Quails not laying

[ggarden]

Hi

We have just bought some chinese painted and some Californian, they were apparently starting to lay in the shop but since we have had them (about 6 days now) we have not had any eggs? is this normal

Thanks very much

 

[DK newbie]

Birds don't lay when they are stressed and moving stresses them - it's completely normal. Provided their new environment is suitable and stress free and that they are provided with proper feed and about 14 hours of light a day, it' just a matter of time before they start laying again. With coturnix, it seems to take 10-20 days for them to start laying after a move. Could be different for buttons and californian, don't know.

 

[ggarden]

thats great thanks I have a few budgies in with them and some zebra finchs, they seem fine and we have been given them millet, along with seeds and the shop said to give them chick mash, hopefully they will start again soon

There run has a concrete base, should I put straw or something down for them?

 

[DK newbie]

My preferred bedding for quail is shavings. Straw might work as well, I actually haven't tried. Finding eggs in straw might be hard though. They also love to have places to hide - I use spruce branches in the corners/ends of the aviaries and usually they make their nests behind those (I have button quail). The budgies like tearing the needles of spruce branches as well, though they prefer that I put them higher in the aviary for them.
Get chick crumbles - or even better, gamebird starter - for them asap. The buttons will survive on millet and other small seeds, but they won't thrive as they should - it should only be an occasional treat, they won't eat their chick/gamebird crumbles if they have millet available. Beware of feed falling from the budgie/zebra seed dishes, if there is too much the buttons won't eat their crumbles. I'm not sure how much protein the californians require, but I imagine something similar goes for them.

 

[ggarden]

thats great thanks very much will give that a go