weird quail

[AZ Birds]

i recently started raising phroah quail (3 months ago) and although i have read that they give out an egg a day mine seven hens only give me 4 eggs a day. is there hens that just wont ever lay? another weird thing i took out there sand box figuring that maybe they were more occupied in playing then laying eggs and when i did this the egg laying decreased to one egg a day. so i put the box back and get for 4 eggs a day most all which are laid in the box. has anyone else experienced this? i also started keeping a light on for a few hours at night to increase hours of light to see if that helps and still 4 eggs a day but now they are laying them later because of the light i suppose. can anyone help me with is problems. i want hatch the eggs i get but im thinking if the male doesnt mate with the ones that lay, the eggs for that day they wont be fertile. i also thought about separating the quail and see who is laying and who is not but read if you move quail to a new place they might stop laying for a while. so if i try this and i get rid of a hen that lays but didnt because it was in a new place i would be even more decreasing my egg production. anyone have any advice on what i should do?

 

[SeptemberQuail]

I've had a similar problem;

I keep my quails outside, and I bought them in September (beginning of spring), it wasn't until a month later when they started laying eggs, I was worried at first though.

Are you sure these things are alright?

- Is it in the warmer seasons for you now?
My hens started laying eggs this month, because it's spring and it gets warmer.

- Are they getting enough light?
Like you said, if they're kept indoors, an extra light will help lengthen the day.

- Does the food you give them contain enough calcium and protein?
What exactly are you feeding them? Calcium is important for creating the eggshell, and protein is too, but I forgot how it contributes.
I feed mine cucumber, game bird finisher, boiled egg shells and clovers.​

Otherwise, maybe the quail will lay eggs, but possibly in the near future? Try waiting a few days/weeks...?
Or maybe they might be male... (could be a possibility.)

Also, are you keeping the quails for breeding or just regular egg production?
For my quails, the male only mates with one female, leaving the other one to produce just regular eggs.

--

I've also developed my own little trick to see if they are about to lay eggs (I only just discovered it today, and I was actually right! )
If you lift a hen up and turn her over so her belly is face up, you'll see her vent, if you gently pull the tail down you'll see it; above the vent (on the stomach?) I gently pressed it and could feel this object inside of her (the egg might be a little higher up the stomach though, heh, I guess learning about how an egg is created in agriculture class with a chicken works the same way as quails), I roughly estimated the size and figured out it was the same size as an egg. Later on that day the quail who hadn't laid an egg before, laid an egg!

I checked the same spot again after she had laid her egg, and it was flat, and empty.
So that's just my method on checking eggs, it kinda does save time. But it works best if you know when your quail are going to lay eggs. (Mine lay in the afternoon - evening).

 

[TwoCrows]

When a male mates with a female, she remains fertile up to 2 full weeks after mating. They do not need to mate daily for fertile eggs. Hens will lay when they are darn good and ready. If the furniture keeps getting "rearranged", then she may not want to lay eggs. If she is stressed out by the others, she may not lay. If her diet is not up to par, she won't lay. If she is too young, then she is not ready. If it is too cold, not enough light, the need for more calcium, molting, etc..she won't lay.

Make sure they have plenty of room. Cramped quarters may not be conducive for this female to lay. Let her adjust to the same conditions daily, lower the stress around the cage, good diet, clean water daily, enough light, heat and she should lay at least a few times a week.

 

[gorabbitgo]

You can tell which hens are laying and which aren't yet by using Septemberquail's method above. If the female's lower abdomen feels particularly warm and somewhat thicker, she's in laying condition. Flat and empty, she hasn't laid within the past day and won't any time soon.
Do this VERY gently. You'll be able to feel the difference immediately without any harsh prodding.

It is possible that of your seven quail you've got some who are laying every day and others who are laying every other or every two days.
Quail will lay best when they feel happy and safe. If they're laying in their sand bath, then that's where they feel most secure. Try adding some additional hides and then give it a week or so before you move stuff around again to see if your egg count goes up.

 

[AZ Birds]

@ septemberquail i think my quail are alright i them house outside with and they get about 12 hours of light everyday without a light when i tried the light i kept it on for additional 2 hours but they did change egg production at all . the weather here is starting to cool down (60 degrees F- 80 degrees F) but hasnt slowed down production but also hasnt made it any better. i have been giving my birds turkey feed that is 26% protein and they also get crushed oyster shells for calcium as well as meal worms every other day. im positive only one is a male as i looked up tons of different pictures on here and other sites to identify if each bird is male or female. im keeping my quail for breeding but when my incubator is going i eat the eggs until i could put more in. i just might have to try your method but not sure if it will work for my quail they are a bit squirmy when you pick them up.

@twocrowsranch my cage i have them is 3ftx3ft hope that is good enough? i think i read that they are suppose to have at least 1 sqft per bird so my seven should be pretty comfy in the cage.

so in all reality after reading all this great info you guys have posted for me quail are really not much different then chickens in the egg production department the great thing though is they eat alot less and there eggs taste so much better.

i got 35 in my incubator due hatch either tomorrow or sunday, monday or tuesday (did staggered hatch collecting additional 3 days after i put the first eggs in) so we will see how that goes. i already had few duds and one that i cracked was fertile (had 2 eyes formed) i really want to get good hatch rates but i know with one male and seven hens it wont be the best so i want to cull the ones who are not laying but not sure how to go about it without culling a laying hen besides the above method.

 

[AZ Birds]

well i got one of my eggs to hatch today which is funny because its my birthday and i didnt even realize hatch day would be on the same day. sad thing is he some how took the clip off the wire floor in the hovabator and went in water trough and drowned himself.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Happy Belated Birthday!
Though I'm really sad to hear about the chick though.... have the other's hatched yet?

 

[AZ Birds]

thank you. yes i now have 14 babies running around and one trying to make his way out as i type this . not bad for one male and seven hens.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Aaaaaah! Cute! >3<
I really hope my quail go broody, as I doubt I'll be able to buy an incubator.
I always see my quail hanging around the nest, then walking out - it might be a sign. Heh.

What incubator do you use?

 

[AZ Birds]

i use a hovabator 1602 with auto turner and air fan kit. i got it off ebay brand new for $85 only came with chicken racks so i had to order quail racks for it but i love it and every time i use it i always get something to hatch. i used an old incubator that my neighbor had 3 times and never got a single egg to hatch.