Quail egg question

[fowlerb14]

I have a small covey of about 20 quail. Will quail hens lay in a nesting box? I need an easier way to collect the eggs.

 

[dougjefferson]

Haven't had quail for long but nope they won't lay regularly in a nesting box.

 

[beakmaster]

I have some sand boxes for mine to sand bath in (and get their grit), they do tend to lay in them but its really just where ever they are standing when its time to drop them.

 

[fowlerb14]

Thanks, I have been told they just lay them wherever they want. I am putting dusting boxes in with them tomorrow. I hope I can at least get to lay in them.

 

[DoubletakeFarm]

What do you use for a sand box? I put sand in a feeder pan for mine. They loved it but the sand was gone (knocked out of the pan) in 5 minutes.

 

[beakmaster]

I use empty gallon jugs that I cut a hole about 5" wide and 6" tall. The bottom of the hole needs to be about 2 inches from the bottom (most milk jugs have a line about 1.5 inches from the bottom all the way around them, go up to an inch above that), they can still get in and out of that. You can kinda see an example of that in this picture. They will still throw the sand out but it will take much much longer than a tray or dish. Sometimes I put dirt in them to mix it up but mostly sand.

 

[fowlerb14]

I use the cardboard containers that canned drinks come in. Once they throw all the sand and dirt out you can just toss them and put a new one in with them. Most curb stores will give them to you.

 

[DHinton]

my quail coop is a converted rabbit hutch. the third of it that's actually wood, i've put sand in the bottom. sort of like a litter box when it's time to clean, plus, takes them a lot longer to get rid of the sand (this batch of sand has lasted about a week so far, vs the usual hour or two in their sand tray).

the first couple of eggs were randomly on the chicken wire. ever since that time, they've all been in the third of the hutch that has a wood bottom.