Is a 1-2 male to female ratio ok?

[Oob Child]

I have 3 quail that are currently almost 6 weeks old. One is male and the other two are female. The male is easily excited and seems to make the relatively calm females excited sometimes.

I am raising them as pets and for eggs, so I’d never consider culling the male. I am hatching more quail in about 4 weeks. None of the females have laid eggs yet.

The male is George (the light brown one) and the females are Spot (the grey one) and Hercules (the other one, I think it’s a grau fee)

Sorry about the bad lighting, it is about 9:45pm and I’m off to bed

 

[AidKD]

Does he harass the girls?

 

[Cool-breeze7]

1-2 is, imo, a bad ratio unless you offer an obscene amount of space. I’ve watched birds chase each other for probably close to 100ft (zig zagging, double backing etc).

It’s not guaranteed to be a bad idea and I’d certainly give ole George a chance to show he can play nice and be a gentleman. It’s also possible he will aggressively mate those two hens until the back of their head is a bloody pulp. Watch carefully.

If you’re going to have any animal you need a plan for how to manage end of life. I’m not saying cull the fella now but I’m saying you need a plan before life forces you to make a decision. If you’re hatching eggs odds are you will have to many males and will have to decide how to handle that situation.

 

[Nabiki]

It might work, but that looks like an awfully small cage they're in, so you're more likely to have issues. You will have a better chance of it working if they have more space and plenty of places to hide.

 

[Oob Child]

It might work, but that looks like an awfully small cage they're in, so you're more likely to have issues. You will have a better chance of it working if they have more space and plenty of places to hide.

Sorry, that photo was small. It's actually 2 layer and twice the width shown.

They just choose to be on the bottom floor more because their food and water is there.
They only seem to go to the top level.

 

[Nabiki]

Sorry, that photo was small. It's actually 2 layer and twice the width shown. View attachment 3554434
They just choose to be on the bottom floor more because their food and water is there.
They only seem to go to the top level.

That is still kind of small for them, especially if you want to keep a less than ideal ratio of male to female. Keep a close eye on them and be prepared to separate them if you see signs of overbreeding.

 

[Oob Child]

1-2 is, imo, a bad ratio unless you offer an obscene amount of space. I’ve watched birds chase each other for probably close to 100ft (zig zagging, double backing etc).

It’s not guaranteed to be a bad idea and I’d certainly give ole George a chance to show he can play nice and be a gentleman. It’s also possible he will aggressively mate those two hens until the back of their head is a bloody pulp. Watch carefully.

If you’re going to have any animal you need a plan for how to manage end of life. I’m not saying cull the fella now but I’m saying you need a plan before life forces you to make a decision. If you’re hatching eggs odds are you will have to many males and will have to decide how to handle that situation.

I didn't know he was that gender until about 2 weeks ago, so I couldn't really plan. He doesn't seem to peck the females, and in the 1-2 hours a day I watch them I haven't seen them mate.

I did mention I was hatching some more, so he'd get more quail in with him that would be female in about 12 weeks, if I move them in when they no longer need a heat source.

If he starts pecking at them, I will remove him. He seems to chase them but not do anything when he gets to them.

 

[Cool-breeze7]

I didn't know he was that gender until about 2 weeks ago, so I couldn't really plan. He doesn't seem to peck the females, and in the 1-2 hours a day I watch them I haven't seen them mate.

I did mention I was hatching some more, so he'd get more quail in with him that would be female in about 12 weeks, if I move them in when they no longer need a heat source.

If he starts pecking at them, I will remove him. He seems to chase them but not do anything when he gets to them.

Typically when I hatch I get close to 50/50 male and female. You’ll likely gain some extra ladies but you’ll almost certainly get more males making your ratio worse.

My very first hatch had 7 chicks, only 1 hen. Bought 20 or so chicks straight run. Ended up with 14 males and 13 females.

 

[Oob Child]

Typically when I hatch I get close to 50/50 male and female. You’ll likely gain some extra ladies but you’ll almost certainly get more males making your ratio worse.

My very first hatch had 7 chicks, only 1 hen. Bought 20 or so chicks straight run. Ended up with 14 males and 13 females.

I'm sending most of them to my nan

 

[Oob Child]

Does he harass the girls?

I'm not sure. He seems to run around a lot and step over them if they are sitting down in his way. I think he annoys them slightly but he definitely doesn't harass them often enough for it to be a problem.