Why aren't my quail laying and crowing?

[Eloise Marie]

So, we have 4 ten week old quail in a cage and 4 five week old quail in a different cage.
Only one of the ten week old quail is crowing and none are laying and I'm kind of confused because they've had light on consistently for 2 weeks now.
Also, the crowing one is obsessively watching the five week old quails' cage. Why is that?
None of the five week olds have crowed or layed yet.
Any ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated

 

[Nabiki]

How much light are they getting?
They need 14-16 hours of light.
Any stress will also keep them from laying.
Are there any predators hanging around?
Do they have hiding places?
How much space do they have?
Can you post some pictures of their setup?

 

[Eloise Marie]

They have at least 14 hours, maybe more.
I think there is a hawk nearby.
They have plenty of space, and a box with mulch and leaves for the 10 week olds.

 

[Nabiki]

They have at least 14 hours, maybe more.
I think there is a hawk nearby.
They have plenty of space, and a box with mulch and leaves for the 10 week olds.

Does their home have a roof? If they're out of sight, the hawk will be more likely to move on and leave them alone.

They will also be happier with several small hiding places rather than one larger box.

Have you checked through the mulch and leaves? They will often bury their eggs.

 

[Eloise Marie]

Yeah, I've checked and they haven't buried any.
They're in a galvanized wire cage.
BTW, thank you so much for your responses.

 

[Nabiki]

I would give them some more time. They take a lot longer to start laying in the fall/winter.

 

[Eloise Marie]

OK, thanks

 

[Susan Skylark]

What is the protein percentage in your feed? That will also impact growth rate. At 30 percent I had birds laying and crowing at 5 weeks, at 21 percent it is 7 weeks or later. Season also makes a difference, in the summer it seems like puberty sets in faster than it does in the cold (they are using energy to keep warm as well as for growth, breeding is of secondary importance), summer they only need to grow (unless it is excessively hot then they use energy to cool themselves!). Don’t worry, they’ll be waking you up at dawn before you know it.

 

[Eloise Marie]

Thank you so much.
I'm mixing the 30% protein that doesn't have much calcium with the 20? 18? 16? % protein with 3 or 4 percent calcium so that way they get both.

 

[CliftonQuail]

Thank you so much.
I'm mixing the 30% protein that doesn't have much calcium with the 20? 18? 16? % protein with 3 or 4 percent calcium so that way they get both.

I'd suggest offering oyster shell on the side instead of mixing a lower protein/higher calcium feed in with the 30%. The hens will eat as much of the oyster shell as they need and the roosters will pretty much ignore it.
Are you using the Purina 30% Gamebird starter? If so, you might consider finding a local brand instead.