Egg-less Coturnix Quail

[backyardquail]

Okay I have tried everything.  I just started raising quail this past summer so keep that in mind, but have not been doing well in the egg department.  I have been doing a lot reading and make changes, but no luck.

I have them on about 16 hours of light per day, I changed feed to match what a local breeder told me he used, got the boy/girl ratio 3:1, etc. etc. 

I even got a small group of proven layers from the local breeder and after settling in they are laying with no problems.  But my other birds, NOTHING!  I even have younger birds from the same breeder that have matured, but continue to be egg-less.

They are all mature enough, I have some that I know for sure are more than 12 weeks old, I keep them well feed and fresh water twice a day.

Is there something I can do to "trigger" then to start laying?

[slider]

I assume that they are Corturnix? What are you feeding them?

[CharlieHorse]

I have no experience with those birds, and don't know what all you've tried, just a thought........what if you changed their living environment by removing the male for a spell?  If their feed is sufficient, I'd be for changing their enviroment in one way or another.

 

[backyardquail]

They are Jumbo brown Coturnix.  I feed them Purina Game Bird Layena.

I will try the removal of the males for a period of time.  Any other suggestions on how to change the environment?

Thanks for the suggestions!

[slider]

Well that sounds good thats what I feed. I would go with what Charliehorse said and see what happens..

[komer]

any stress like moving birds from one place to another results with egg-less!
give them few days or weeks to acclimatize;)
also changing food can also result with eggless,higher od lower temperature,light,cages,(enviroment)...

[backyardquail]

Komer, I appreciate the feedback, but no stress to speak of for the birds, just me.  The problem is they have never started laying since they matured, not that something happened and they stopped.

On a up note, I did get a single egg from a previously non-productive pen yesterday - that leaves only about 20 birds still not pulling their weight.

[komer]

hmmm...are you sure that they are females?
i get first eggs after 40 days,after 50 days all females have their first eggs:)
dont know what can problem be..what is room temperature where they are placed?

[ke4uzi]

What size pen do you have them in?
My breeders are in a 2 x 2 x 1 with a ratio of 4:1 and I have great luck on eggs. My flight pen which is 12 x 32 x 6 is a different story, I have some 1 year olds in there that have never layed, it seems to me that if they are breed routinley over and over then it bring on the urge to lay more, and with extra room to run away so to speak then maybe the pen is too big and she's not being breed as much hence no urge to lay.

[DoubleL911]

Add some Millett

[CharlieHorse]

Add some Millett

In conjunction with normal feeding, I always fed my BW's some wild bird feed, along with sifted pieces of broken seashells (washed and dried) we would collect while at the beach.......beats the heck out of buying oyster shells.

[backyardquail]

Thanks for all the input. 

Yes, positive id on the females vs. male and confirmed by two different local breeders. 

The pens are approx. 10” x 24” and I have them at a ratio of 3:1 female:male

Regarding the temps, they are currently outside and have been since July, so temps have ranged from high of 100 in August to low of 40 in the last couple of days.  Not sure if temperature is a factor as some of them are laying, just not a majority of them.

I thought about adding seed or shells to their diet.  When using seed or millet do I also need to provide grit?

Thanks!

[slider]

Just feed them what you are feeding them. You really do not need that other stuff for Corturnix its to much trouble but what you do need to do in order to get the most eggs possible is get them out of that 40* weather. Move them inside a storage room or garage or enclosed shed and keep the temp. between 65 and 85 degrees..That will really help.

[backyardquail]

Absolutely, I am already working on a pen in the shed for wintering the birds. 

This post was really more of an exercise for pre-spring work.  I got the birds in July and they were supposedly 5-6weeks old at the time.  I expected a lot of egg laying in August or early September at latest - long before the cold weather set in.

Just wanted to make sure they were getting what they need.

[Jessibell]

When I had coturnix they routinely laid eggs every day even when it was -30 degrees C outside. The eggs would freeze solid in less than 5 minutes after being laid but they still laid them. The birds had a small heated bedding area that stayed just above freezing, and the pen was closed up with corrugated plastic to keep the wind out, but they still laid all winter. I think the person who talked about the pen being too big might have something there. It sounds like you only have 20 or so birds in there. They might not feel secure with such few numbers in a such a big space, especially after being moved. When I brought in birds to a new place they sometimes ceased laying for 2 weeks. Other than that, I couldn't get them to STOP, lol.

Coturnix do not need seeds - their bills are built for eating bugs, where as a bobwhite's bill is built for chrushing seeds. If anything, they enjoy greens and mashed potatoes more than grains. You should not have to supplement their diet with anything if they are on gamebird ration, other than some calcium perhaps. Even then, young birds should lay very well for a time without calcium before the shell quality starts to deteriorate.

Are your lights white or red? I foudn that white lights stressed my birds out and caused them to fight and gave them a lot of anxiety. Red tinted bulbs calmed them down and did a fine job stimulating them to lay.