Quail stopped laying??

[buttercup95]

So all nine of my hens (texas A&M) just didn't lay anything this evening and they've been spot on about laying ever since they started two weeks ago. I added some shavings today and that's the only new variable. They threw most of it out anyways they're in a raised pen and they tossed it over the side.(didn't think that one through xp) Does anybody know what might have caused ALL of them to stop at once? It was a bit windy today...

 

[TwoCrows]

Are they all together, just females? I ask this because if you are keeping a male with them and the ratio of females gets too low, this can cause stress to the females if the male is too hyped on mating with them. If this is not the case, it could be a change in the weather. As the fall approaches, they are going to lay less and less because of the shortening of the day light. Cool days or nights will cause them to lay less. If they were terrorized by something during the night, this can cause them to stop laying for a day. I doubt the shavings had anything to do with it.

 

[buttercup95]

Are they all together, just females? I ask this because if you are keeping a male with them and the ratio of females gets too low, this can cause stress to the females if the male is too hyped on mating with them. If this is not the case, it could be a change in the weather. As the fall approaches, they are going to lay less and less because of the shortening of the day light. Cool days or nights will cause them to lay less. If they were terrorized by something during the night, this can cause them to stop laying for a day. I doubt the shavings had anything to do with it.

I had three males with them because I started incubating this week and I've brought it down to two males the day before yesterday. I know all about them laying less and less due to shorter and colder days. They started laying again today and I did actually collect one egg from them yesterday but that wasn't until 8:00 that evening. It was so weird that all of them stopped at once. I doubt they were frightened by anything though. I think it was the wind. Today I blocked two out of the three sides of their pen and placed their sand basket (which is where they lay no matter what I put it there) in that corner.