Why is my quail not laying eggs?

[Maya Chick hatcher]

Hello everyone! I have a tuxedo coturnix quail who is about 3 months old, I'm pretty sure she is a girl, because she has never crowed and wasn't aggressive toward her friend Oliver. Sadly, on October 28th Oliver was killed by a hawk even though he was in his cage, and Edmund (the name was given to her when she was little) was left terrorized and wounded. I read that quail start laying at 6 weeks old, why isn't Edmund laying yet? Will she lay when she has friends? I will soon be moving my new baby quail, who are about 3-4 weeks old into her cage. Edmund is given calcium powder, or baked ground up eggshells, but I recently ran out of food and just ordered a new bag that will come in a couple days. She has a hide in which I put some timothy hay to make a nest, and outside of the hide her bedding is aspen shavings. Does anyone know how to encourage quails to lay?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If she was injured and traumatized, then this could be the reason for the delay.

Also if you are in the U.S., days are getting shorter so less sunlight which also affects the laying cycle.

I'd make sure her wounds are healing, that she's eating a nutritionally balanced feed - since you have 3-4wk olds, then I'd leave everyone on game starter for a while until everyone matures (including your 3 month old). Then you can switch to layer crumble.

She may or may not get along with the babies, so keep an eye on introductions.

 

[Maya Chick hatcher]

Thank you, that was super helpful!

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

A healthy pellet/crumble feed with a good amount of calcium and 14% or more protein + 14 hours of light/day will be the best way to encourage her to lay.

I don't think many of my quail lay before 8-10 weeks of age, the boys generally start crowing around 5-6 weeks of age though. There's no rush though! New friends will definitely help settle her, quail do not thrive alone.

 

[Maya Chick hatcher]

About a week ago I ran out of pellet food and have been feeding her grains and boiled peas, along with grit and calcium powder. How can I improve this diet when I don't have food for the quails? The bag should come tomorrow...

8-10 weeks of age, ok! I will wait and see when she lays her first egg, though it's hard to check because she manages to stuff a third of her bedding into the hide out she has. I have to dig through the bedding to see if she layed.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can use chick starter or an all flock feed.

 

[Nabiki]

About a week ago I ran out of pellet food and have been feeding her grains and boiled peas, along with grit and calcium powder. How can I improve this diet when I don't have food for the quails? The bag should come tomorrow...

8-10 weeks of age, ok! I will wait and see when she lays her first egg, though it's hard to check because she manages to stuff a third of her bedding into the hide out she has. I have to dig through the bedding to see if she layed.

Add some boiled, crushed egg for protein. You can even crush the shell up with it all for calcium.

A balanced feed is your best option, but in an emergency, something is better than nothing.

 

[Maya Chick hatcher]

Thank you for the tips! I just had the bag of food come in yesterday!

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

My quail usually get fed live mealworms at around 6 weeks old and start laying within a few weeks. In the winter, even near the equator here in Hawaii, I need supplemental light for about a total of 14 hours a day.

Also, check to be sure there aren't more predators scaring your hen. They won't lay if they don't feel safe.

 

[hoondogsrunamuck]

Hello everyone! I have a tuxedo coturnix quail who is about 3 months old, I'm pretty sure she is a girl, because she has never crowed and wasn't aggressive toward her friend Oliver. Sadly, on October 28th Oliver was killed by a hawk even though he was in his cage, and Edmund (the name was given to her when she was little) was left terrorized and wounded. I read that quail start laying at 6 weeks old, why isn't Edmund laying yet? Will she lay when she has friends? I will soon be moving my new baby quail, who are about 3-4 weeks old into her cage. Edmund is given calcium powder, or baked ground up eggshells, but I recently ran out of food and just ordered a new bag that will come in a couple days. She has a hide in which I put some timothy hay to make a nest, and outside of the hide her bedding is aspen shavings. Does anyone know how to encourage quails to lay?

My experience has been around the 8-10 week mark as well. I have had friends that have had luck at 6 weeks though.

Also, if you only had your 1 roo (RIP ) and your 1 hen together in the coop, that might also cause too much stress for her to lay if he was an “active” dude.

It’s gonna happen though.

Good luck with integrating the babies!