egg bound quail ???

[molliedogspabottom]

Hi all and a happy new year ,
I last posted questions when I first aquired my quail and I was very nervous about them, the replies I recieved were very helpful and I am hopeing you can help again.
The quail are in very good health now and laying every day ( extra light given on a timer) .
The worry I have is that one of the quail is waddling like a duck, legs quite far apart and a large stomach (which feels soft) and low to the ground, it is eating ok and seems to be trying to lay an egg( I think).
I first noticed it last night and assumed she was about to lay so left her to it.
I did not really take any notice during the day today but noticed again tonight, I tend to spend longer in the shed with them on an evening, any advice would be helpful.
Thanks Heather

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Heather,
I would do the same as you would for an egg bound hen.Give that a try.

 

[Tim]

How old are they Heather? Forcing them into lay too early can cause laying problems... having said that I've little experience with Quail but certainly hens should be allowed to mature fully before they lay.

It is hard to say without examination - could be egg bound or egg peritonitis which is when the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen) becomes inflamed due to an infection from bacteria.

 

[Anonymous]

Chinese painted Quail start to reach sexual maturity at 6 weeks,Japanese and Italian about 12 weeks,some of the other bigger quail actually do take 4-5 months.

 

[molliedogspabottom]

Thanks for your replys, they are about 5/6 months old, just been and had a look, still the same,would I be able to feel egg if egg bound and what should I do?

 

[Anonymous]

If she's egg bound I would expect you to be able to feel the egg.
At her age,regardless of which breed of quail she is she would have started to lay.
What breed of quail have you got?
At the moment I've only got chinese painted,but I've got 6 californian quail in my incubator.

 

[Tim]

Yes, they should definately be old enough to lay at that age. With chickens you can sometimes feel the egg.. If it is infection, she will need antibiotics prescribed by your vet.

 

[Anonymous]

Be very carefull if you have a feel.Would be a disaster for the egg(if there is one)to break inside her.If she hasn't passed an egg by now,I would take her to the vet to be examined.