egg behavior or egg binding? If the latter, what can i do for her? How long until i should be genuinely concerned? She is my favorite quail and i'd be devastated to lose her.
this is in Jodi's book: gently pick up the female and lightly feel her abdomen just above her cloaca. if she is egg bound you will be able to see and feel the egg where it is lodged. Sometimes it will be easy to see the beginnings of a prolapsed vagina as well. Once you have determined she is egg-bound, you can add a few drops of mineral oil or olive oil to the area around the cloaca at the point where the egg is lodged. Next place the hen in a cage by herself and add a source of heat such as a shop type light with a 60 watt bulb in it. Clamp the light to the side of the cage and partially cover the rest of the cage with a towel. Be sure to leave areas open for ventilation. it should be 80-85, add a screened topped jar of warm water to raise the humidity if needed. then just leave her alone in a nice quiet place for a while check on her every few minutes. if she has not passed the egg in 3 hours take her to a avian vet. never break the egg to expell it. after she passes the egg keep her alone for 10-12 hours to relax giving her food and water add a broad spectrum antibiotic to her drinking water. good luck you can get Jodi's book ""A closer look at "Button Quail"" from her web site: www.brackenridgeranch.com it is worth every penny! hope this helps.
I felt her last night and it seemed like she was "thick" in the abdomen compared to a non-laying quail but it wasn't an egg mass. This morning there was still no egg, and no mass, and she was back to normal. Maybe she was just constipated? Thank you for the help, though. It is definitely good information to keep handy for when there is an emergency. And i'll order the book, too!
