No Eggs from quail

beakmaster

Chirping
7 Years
Jan 3, 2013
201
18
93
Panama City, Florida
I have 10 females and 2 males. Not sure of the breeds but all are brown except 2 female that are like the white. The 2 white females are laying one and possibly 2 eggs a day but the rest of my quail refuse to lay. They are all around 8 weeks. The light hours have only been extended by an outside house light that is 15 ft or more away from the cages.... could that be the issue with the non layers? It is not a real bright light. The males have been attacking and scalpin



g the females but I have only seen them mount the white females. I am new to birding so any help would be welcome, Thanks.
 
I had and still have the same problem... First check if you in fact have 2 males and 10 females. Are they crowing yet?

Having that much light is good... The one other thing is; when was the last time you moved them or their cage? Did they grow up in this cage, or did you buy them and put them in there recently. Coturnix are very sensitive to moves, and may cease laying for 2-4 weeks after having moved.

Good luck with your quail! They are beautiful.
 
Quail are also a bit territorial.... if they aren't raised together they will spend a lot of their time fighting and picking on each other. Good luck!
 
yeah, the males are crowing and I have foam sexed them. I did have 5 males to 7 females in 1 pen but I ate 3 to bring the ratio to 1 males to every 3.5 females. I have 4 in another pen that are hopefully gonna make eating eggs. Yes, I did buy this group at 5 weeks, about 4 weeks ago.... maybe thats it. I also have moved their pen around the yard.

They have been in the same 2 pen since I got them. They have live together from birth as far as I know. Today I got 4 eggs so I think at least one or 2 of the brown quail may be laying, unless they other ones are laying 2 a day.
 
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6-8 weeks they start laying, (4 they become mature), also check weather (i dunno 'bout where you live, but Canada gets mighty cold, and i'm in Ontario!).

Also, quails lay on intervals meaning a hen will lay one day, then the next she won't, and then again the next. So you have 4 laying.

The top picture looks like a tibetan coturnix quail, and bottom is a pharoah coturnix quail. (I heard these two will produce tuxedo, LUCKY!)

Sometimes it looks like the male is attacking hens when he is only teasing, (i dunno what other word to use there, haha), and when he is territorial (he won't be to females, unless they are like twice his size and they pick on him, i had that happen) he will crouch down and look at another male and they will walk in a circle and have a short stand-off). When he is attacking he will chase her and peck at her, like angry duck do to humans (
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). And, the next day you will find her bloody, or in her little corner. To reduce aggressiveness, add more food, less bright light, reduce hours of light, clean water more?, (last one i dunno, i'm not that experienced but i'm not BSing about other stuff)

Scalping the back of females heads (bald spots on head), is a type of aggression but it's mating aggression, you can do the same thing to lower it, as stated above (top one is for male to male, and mating aggression). It's a good thing and bad thing, good meaning higher fertility of eggs, bad she have more chance of being injured.

They don't need a really bright light, less bright lights are preferred, umm... what else? Oh, yah could you move light closer, say 10 ft? You should read some before you get an animal of any sort, any who you can catch up on your reading know, GO STUDY SOME QUAIL!
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