Quail stopped laying. Has this happened to you?

[silkiechicken]

So my "new" quails basically each laid an egg a day for about two weeks... then all the sudden I've gotten no eggs for the past 5 days! Food, water, shelter, number of birds is all the same... they are inside a heated closet... the only thing that was different is that I took all the eggs and ate them all the day before I stopped getting eggs, which I'm sure was just irony. Has this ever happened to anyone here?

I see no evidence of egg eating, but maybe they are real good at cleaning up their evidence. Chickens at least, get yolk on everything if they decide to eat their eggs. Any ideas? Anyone have issues with their quail eating their eggs? I'd test egg eating if I had an egg from them that could be used as a guinea pig egg.

ETA:

Temp is about 45-55 in the closet, they are on 16 hour day light cycle, and are on game bird feed. About 3 months old now, I don't think they are at a molting stage, as they look the same.

It's probably just part of the jinx from eating all their last eggs and saying out loud that I was going to collect all new eggs to hatch.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quail do eat eggs, especially once they get the taste of them. And yes, they will clean up the evidence!

However I have had girls go on strike for a week or two as it is not uncommon. But if everybody seems on strike, then something may be suspicious. You could try adding some hard boiled eggs to their feed everyday to up the protein level to see if that helps. Make sure they have plenty of calcium, oyster shell or cuttle bone, and if you can collect the eggs during the day sometime, less likely they have time to get eaten.

If you still have not gotten any eggs in a week from now, I would suspect egg eating. Good luck!

 

[silkiechicken]

Thanks!

I will have to keep a closer eye on them when I'm not at work. They do have a cuttlebone but don't seem to like to shred it like the hookbills do. They prefer to poop on it by pressing their butts against the wall to do their business.

Their feed is already 30% protein, so not sure how much more they need. I'm really hoping it's a strike and not egg eating. Else I'll have to eat these four like I ate their two other siblings. LOL

 

[bfrancis]

Quail do eat eggs, especially once they get the taste of them. And yes, they will clean up the evidence!

However I have had girls go on strike for a week or two as it is not uncommon. But if everybody seems on strike, then something may be suspicious. You could try adding some hard boiled eggs to their feed everyday to up the protein level to see if that helps. Make sure they have plenty of calcium, oyster shell or cuttle bone, and if you can collect the eggs during the day sometime, less likely they have time to get eaten.

If you still have not gotten any eggs in a week from now, I would suspect egg eating. Good luck!

I'd be suspect of the cuttle bone, it will or can sometimes splinter and create internal havoc for your quail. That's a product best used with your parrot type birds that have have nice beaks and use their feet in eating, to manage the shards better, just my opinion.

I agree 110% with everything else!

 

[CHEIF91]

yes i have heard this also i have also heard that the cortex are known for doing this.

 

[silkiechicken]

HA! The public threat of eating them resulted in two eggs today. LOL

Chickens do the same thing.

I might pick up some calcium sand, the oyster shells I have for the chickens are rather large flakes, even for the chickens.

 

[TwoCrows]

HA! The public threat of eating them resulted in two eggs today. LOL

Chickens do the same thing.

I might pick up some calcium sand, the oyster shells I have for the chickens are rather large flakes, even for the chickens.

Nothing like good old fashion threats to get them to lay!

 

[Apatedolos]

OMG! you ate there brothers and sisters?! i could never do that. Im glad they started to give you eggs again so you don't have to eat them. You keep yours in a closet? don't they get lonely? I keep mine in my room where they can see me and are happy. Mine lay eggs every day when they are happy.

 

[silkiechicken]

OMG! you ate there brothers and sisters?! i could never do that. Im glad they started to give you eggs again so you don't have to eat them. You keep yours in a closet? don't they get lonely? I keep mine in my room where they can see me and are happy. Mine lay eggs every day when they are happy.

LOL

Of course I ate their siblings. I only have accommodation for four Jumbo Courtinux so the two sisters had to go. I was going to eat them all at once, but figured I'd try some eggs first, hatch some of their babies out, then eat them. I got started on keeping them for meat and eggs. They have each other and I'm not about to keep these livestock inside the apartment. They are in a closet for the winter as 45F is probably a more pleasant night time temp than 28.

They aren't in my pet category. I wouldn't eat my cockatiel.

 

[Apatedolos]

I'm so glad you would not eat your cockatiel, that seems gross! Poor little quailies, I understand some people eat them but I just couldn't. So if you only have room for 4 do you have to boys and to girls to make eggs you can hatch? Mine are both girls but my black and white one thinks it is a boy sometimes but they both lay eggs.