What does it take for quail to lay in winter

[Sethc]

I hatched some bobwhite quail about 17 weeks ago and I have them in a coop and I thought they were ready to start laying. Since it was in the 20's- 50's I put a heat lamp in there. I originally had red bulbs in there and then changed it to white bulbs and gave them the recommended light but they hadn't started laying yet so I looked online and found they don't start laying till 21 weeks. So all that to say would I be doing it correctly if they were ready to lay and are there any preparations I need to make before they start laying such as making some sort of nest. Thanks for helping I'm still trying to figure all this out.

 

[owlett5]

From what I've heard I think bobwhites are seasonal, so they might not lay until actually spring.

 

[dc3085]

Bobwhites are first year gamebirds. They will lay the first spring/summer (april/may) after they reach appx 25 weeks of age. In order to force laying right now you would need to keep them inside in an area that keeps a constant 60 degrees or higher and you would need to make a 16 hour day with lights and an 8 hour night (has to be completely dark and undisturbed for 8 hours).

You should read this about your quail

Covers a lot of the same stuff but read this

 

[TwoCrows]

X2 on both posts here. Bobs mature much slower than Coturnix quail that start laying at 9 weeks or so of age. Generally they need 6 months to mature and some need longer. They will be ready the following spring or summer, as DC has mentioned, after their hatch. It is not good to force them to lay before their first full year of life. Let them mature until spring and by next fall and winter, you can use lighting on them to get them to lay.

 

[TwoCrows]

Also, quail don't necessarily use nests, although if given nesting material such as grass hay or straw, they will make nests. The do enjoy the art of making them and can make quite elaborate ones at that. So you might provide something for them to make nests with.

 

[curious penguin]

I agree with TC, I have coturnix they grow up quick mine are laying right now and its about 2.c here i have an led light in the coop all my mature hens are laying eggs happily.
On another note my quail dont lay in nests but they sure like building them ​

 

[curious penguin]

 

[Sethc]

I found this online and this is what I was mainly basing my space requirements on so I was putting it on here to get some more opinions on it. Have a link to the page below.

Space requirements of bobwhite quail

The amount of floor space required to produce quality birds depends on many factors including species of bird, age of bird, type of bird being produced, quality of management, etc. In regards to bobwhite quail requirements, meat- type and flight birds will be discussed separately.

Meat-type bobwhite quail do not require as much floor area as other types of quail even though they are, as a rule, larger birds. The restriction of space may be an asset in some cases because increased movement and exercise are detrimental to rapid weight gains. Excess floor space encourages increased movement and exercise. The only disadvantage is the increased potential for cannibalism and pecking. Dietary changes, decreased lighting, and debeaking will help reduce the cannibalism danger.

Meat-type bobwhite quail do not require extra floor space because the quality of feathers is not a high priority concern. When starting day-old chicks, allow about 1 square foot of floor space for every 10 chicks through the first 2 weeks. During the 4-6 week period the birds need at least .25 square foot per bird and at 6-12 weeks of age the birds need at least .75 square foot per bird.

Flight birds are provided at least .1 square foot per bird during the first 2 weeks, followed with .25 square foot for each 4-6 week old bird. When birds are placed in flight pens, each bird must be allowed at least 2 square feet until its release on a shooting preserve. The extra space allows the development of good plumages.

Bobwhite quail intended as breeders are brooded through 12 weeks of age with the same space allotments as meat-type birds. They are provided a minimum of 1 square foot per bird during the period of 12 weeks of age and their placement in the breeder pens. Bobwhite quail breeding pens should provide at least 2 square feet for each breeder bird, regardless of sex or bird type.

The floor space allocations stated above are for game birds produced during the moderate and cool seasons of the year and when no unusual disease factors are present. If the temperatures frequently exceed 90º F. the space allotments should be increased by 25 percent. This increase helps reduce cannibalism and heat stress in the flock. If cannibalism becomes a problem, debeaking while increasing the floor space allowance will greatly help in correcting the vice.


http://msucares.com/poultry/game/poultry_space.html

 

[dc3085]

I found this online and this is what I was mainly basing my space requirements on so I was putting it on here to get some more opinions on it. Have a link to the page below.

Space requirements of bobwhite quail

The amount of floor space required to produce quality birds depends on many factors including species of bird, age of bird, type of bird being produced, quality of management, etc. In regards to bobwhite quail requirements, meat- type and flight birds will be discussed separately.

Meat-type bobwhite quail do not require as much floor area as other types of quail even though they are, as a rule, larger birds. The restriction of space may be an asset in some cases because increased movement and exercise are detrimental to rapid weight gains. Excess floor space encourages increased movement and exercise. The only disadvantage is the increased potential for cannibalism and pecking. Dietary changes, decreased lighting, and debeaking will help reduce the cannibalism danger.

Meat-type bobwhite quail do not require extra floor space because the quality of feathers is not a high priority concern. When starting day-old chicks, allow about 1 square foot of floor space for every 10 chicks through the first 2 weeks. During the 4-6 week period the birds need at least .25 square foot per bird and at 6-12 weeks of age the birds need at least .75 square foot per bird.

Flight birds are provided at least .1 square foot per bird during the first 2 weeks, followed with .25 square foot for each 4-6 week old bird. When birds are placed in flight pens, each bird must be allowed at least 2 square feet until its release on a shooting preserve. The extra space allows the development of good plumages.

Bobwhite quail intended as breeders are brooded through 12 weeks of age with the same space allotments as meat-type birds. They are provided a minimum of 1 square foot per bird during the period of 12 weeks of age and their placement in the breeder pens. Bobwhite quail breeding pens should provide at least 2 square feet for each breeder bird, regardless of sex or bird type.

The floor space allocations stated above are for game birds produced during the moderate and cool seasons of the year and when no unusual disease factors are present. If the temperatures frequently exceed 90º F. the space allotments should be increased by 25 percent. This increase helps reduce cannibalism and heat stress in the flock. If cannibalism becomes a problem, debeaking while increasing the floor space allowance will greatly help in correcting the vice.


http://msucares.com/poultry/game/poultry_space.html

Whoever wrote that doesn't care about their birds. If you crowd bobs the way they are saying, they WILL start to eat each other. If you want to keep bobwhites in .25 sq ft. you will have to de beak them.

 

[curious penguin]

De beak them ? ***