No eggs??

[ButtonNomies]

I'm probably just being impatient but my Merry who I'm pretty sure is a hen has not laid a single egg yet. Her hatchmates have both been laying eggs now for 3 weeks but Merry just hasn't. Not a single one. Her vent is still small, but she has no bump and no foam and is displaying zero male characteristics ... anyone know what could be going on?
Theyre fed a mix of quail layers pellets 26% protein with mixed omega 3 seeds. Oystershell grit and also get soldier fly and morio worms as treats. They even have an occasional dried crushed up grasshopper seriously spoilt birds. They also have calcivet in their water.

Any ideas?

Here's the lil darling

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Do you have a male in the same cage? I've found that juvenile males often lay low if there's already an alpha roo. How old is Merry? He/she is not feather-sexable, so it may just be a matter of waiting. Sometimes there are late-bloomers among the group.

 

[ButtonNomies]

Merry is a button quail so she is feather sexable. Which is why I'm pretty sure she's a hen.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Merry is a button quail so she is feather sexable. Which is why I'm pretty sure she's a hen.

Ok, then scratch that. I probably should have known by the size of the hand in the photo.

 

[ButtonNomies]

She does have a boyfriend but she is having none of his amorous attentions, he wing dances and offers her food but she sticks he snobbing beak in the air ... yet she'll dustbathe and flock up with him ... but even without mating she should at least be laying eggs even if they're infertile? Or do u think she's stressed with my choice of male and protesting by not laying? I'll be gutted if I have to find her a new man as was really looking forward to seeing what they'd produce together

 

[Nabiki]

Merry certainly looks like a hen. Button males don't foam, though, FYI.

She might just be stressed about another hen so she's not laying or she just might be taking a bit longer to mature.

 

[ButtonNomies]

Merry certainly looks like a hen. Button males don't foam, though, FYI.

She might just be stressed about another hen so she's not laying or she just might be taking a bit longer to mature.

No they don't foam but they do get ... errr gooey? Well she has none of tht or the lil bump tht pops out so definately a hen. I thought perhaps she's a late bloomer, I dont think she's sexually mature yet as she won't let my male mate her and shows none of the submissive twittering at him at all xx