Quail wont stop laying in their run! Thoughts... anyone? plz -Coturnix

[Hellybell]

Ok so i have 4 females, 2 male coturnix quail.

The girls have been laying beautifully for about 4 months. In there nesting box i might add with the odd straggler laid outside in the corner of the run. But now...

I dont know if it was because i went on holidays... (Just my luck i have finicky birds lol...) but i came back and suddenly they're are ONLY laying outside in their run.

Their nesting box is still more than adequate. I put paper shavings down in there and they've always liked it till now. But the major trouble is that i've got the quail eggs for selling as fertile ( just got my first lot in the incubator - Woohoo - 7 day count down) and so them laying them outside in the scorching summer heat just isnt working for me..

Any thoughts anyone? I was considering blowing a few of the eggs, filling them with something and putting them into the nesting box to encourage them but i've never heard of doing that for troublesome chickies.. only for encouraging broodiness.

Well i look forward to your replies

Thanks Heaps...
Helen

 

[farrier!]

I am like a lot of others on here. I have breeding pens. My quail are off the ground and the eggs roll out for easy collection and to stay clean. So I can't offer any suggestions for your set up. Because these quail have been bred for more years then chickens for egg production rather then broodyness I am surprised yours used the nesting box at all rather then surprised they are not now.
It sounds like they should be very happy in your pen!

 

[worldling]

Well, coturnix hens just drop their eggs where ever they happen to be at the time.
If they were in the glove box of your 64 corvette when they drop an egg, then that's where you will find the egg.
A nest box to a coturnix is...pretty much anywhere.

 

[Wifezilla]

I find mine in the cage pretty much wherever. On the wire, in their dusting hut, in their wicker basket, in a food cup...

The weird part of your story is them using the nesting box in the first place!

 

[ksukristin]

I have the bottom of a shoebox turned upside down with a hole cut in the side that I gave the quail to be able to "hide" in and I do find most of my eggs in there, but I never expect them to lay in the same place. My birds are on wire and it never fails that I find an egg or two near the water or food. it's almost like they are busy eating or drinking and "oops! there goes an egg!"

it is very cool and strange that your birds were actually using the nest box! maybe they were too busy out looking for you while you were gone and that's why the eggs are in the run

 

[Hellybell]

Thanks.

I didnt realise they didnt use nesting boxes traditionally. Last time I had quail though was in the UK so prehaps they were a bit more "nesty"over there lol.

I may have to renovate their cage then. I only had them on the floor because they enjoy the grass but it means that when they do lay out there the eggs get a bit yuckier than in their nesting box.

Seems odd that they changed their minds aye. Prehaps they didnt like the fact i kept stealing them from in there haha.

Food for thought anyway. Thanks

 

[chicken_angler]

One way I get mine to lay inside their house is to have little cubbies made out of branches or firewood and some fresh pine branches in there. Mine wont use a nest box but this works!

 

[Kullas]

The only 100% way to have them lay in the nest box is to lock them in the nest box

Quote:
Yes quail is good food for thought Mmmm and there eggs to