The last couple of days my one quail has been laying soft shell dark colored eggs. Yesterday I had 2 of these eggs. When you break open the egg it looks ok but I am afraid to eat them. The girls and one male are in a rabbit cage with sand. The eat turkey layer, get dried meal worms, have ice cubes in the water in addition to frozen water bottles. Also they lay after 3 pm not in the morning.
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They definitely need calcium. Give them some oyster shell as a treat. Alternatively, you can save your egg shells, dry them in a dehydrator or toaster oven (don't burn them,) crush them and give them back to the quail. Laying in the afternoon is normal.
Thanks Rachel I missed your quail class. Can you eat the egg if soft or cracked? Is it safer to toss it away. I collect the eggs soon after they are laid.
Give them a little calcium as others have suggested but quail do have a tendency to lay a soft-shelled egg every once in awhile anyway so don't be alarmed if you see one every once in awhile.
Quail almost always lay in the afternoons; that's normal.
With chickens we bake the shells before feeding them back to the birds, or they can get a taste for eggs and start eating their own eggs. I toss mine into a small crock and crunch them each morning with a potato masher. Then when the crock is full I spread it all out on a pan and bake it at 250-ish until it's dry, stirring once in a while. Then I throw it all into the food processor and break it down further, which also breaks up the glued-together chunks. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. :)
The store feeds don't always provide enough calcium even though they include calcium in the mix, and every creature is different, just as we humans are different and have differing needs.
We use oyster shells and also recycle the eggshells, as Donna mentioned. Given the size of quail, oyster shells may be a bit large, but I don't know. Rachel Bess raises quail and would know what they prefer. Mealworms are good-they have calcium in them, too. So you're doing good stuff!
Carol, this backyardchicken thread may help. Most of them said they need it just like chickens or they can decline in health. Soft shells usually mean they need some form of calcium.
I have never had quail, but chickens will lay soft shelled eggs when they need calcium. Some people crush and bake the eggs shells to feed back to them. I supplement with oyster shell, I just add a little in their food dish. They seem to know when they need it. You may google quail care and see.
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They definitely need calcium. Give them some oyster shell as a treat. Alternatively, you can save your egg shells, dry them in a dehydrator or toaster oven (don't burn them,) crush them and give them back to the quail. Laying in the afternoon is normal.
Give them a little calcium as others have suggested but quail do have a tendency to lay a soft-shelled egg every once in awhile anyway so don't be alarmed if you see one every once in awhile.
Quail almost always lay in the afternoons; that's normal.
That's good!
With chickens we bake the shells before feeding them back to the birds, or they can get a taste for eggs and start eating their own eggs. I toss mine into a small crock and crunch them each morning with a potato masher. Then when the crock is full I spread it all out on a pan and bake it at 250-ish until it's dry, stirring once in a while. Then I throw it all into the food processor and break it down further, which also breaks up the glued-together chunks. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. :)
The store feeds don't always provide enough calcium even though they include calcium in the mix, and every creature is different, just as we humans are different and have differing needs.
We use oyster shells and also recycle the eggshells, as Donna mentioned. Given the size of quail, oyster shells may be a bit large, but I don't know. Rachel Bess raises quail and would know what they prefer. Mealworms are good-they have calcium in them, too. So you're doing good stuff!
Carol, this backyardchicken thread may help. Most of them said they need it just like chickens or they can decline in health. Soft shells usually mean they need some form of calcium.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/221515/is-oyster-shell-needed-for...
I have never had quail, but chickens will lay soft shelled eggs when they need calcium. Some people crush and bake the eggs shells to feed back to them. I supplement with oyster shell, I just add a little in their food dish. They seem to know when they need it. You may google quail care and see.
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