Female quail not thriving and stopped laying

[Vonashker]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice regarding my quail. About a month ago, I bought a male and a female quail. They were both missing some feathers when I got them. After about two weeks, the female started laying one egg per day. I’ve been feeding them backyard 23% protein feed along with some mealworms daily.


The male is doing great—he’s active, thriving, and rarely rests.He recovered all the missing feather and tries to support her by grooming, offering food and mealworms( he never eat them, only offer for the female )

However, the female has stopped laying eggs after an accident two weeks ago. While cleaning their cage, she flew into a wall and dropped an egg that was very soft and broken. I was worried that part of the egg might have stayed inside her, but since this happened two weeks ago, I’m assuming she’s okay in that regard.



Since the accident, she’s been lethargic, sleeping most of the day, and has stopped laying eggs entirely. She still eats her basic food and drinks water normally, but she’s very inactive unless I offer her mealworms, which she eagerly takes. Additionally, she’s losing a lot of feathers, as shown in the video I’ve attached.

The male is still mating with her frequently (every few hours), and I’m wondering if that might be adding stress.

Any advice on how to help her recover and what could be causing the lethargy and feather loss? Thanks in advance!

 

[GodLovesU]

I assume those are button quail?
@Nabiki can help you better than I can. I hope she feels better.

 

[Vonashker]

I assume those are button quail?
@Nabiki can help you better than I can. I hope she feels better.

I thinks so, they were sold as Japanese quail

 

[GodLovesU]

I thinks so, they were sold as Japanese quail

That’s another name for coturnix quail. I would not buy from this source again, especially considering the fact that the quail were missing feathers.

 

[Vonashker]

It’s a generic shop for pets here in Italy, me and my gf actually went there to buy stuff for my acquarium and went home with those two quails because we felt bad for them

 

[Nabiki]

These are button quail, also known as King Quail or Chinese painted quail. Coturnix quail are also known as Japanese quail and are much larger. They also don't do well in pairs while buttons do best in pairs.

She doesn't look egg bound. If she's pooping, that's another sign that she's not egg bound. She is missing a lot of feathers, though, so I would also give her an examination to look for mites. A dirt bath may also help. If you add a small (maybe 1/2 tsp of diatomaceous earth to the dirt (or sand) that will also help eliminate mites if she has them.

That being said, I suspect that your hen isn't getting enough calcium. You mentioned a good feed, but since it's not a layer feed I'm guessing that it doesn't contain enough calcium. In my experience enough calcium is even more important for button hens than it is for coturnix hens.

That being said, it is not uncommon for hens to stop laying for a couple weeks after something stressful happens to them. I would start by giving her some calcium citrate to bring up her calcium quickly, then switch over to oyster or egg shells on the side. She will eat as much as she needs.

 

[Vonashker]

These are button quail, also known as King Quail or Chinese painted quail. Coturnix quail are also known as Japanese quail and are much larger. They also don't do well in pairs while buttons do best in pairs.

She doesn't look egg bound. If she's pooping, that's another sign that she's not egg bound. She is missing a lot of feathers, though, so I would also give her an examination to look for mites. A dirt bath may also help. If you add a small (maybe 1/2 tsp of diatomaceous earth to the dirt (or sand) that will also help eliminate mites if she has them.

That being said, I suspect that your hen isn't getting enough calcium. You mentioned a good feed, but since it's not a layer feed I'm guessing that it doesn't contain enough calcium. In my experience enough calcium is even more important for button hens than it is for coturnix hens.

That being said, it is not uncommon for hens to stop laying for a couple weeks after something stressful happens to them. I would start by giving her some calcium citrate to bring up her calcium quickly, then switch over to oyster or egg shells on the side. She will eat as much as she needs.

Thank you for your detailed post, this is the food I feed them.

 

[Nabiki]

Thank you for your detailed post, this is the food I feed them.

That feed is only 18% protein and very low in lysine and methionine. I don't see any calcium in there at all. The occasional mealworm isn't a bad thing, but keep in mind that treats should not be more than 10% of their diet.

Here is an article that will help you find a feed that fits their nutritional needs better.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/what-to-feed-your-quail.79205/

 

[Vonashker]

You are right, the shop that sold it to me said it was 23% protein… I did not even checked it trusting him.

I will try to find another one with the information wrote in that article and I just ordered some crushed oyster to give them on the side.

In the meantime to boost her calcium up, I want to buy calcium citrate like you said, how much should I give to them? It is ok to buy the powder one meant for humans at my local pharmacy ?

ps could it be that she is also cold? We have 19C at home and i notice that she sleep directly under the light

 

[Vonashker]

Sorry, another question.

Since the protein issue from my local pet seller i was also looking the supplies he sold me and I discovered that I’m actually using mineral grit as bedding!! Is that okay? I cannot find any information online about this but only that you should use sand