newbie , new quails to folk, stopping lay eggs

[nblattar]

Hi all.
I am very new. I had 7 females hen quails laying eggs daily.

Very calm

I added to them two days ago new 10 females. Once i added them big fight started. The old ones started attacking the new. And all time jumping. I removed 4 of the trouble makers to seperate pen. All the new 10 quails stopped laying eggs. And stilk jumping. Today i returned all together and seems calmer no big fights between females.

The old hens still laying eggs. But the new stopped. Why?
Is it matter of time? Will they relaxed? How many days to resume laying?
Is that normal noting that all the new 10 quails are good young layers

Thanks

 

[dc3085]

When you add birds you should leave them in sight of each other for a couple weeks. Then mix them all together in a cage that none of them are used to. This way none of them will feel the need to defend their territory, and quail are very territorial.

They most likely are not laying because of the stress of being moved, which can take a 2-3 weeks before laying begins again. Typically it is much sooner. It's also possible they are molting depending on where you live and what your current photoperiod is. Are you seeing an excess of feathers in the cage?

 

[nblattar]

Thank you for your response. A
My problem i dont have other cage.
Now they still running jumping hard chasing every few minutes for 20 seconds.
Hope they will get used to each others soon. And back to egg laying soon.
I never thought females could fight like that.
I guess time will solve the problem as far as no real fights. Only chasing with noise.
So the stress caused by being moved not from the fight of cage owners.
Not much feathers in cage temp here still like CA.

If you provide enough nutrition to bird will still laying eggs while molting?

 

[nblattar]

All my birds are young non over 3-4 months old

 

[dc3085]

Nope they are programmed to lay none or very few eggs while molting. They are using up too much protein and calcium to replace all their old feathers with new ones. Keeping a hen in production during times she would normally stop will shorten her lifespan, just fyi.

 

[nblattar]

As they are not molting. It means they are on fight stress and move stress right? Even now my old laying eggs quails egg laying reduced. Will they get along together in week or so? Anything i should do in this days..thanks

 

[dc3085]

It can take a few weeks and there may be some that never get on well with others and continue to be picked on. It's part of the deal when you mess with the social structure they create for themselves.

 

[nblattar]

They r now calmer today they layed 10 eggs out from 20 hens. Good news