If quail eat too much do they stop laying eggs

[ChickenCanoe]

Chickens & Japanese Coturnix Quail. Both for eggs & meat.

Panama has 3 or 4 native species of Quail. Have you thought about raising them?
A lot of people in the States raise bobwhite quail.

 

[Kiki]

It kills me to be asking this question but a family member swears this is true and I just don't agree

Eat too much what?

 

[Fenrisulfr]

You always should offer food to quails all the time.
If they suffer hunger, they might stop laying eggs, as they get into an emergency situation and start preserving energy for surviving.

The only problem which can occure is if you feed too high protein food to adult female quails, they can get eggbound.

 

[Quailobsessed]

Old World and New World quail are unrelated species. They just look alike which is why they are called quail.
That said, IMO, if a hen gets appropriate nutrition, she won't overeat and unless your birds are obviously overweight, I would ignore his advice.
Do you ever weigh your birds?
Did they stop laying?

Sorry, but new world quail isn't a species and neither is old world quail. New world quails are a family called Odontophoridae, which has several genera in it. Callipepla, for example is a genus which includes four species: California quails, Gambel's quails, Elegant quails and Scaled quails.

Old world quails are in a family (along with pheasants, chickens, partridges, turkeys, peafowl...) called Phasianidae. Coturnix is a genus from that family with several species in it, including japanese quails (which are often referred to as coturnix quails).

You were right about old worlds and new worlds being completely unrelated, but they aren't just two separate species

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sorry, but new world quail isn't a species and neither is old world quail. New world quails are a family called Odontophoridae, which has several genera in it. Callipepla, for example is a genus which includes four species: California quails, Gambel's quails, Elegant quails and Scaled quails.

Old world quails are in a family (along with pheasants, chickens, partridges, turkeys, peafowl...) called Phasianidae. Coturnix is a genus from that family with several species in it, including japanese quails (which are often referred to as coturnix quails).

You were right about old worlds and new worlds being completely unrelated, but they aren't just two separate species

I don't think anything I wrote indicated that I thought those were species, it is just that being unrelated, their care is quite different.
I know old world/new world aren't species. But those species of each hemisphere behave quite differently. For instance, new world quail are permanent residents throughout their range, whereas, old world quail migrate.
I also understand there are many species of quail in the Americas. We only have bobwhite where I live but the west has several species. Through the tropics there are even more species. For instance, there are seven distinct species in Costa Rica alone.
Other differences in the "quail" of each hemisphere are dramatically divergence in incubation times and diet varies as well. If memory serves me correctly, button and coturnix quail are much more fragile than say Bobwhite or other North American species.

 

[Xouie]

He also said they have to eat at certain times or won't lay eggs and I have nothing to say in response.

Wow. How do you even begin to answer that. It’s kind of like “cats steal babies’ breath/souls while they sleep”.
Well my coturnix quail forage in the grass, get seed, have a free choice feeder, and eat Swiss chard from the garden all day every day. The hens also lay eggs every day.
We also have a physically disabled quail who can’t really walk. She sits in her little cage and eats all day except during exercise time (she’s a little on the chubby side). She also lays an egg every day.

 

[MageofMist]

My lord, if that was true, the silkie chickens I used to own would have never laid eggs... Those things ate like no tomorrow! Even after I rehomed them, the first thing I heard back on was that the new owner left his pond fish food out by accident and they ate all of it, though they made up for it in extra tasty eggs the following weeks.

I do know Japanese Quail prefer to eat most at morning and dusk, though they will still peck around and forage throughout the day as they feel like it, or if provided something especially tasty.

As for the eating too much thing, too little calcium and too much protein can lead to eggbounding, but as long as you provide the right feed and supply oyster shell or another calcium grit every week or so, you won't need to worry too much about it. They will eat all they need. Also probably common knowledge, but provide 24 hour access to cool fresh water every day, even if you are using a rodent water bottle, try to rinse it and refill it daily.

 

[Quailobsessed]

I don't think anything I wrote indicated that I thought those were species, it is just that being unrelated, their care is quite different.
I know old world/new world aren't species. But those species of each hemisphere behave quite differently. For instance, new world quail are permanent residents throughout their range, whereas, old world quail migrate.
I also understand there are many species of quail in the Americas. We only have bobwhite where I live but the west has several species. Through the tropics there are even more species. For instance, there are seven distinct species in Costa Rica alone.
Other differences in the "quail" of each hemisphere are dramatically divergence in incubation times and diet varies as well. If memory serves me correctly, button and coturnix quail are much more fragile than say Bobwhite or other North American species.

Sorry, I probably just read it wrong
I think I'm just too quick to go on a rant about taxonomy. Just ignore me

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sorry, I probably just read it wrong
I think I'm just too quick to go on a rant about taxonomy. Just ignore me

I'm not much different.

 

[Sasha-chickens]

He also said they have to eat at certain times or won't lay eggs and I have nothing to say in response.

Quails eat and lay eggs. There is no to much or certain times. I'm sorry to say but your family member is wrong. Leave food out for the Quail and they will eat as they please and lay eggs as they please