Quail Questions

[MrNappy]

Hi, I'm really new to this website (I started a couple minutes ago) but i've been reading up alot of stuff over here. Just want to ask a couple of questions.

I had Jumbo Coturnix for 5-6 weeks just layed yesterday (properly). Today i was sifting the wood chips with my hand and found 2 eggs buried in the dirt. Today, my mom found 1 but a quail was sitting on it, unknowingly my mom took it out. Then at around 5:00 i fed them a crushed egg shell. Around 7:00 they layed 2 more eggs. I feed them started and wild seed mix, (i don't know if its medicated), i started feeding them egg shell this Monday. The percentage of seed to starter is 35% seed and 65% starter. I feed them budgie food as a treat, millets, should i do this? And how do i check if the food is medicated or not?

I have 2 males, 6 females and 2 white, (i'm sure one is female but the other is smaller and more aggressive but never did mating call or mounted). I have 1 runt, she used to be cocky until 1 male poked all feathers out on right side and left side. One of my quail when i got had some weird mutation/disease on its right foot. I made a make shift cast on it to stop the infection (it was open at the time), now the infection has stopped and just become a little ball on her foot, she walks normally now. Should i remove these 2 or what?

I also have 4 button quail they used to live with my Coturnix untill yesterday, i moved them to a smaller cage. I have had them for about 3 months. One is a male, one is female, and 2 are white. Can you explain why they aren't laying? I feed them same mix as Coturnix, i also feed them shells.

People have made mention that their males don't eat shells but my Coturnix and Button males eat the shells. The runt Coturnix barely eats. She used to be very active and now she looks so sad. Wherever she goes she gets bullied, the male Coturnix is the brown shirt one and he thinks he is king, he bullies Goldy, the gold male. And the button quails also jump and hit the the runt. What should i do with the runt and the evil male? Is it ok if my males eat shells? I picked up the males and they kick but if they make contact with anything their nails quickly break their nails, this was before the shells. Goldy has a flat beak and i have to cut it once it gets too big, its flat at the end. When i cut it (nail-cutter), it bleeds so i dip it in water to help him not get infected and to ease the pain.

Can anyone respond answering my questions and helping me improve my threads. Thank-you in advance.

P.S. If anyone knows anything about budgies. In the beginning i fed them two handfuls of budgie food and one of my mix. They didn't touch the mix in the beginning but now i feed them one mix handful and one budgie food handful and they don't touch their food and devour the mix. Is it ok for them to eat the mix?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hi, I'm really new to this website (I started a couple minutes ago) but i've been reading up alot of stuff over here. Just want to ask a couple of questions.

I had Jumbo Coturnix for 5-6 weeks just layed yesterday (properly). Today i was sifting the wood chips with my hand and found 2 eggs buried in the dirt. Today, my mom found 1 but a quail was sitting on it, unknowingly my mom took it out. Then at around 5:00 i fed them a crushed egg shell. Around 7:00 they layed 2 more eggs. I feed them started and wild seed mix, (i don't know if its medicated), i started feeding them egg shell this Monday. The percentage of seed to starter is 35% seed and 65% starter. I feed them budgie food as a treat, millets, should i do this? And how do i check if the food is medicated or not? The ratio of starter to seeds is too low. Cut down on the seeds, but yes, it is ok to feed seeds to the quail. Check the tag on the bag to see if it says it is medicated or not. The ingredient that makes it medicated is "Amprolium".

I have 2 males, 6 females and 2 white, (i'm sure one is female but the other is smaller and more aggressive but never did mating call or mounted). I have 1 runt, she used to be cocky until 1 male poked all feathers out on right side and left side. One of my quail when i got had some weird mutation/disease on its right foot. I made a make shift cast on it to stop the infection (it was open at the time), now the infection has stopped and just become a little ball on her foot, she walks normally now. Should i remove these 2 or what? I am not sure what your bird had, but it does not sound contagious. If any birds are aggressive toward the others, it is time to separate either the aggressors or the ones being picked on.

I also have 4 button quail they used to live with my Coturnix untill yesterday, i moved them to a smaller cage. I have had them for about 3 months. One is a male, one is female, and 2 are white. Can you explain why they aren't laying? I feed them same mix as Coturnix, i also feed them shells. Are you sure you have a female?

People have made mention that their males don't eat shells but my Coturnix and Button males eat the shells. The runt Coturnix barely eats. She used to be very active and now she looks so sad. Wherever she goes she gets bullied, the male Coturnix is the brown shirt one and he thinks he is king, he bullies Goldy, the gold male. And the button quails also jump and hit the the runt. What should i do with the runt and the evil male? Is it ok if my males eat shells? I picked up the males and they kick but if they make contact with anything their nails quickly break their nails, this was before the shells. Goldy has a flat beak and i have to cut it once it gets too big, its flat at the end. When i cut it (nail-cutter), it bleeds so i dip it in water to help him not get infected and to ease the pain. Coturnix are so much bigger than buttons and should really not be kept together. Either remove the bully or the one being bullied and find another bird she can exist with.

Can anyone respond answering my questions and helping me improve my threads. Thank-you in advance.

P.S. If anyone knows anything about budgies. In the beginning i fed them two handfuls of budgie food and one of my mix. They didn't touch the mix in the beginning but now i feed them one mix handful and one budgie food handful and they don't touch their food and devour the mix. Is it ok for them to eat the mix? What mix are you talking about? Budgies can live on seeds, however a good pellet mix is much better for them, something like Kaytee pellets or equivalent. Seeds can be a treat on the side.

Oh and

Enjoy the forums and your birds!

 

[MrNappy]

I know one button is female because the male 'mounted' her. Also the white one was chasing the male around the cage, then a couple days later the male was chasing the brown female.

Also the budgie mix was the starter i was feeding the Quail is that ok?

 

[TwoCrows]

Sometimes "mounting" is just a pecking order thing. Dominance. So this does not necessarily mean the one being mounted is a female. I have seen males mount males, females mount females and even females mount males. If the bird is healthy, and has never laid an egg, it is possible that she is a "he".

As for feeding budgies quail food, the starter feed might be too high in protein for budgies. Most parrots only need about 12% to 15% protein. So it is probably a good thing to mix in seeds to lower the protein. The quail food won't hurt the budgies however and probably has amino acids and other things the seeds don't have.

 

[MrNappy]

Ok, thank-you.

One of them just layed an egg.

I have 6 females but im getting 1-3 eggs a day from Jumbo, as i said 1 is a runt i don't expect from her. One has an infection which is supsiding possibly an egg. I also have 2 whites one i'm sure is a female but other not so sure. I got all quails same time, any possible leads to make them lay eggs? (6 females, 2 whites, 2 males)

The egg that the button layed had blood on it. I picked up the three possible females and one had dried blood around rear (white). The brown one had blood on her head, dried. Any lead?

 

[TwoCrows]

Make sure you always crushed oyster shell or cuttle bone on the side for the girls to make hard egg shells. Thin egg shells are harder to pass and can cause some bleeding. Occasionally females will pass an egg with blood on it, but it should not be a regular thing. Some birds are prone to laying huge eggs and this can cause bleeding.

As far as the one with blood on the head, it could be from her investigating the others rear end. So make sure to clean up any blood on the birds so that others do not turn cannibalistic and attack when they see blood.

Making them lay is a difficult task. LOL You can try adding more lighting to their area and if it has cooled down in their environment, this can also slow the egg laying down. Not enough protein levels will also slow the egg laying production. Higher protein levels means more eggs.

 

[MrNappy]

Ok Thank-you.

I have some questions about eggs if you don't mind.

If i take the eggs out of the pen, how long can i keep them before the fetus turns 'sour?' Meaning how long can i keep them in the fridge or room temp and then put them in the incubator to make em hatch? (Supposing they are fertile)

If the hen is broody will it lay eggs near each other and then sit when the whole batch it layed? Or will it lay randomly everywhere and then somehow bring em closer to each other and then sit?

If i touch the eggs will the quail (supposedly broody) not sit on them? If i put the eggs together will the broody hen sit on them?

If the quails walk/step on the eggs what does this mean? If the egg gets buried under the wood chips what does this mean?

Also, thank-you in advance.

 

[TwoCrows]

Fertile eggs need to be stored on the kitchen counter or somewhere where the temps are between 50 and 60 degrees, pointy end down. Do not store them in the frig if you plan on incubating them. You can keep them for about 7 days, no longer than 10 days. If you are storing them for 9 or 10 days, you will need to rotate them a few times a day..."turning the eggs".

Generally quail don't go broody and have lost that instinct to do so. However that does not mean it can not happen, but don't hold your breath. You are better off incubating the eggs yourself. If you offer the quail a small "hidey", some place private, that they can crawl into or some hay or bedding to make a nest, they may lay their eggs there. (A small over turned box with a mouse hole in it, or even an over turned flower pot with a mouse hole cut into it). If not, they will lay them anywhere they please.

If eggs are getting lost under the bedding or quail are stepping on them, then you can be assured the quail don't care about the eggs and are not going broody.

Oh, and to answer a previous question, males do eat oyster shell for the calcium. The males need calcium as well as females, however not in the large quantities the females do.

 

[MrNappy]

Yet again thank-you for your words of wisdom. Sorry to annoy you but can you answer this question again?

If i touch the eggs will the quail (supposedly broody) not sit on them? If i put the eggs together will the broody hen sit on them?

 

[MrNappy]

Also (i'm in Canada) what if i made the degrees more than 60 say around 70?