Update on my mama quail and her chicks!

[crimsonmama]

The chicks are now 11 days old. Mostly feathered. Eating and drinking well. For some reason mama doesn't seem to be so keen on them anymore??? The last few days she's been making the call for daddy. If we put daddy near her with the chicks she is not happy! She does the angry noise and tries to chase him away. But when out of sight calls for him again! If we put her with him without the chicks nearby she accepts him and seems happy with him!!!
Today she started pecking and bullying one of her chicks. The only brown one. And she doesn't seem particularly caring about the others (is not letting them shelter near her).

We had to choose. A) put the brown chick in with my older chicks (3wk olds). We did this temporary and they didn't mind at all but I was worried about brown chick getting cold or when the older ones mature ... Could get tricky! The brown chick seems likely female (lots of chest spots)
Option b) remove mama from her chicks. This seemed best option. Brown chick could stay with siblings and less risk of mama picking on other chicks.

SO ... Mama is now back with daddy and they seem happy and settled fine after he initially pounced to do his business! And I added my heat blanket that I used with my older chicks to the younger chicks pen and they look snug and cosy! In fact their pen is really peaceful now without mama!

Did she decide she had enough of them and that they were able to fend for themselves? I didn't expect this until about 4wks old!

In the coming months I have somehow got to separate males and females from both my sets of chicks and then hopefully get mama and daddy together in the pen of females!! Will she remember her chicks after weeks away from them? Mama and daddy are next to the older chicks so they can get used to each other. On little tests the older and younger chicks have mixed well if put together briefly.

 

[rita2paul]

i will be interested in the outcome. i have never introduced quails. only going by my chickens they hated each other.

 

[JaeG]

I hatched and raised 2 quail under a broody bantam. At 2 weeks they only cuddled with her at night. By 3 weeks they didn't need her anymore. They grow up so fast.

 

[crimsonmama]

Well mama is now living part time with daddy quail and part time with my older chicks. I'm only putting her in with the older chicks when I'm home to keep at eye on them so she's in with daddy overnight and for about seven hours during the day. She's started laying eggs again.
The first day she pecked at a few chicks but nothing serious and now they generally leave each other alone. I was hoping she would snuggle in with the chicks to show me they are one big family now. But no. As the oldest female mama just stomps around ignoring the others. She wants to get back to daddy quail (Romeo) though as he is next to the chick aviary but as they are only three weeks old it's too soon to try to introduce him in there too! Few more weeks yet!

Earlier today I let Molly (mama quail) out and she went straight over to Romeo. Then went to her chicks (2wk olds today) and I thought aww she wants to see her chicks. But they didn't react at all! Didn't go over to her or anything. They seem to much more prefer the heat blanket I set up for them than their big ol mama! Poor Molly! Lol

I still got quite a few moving around and introductions to make in the upcoming month but so far everyone has at least seen everyone else at some point and I think the trickiest intro might be daddy Romeo in with the girls when they are six weeks. And if my boys will get along in a separate pen with no girls once their hormones kick in!

 

[Q QUAIL S]

I hope you have luck with your chicks!!!