How long til Quail start laying?

[jacquileigh]

Hi all,
I am new to being an owner of coturnix quails and was wondering how long it takes for them to start laying eggs after you have moved them in
I currently have 3 hens and one male which i have had for 2 1/2 weeks now - they are 16 weeks old. The owner said they were already laying eggs. I have made sure i given them 14 hours day of light (i have some solar lights installed) and have been feeding them all the recommended stuff, provided them with dust baths, lots of privacy and hiding spots, plants to hide in, shell grit etc etc but haven't had any eggs yet. Not sure if this is normal because they are getting used to the move or if i am missing something? Any tips or advice wound be great thank you

 

[Nabiki]

Normally they would start laying again after about two weeks. I would look for other stress sources. How many males do you have? How much space do they have? Are there any predators hanging around?

 

[jacquileigh]

We have two dogs that are half inside and outside but we built a fence around their coop so they couldn't bother them, and they dont seemed to be phased by the dogs but i could be wrong?
The coop is this one here https://www.bunnings.com.au/pinnacl...WzZrwsZ71-9cgDmpAyRoCGlYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
1710mm wide x 660m and 1210mm high

I think i may have found the issue though... later after i posted i went to check on their food and water and one of the 'females' started crowing! i was like um what! So i did a vent check and turns out she is a he... so i thought i had 1 male and 3 females but turns out i have 2 males and 2 females, i would think this would also mess up the egg laying process? How would i fix this ratio?

 

[Nabiki]

You need to get rid of one of the males and get another hen or two. If you really want to keep the extra male, you're going to need another pen for him and his hens since the one you have isn't big enough for two males.