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Quails arent laying yet
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Pel



Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Posts: 2366
Location: Sennybridge
PostPosted: Mon Dec 29, 08 10:41 pm    Post subject: Quails arent laying yet Reply with quote
    

Ok, well neither are my hens, but they are still moulting, so i know why.

But my quails are now 13 weeks old and havent started laying, they are in a insulated shed, and in cages with 3 females to 1 male (and then i do have 2 more males in the cage next to them). Will i need to give them more light before they start to lay at this time of year?

Also is there an alternative to layers mash, as they just pick out all the nice bits.. i do keep putting back the bits they flick out, but would be easier to give them a different diet.

emma102068



Joined: 03 Jan 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 09 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

hi, They won't lay unless they have light and plenty of it. I do prefer to keep my quails out doors as they have natural light rather that forced light. But if this is not an option then a day light light will do although a bit un natural. if kept outside they will need heat during the winter, i hang heat lamps in their pens. The amount of males you have will not increase the amount of eggs your femails lay it will just increase the fertillity of the egg. they will lay even with no males about they just wont be fertil eggs.
I feed my quails ornamental poultry pellets ( it is like a smaller version of chicken layers pellets) and chick crumbs they never leave a bit. they also love kitchen scraps esp cucumber they demolish it and just leave the skin. my quails lay an eggs a day just about all year!
hope this helps emma

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 09 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have a 10watt strip light in the house to suplement the natural light through the perspex roof. I keep it on a timer giving 16hrs total.
Without you won't get many eggs till March/April but young birds should lay a few without lights.

Pel



Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Posts: 2366
Location: Sennybridge
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 09 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The shed has a perspex window on the side. Is the timer battery powder? As i don't have any mains up the garden.
Yeah the males are in as i want to incubate some eggs...when the girls produce some.
I don't mind waiting a bit longer, like i said i'm not getting any eggs of my hens yet (i don't have a cockerel) so buy in eggs to eat isnt the issue as i already do that.

So is ordinary chick crumb ok then.. the cheaper place to buy food from stocks chick crumb, turkey crumb (i think), rearers then layers mash and layers pellets, but nothing more posh than that. Is the chick crumb farmgate bags?

emma102068



Joined: 03 Jan 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 12:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

i get farmgate chick crumbs 25 kg for around 6 pounds. why are your hens not laying you dont need a cockerel to make them lay only to fertilise the eggs my hens lay all year and i have no cockerels as i dont wish to incubate my hen eggs.
You may find you will need to run some electric supply to you shed as quails hate the cold they will not survive a cold winter without some heat source.

emma102068



Joined: 03 Jan 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the only difference between layer pelletts and ornamental poultry pellets is the size ornamental pellets being a lot smaller then layers pellets. if you have some smaller quails they will find it hard to eat the larger size layers pelletts.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 7:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Chick crumbs are fine but for layers they will want extra calcium.
Ground limestone mixed with the crumbs at about 3% (30g to the kilo).
If you haven't got mains electric in your shed how about 12 volt garden lighting.

Pel



Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Posts: 2366
Location: Sennybridge
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 4:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks tavascarow. I'll get chick crumbs when the bag of layers mash is finished. Can i get ground limestone (i know i can get hydrogenated limestome) from an agri-shop or do I have to go to a builders yard?
Didnt know you could get a 12volt garden lighting.. is that like those mushroom looking light?

Hi emma, my hens are still moulting and this is why they arent laying.
however i wouldnt be surprised if they are feeling a bit moody at the moment as a neighbour has got a cockerel and every time it crows my hens cluck back very grumply... they can't see each other luckily, as my hens get quite loud if something is upsetting them which they can see

I know i don't need a male bird for them to lay this is why i have no cockerel myself, but do have male quails as i want to incubate eggs, and it be a bit pointless if i put non-fertile eggs into an incubator

Think my quails are just very fussy, when i put some small bits of veg in they just chuck it out, even when they were outdoors they didnt like there veg or bread or grass.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

NO DON'T USE BUILDERS LIME!!!
Very caustic & will burn the throats of the poor wee birds.
Ground limestone is garden lime, calcium carbonate, Ca CO3.
Definately not builders lime, AKA hydrogenated lime, Calcium hydroxide, CaOH & very caustic.

emma102068



Joined: 03 Jan 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

are your quails very big they may manage normal layers pelletts mixed with the chick crumb this would give them all they need nutritional wise and is easy to come by or could just crusg the layers up a bit. Mine are laying well on the above and the chicks all seem healthy when hatched. (had a batch hatch today)

Pel



Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Posts: 2366
Location: Sennybridge
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I guessed hydrogentated limestone was different from ground limestone Ok so garden shop then, if not at agri place.

The quails are the japenese types. When they had layers pellets, they seemed to get thinner so i assumed they couldnt eat it (too big), and when mixing layers mash with pellets they just chucked the pellets out
I've got about a 1/3 of a bag left of mash, but i will be getting some more rabbit food soon from the agri-shop so i can get supplies then and ask about ground limestone.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 09 9:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Layers mash is only 16% protein & quail need more.
Chick crumbs are about 18% & turkey & game crumbs a little higher again but quite a bit dearer.
Mine do fine on chick crumbs so I've never bothered paying the extra for turkey/game crumbs.

Nicky cigreen



Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9702
Location: Devon, uk
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 09 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I was under the impression you should not feed birds chick crumb if you are eating their eggs, as chickcrumb usually comes with a coxoid in it.

Farmgate chickcrumb does.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 09 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

colour it green wrote:
I was under the impression you should not feed birds chick crumb if you are eating their eggs, as chickcrumb usually comes with a coxoid in it.

Farmgate chickcrumb does.

I know the mill I get mine from don't add coxoid to their feed but it's a good point.

emma102068



Joined: 03 Jan 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 09 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

depending where i get mine from i sometimes use farmgate chick crumbs but i dont eat my eggsonly incubate them so does this matter

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