Will they ever start laying?

[possumhunter]

I have my some 12 week old coturnix that I have been artificially lighting for a couple of weeks now... I've seen the Roo's doing there duty and I know I have females in the pen. I put a milk jug with dirt for them to lay in and have some extra branches for privacy. Am I missing anything? Or do I just need to be a bit more patient?

 

[JJMR794]

2 things here----

1. they absolutely will not lay 1 minute before they are ready! When it comes to coturnix she will lay when she wishes as she wishes and you will have no control whatsoever in this (sad but true)

2. coturnix love sameness!!! they thrive on it! Gotta have it! without it, well buddy no eggs for you! Now having said that... sameness means everything the same all the time, lemme stress everything and all the time---- same food, same pen, same mates, same everything! change from 1 type of food to the other=== BAD KEEPER! NO EGGS FOR YOU! Change the inside of their cage==== BAD KEEPER! NO EGGS FOR YOU! Change anything in their lil corner of the world=== ... well you get by now.

As far as age goes.... i have had coturnix start at 5wks of age and i have had coturnix that were well past 14-16 wks old before they start laying.

So now you are armed with knowledge all you can do is make sure they have at least 14 hrs of uninterrupted light /day preferably full spectrum, and keep up the sameness and wait.

 

[possumhunter]

Oh those little buggers! How can I keep their pen-mates the same when they keep trying to kill each other? Grrr....

Thanks for the advice!

 

[possumhunter]

Haha...I should have waited just one more day....I've gotten 4 eggs since yesterday!

 

[zaylinda]

Congratulations!

 

[whytedragon]

Congrats on the eggs! I wish mine would start laying. We got them a couple months ago as adults or near adults..lady said they should start laying soon, but nothing. Nothing's been changed. They're living in a large hutch type coop, really nice.
I've got Bobwhites.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
BOBS will not lay until therir 1st spring in most cases( irreguardless of supplimental light)

 

[whytedragon]

Well that's good to know, we keep saying they should by Spring anyway, so it's good to nail it down.
Thanks!

 

[95yj]

define spring?