Quail not laying...

[quail1999]

Hello! Complete coturnix quail newbie here...

So i have 10 adorable a&m coturnix quail ( 2 males and the rest females ) I bought them 2 weeks ago and they are full grown ( Around 10 weeks or so...)

They have not been laying and i have been curious why...

They have 14+ hours of a heat lamp on them so they have plenty of daylight... It IS pretty cold here, just above freezing, but they haven't been laying at all. They have a dustbath, branches to play in, a warm blanket put over their hutch at night...

Since it's cold i don't expect very many eggs, but i only found one egg, and that was on the very first night i had them... Are they alright, or is it just them adjusting to their new home?

I don't mind them not laying too much, because they are my pets, but it would be nice to have some fresh eggs

.

Thanks!

 

[SeptemberQuail]

I've pretty much gone through exactly what you're going through now.
I got my first quail (a trio) in September this year (hence my username), and was confused as to why they never laid any eggs after the first week or so
It took about a month before my females started laying, and a week later, I found out that they were fertile!

Anywho,
What you've got going is great! But just remember, quail don't like changes to their environment. So, as you said, they're probably just adapting to their home.
Maybe the hen who laid an egg on the first day, had the egg already 'built' inside of her during her old home and when she moved to her new home, she just had to lay it.

What are you feeding them?
As long as it's around 22% protein and above, and they're getting enough calcium, then you should expect more eggs from your 8 females soon.
Just play the waiting game!

 

[quail1999]

Hi! thanks for the response! I can definately wait a few weeks for eggs.

I am feeding them 24% quail chick feed and 20% gamebird starter, so it averages out to about 22% protien... i hope their feed has enough calcium! What are some other ways i can supplement their calcium..?

Thanks so much!

Happy holidays...

 

[FenDruadin]

Does your feed store offer gamebird flight conditioner (good) or gamebird layer (better)? These are feeds formulated for adult game birds and the layer will contain more calcium. You can also offer them oyster shells separately for calcium, but you may have to grind it up for them (it's made for chickens with their larger beaks).

I also agree with SeptemberQuail on the likely cause of delayed laying.

Good luck!

 

[SeptemberQuail]

x2 iamcuriousitycat's post.
(Never seen gamebird layer or flight conditioner before, I should keep an eye out for that! Heh.)
I never knew they had gamebird starters at 20%, my gamebird FINISHER is 22%.

Anyways,
You can also give them oyster shell grit which you can get from your local supermarket in the pet section for around $3 for 2kg (that's how much I get it for.). They're like tiny shells, which help with digestion and calcium supplements.

And you can also try crushed up egg shell (any egg shell. don't use raw eggs, you can boil the eggs, eat the eggs yourself and save the shell for the quail, just make it 'bite-sized'; as an idea.)

But also, you can give the quail some egg (scrambled, boiled, microwaved, poached, etc.). My chicks go CRAZY over it, as soon as they see me, they push their way through each other just to get a bite. It's good for a protein boost. You can also try earthworms and mealworms for protein! Just not too much.
My quail eat snail shells.... When they're having their free time, they look through small holes and little hidey places where snails normally live. I don't know if that's normal, but they seem to enjoy eating the shell whole, but the snail shells are small, I don't even know if there are snails inside.... They've also eaten a whole snail that somehow appeared in their cage, all I saw was an empty shell and their sticky beaks which they kept wiping it everywhere...