We got a little Quail Bearded Belgian D'Anver at the Stockton Poultry Show last month. No idea how old she was when we got her, but she seemed like a kid (older than a teenager, but not yet a woman).
We've had her quarantined in a cage in our family room since then. This morning i had her in the bathroom cleaning poo off her bottom and noticed she had lice. So i put her in a carrier, hauled the cage outside, thoroughly cleaned it and sprayed it down. Took her outside and gave her some medicine and sprayed her bottom. Set her down for a minute and she immediately puffed up and started straining, and making whining sounds. Ack!
She was clearly in egg-laying mode. She strained and strained and made the most pitiful sounds. i was getting worried as it was freezing outside. So we scooted her onto a blanket and got her in on a table. My husband said he could see the egg starting to come out. i looked and her teeny opening was strained to the breaking point, and i could see some blood. i asked him to run like the wind down the hall and get the vasoline, which he did. i rubbed it all around her vent as she strained, and lo and behold, out popped her very first egg!
She was clearly in egg-laying mode. She strained and strained and made the most pitiful sounds. i was getting worried as it was freezing outside. So we scooted her onto a blanket and got her in on a table. My husband said he could see the egg starting to come out. i looked and her teeny opening was strained to the breaking point, and i could see some blood. i asked him to run like the wind down the hall and get the vasoline, which he did. i rubbed it all around her vent as she strained, and lo and behold, out popped her very first egg!
