Quail at 15 Weeks - no eggs

[Mama KK]

I was gifted 6 quail in August, based on their colorings I'm assuming I have 1 male and 4 female, I'm thinking they're around 14-15 weeks and have not laid yet. Is this common? I've raised chickens but never quail so total quail newbie here.

 

[scyllarus]

Hello, welcome to quail! I recently got into quail myself. I had a similar issue with my quail, they took what felt like forever to start laying. A few things to consider:
- What are you feeding them? Quail require higher protein, and I've also seen that some won't start laying without enough calcium.
- What season is it where you are? A lot of quail will take longer to mature and lay during fall/winter - some of them won't mature or lay until spring unless you use supplemental light.
- What is their environment? Quail will stop laying if they're stressed, so if your roo is violent, or if there's predators coming by and scaring them, they might not lay. If you've changed their environment recently, that might also do it - I've found it takes at least a week or two for them to start laying again (or start laying, period, I guess).
- I've found that my celadons (blue egg laying quail) took longer to mature and lay. I've heard that's not always the case, though.

So - it can be normal, but it'll help for you to post pictures of their enclosure, what you're feeding them, etc.

 

[Mama KK]

Thank you for the response!

-We are feeding a game bird starter feed - 30% protein
-We are down in southeast Texas - near the coast they have a good amount of light each day. Some cooler days but pretty moderate
-The roo seems super docile, protective of them but I've never seen violence from him. I've actually only seen him mount one of them once.
-They've been in the same environment since the 2nd week we've had them. My dog does go near the coop but they usually just sit and stare at her and don't seem scared.
The chickens and peahen do like to go up to the coop but that's not new so they should be used to it by now.
-I've attached a photo of their coop

 

[Nabiki]

It's probably about time to lower the protein on their feed. If you aren't already offering calcium on the side, they need it. I feed mine eggshells and oyster shells. If you offer it on the side, they will eat as much as they need.

They need 14-16 hours of light per day to lay. Stressed hens will not lay.

Here is a general list of things that may stop them from laying:
Not enough light
Predator(s) hanging around
Too many males (ideal ratio is 1 to 5, but that can vary depending on your birds)
Moving to a new home
Rearranging their pen (quail don't like change and may take a break from laying after a change to their environment)

There are other things that may stress your birds, but the list above is a good place to start.

 

[TheRealTimShady]

It might be good to mention that you can’t mix quail and chickens due to disease transferred through the poo. I realize they are in a separate coop, just saying incase a chicken poops on the wire or something

I would suggest running some white Christmas lights(or any light) along the top of the coop and set it to a timer to give the appropriate amount of time needed. I did it in the past and would get eggs year round(southern SC at the time).

Cuttlefish bone also works great for calcium and you can put it on the side of the cage as sort of a play thing for them.

 

[Mama KK]

It's probably about time to lower the protein on their feed. If you aren't already offering calcium on the side, they need it. I feed mine eggshells and oyster shells. If you offer it on the side, they will eat as much as they need.

They need 14-16 hours of light per day to lay. Stressed hens will not lay.

Here is a general list of things that may stop them from laying:
Not enough light
Predator(s) hanging around
Too many males (ideal ratio is 1 to 5, but that can vary depending on your birds)
Moving to a new home
Rearranging their pen (quail don't like change and may take a break from laying after a change to their environment)

There are other things that may stress your birds, but the list above is a good place to start.

Can I give them eggs shells from my hens which they're in the same yard but of course not in the same coop?

I've always been told not to give egg shells if not from the same flock.

 

[Nabiki]

Can I give them eggs shells from my hens which they're in the same yard but of course not in the same coop?

I've always been told not to give egg shells if not from the same flock.

Just make sure to wash them and dry them in the oven for a bit. They should be fine.