2 Female Quail Fighting

[kaytee75]

I have two female quail, about 10 months of age who have been very happy living together since 6 weeks old. No other quails, just these 2.

One has started constantly pecking the head of the other one, chasing her around constantly and making a very deep noise as she chases her. She also tries to mount her and has taken to running around pecking at the walls of the enclosure.

Nothing has changed at all so I am at a loss to work out what the issue is.

 

[Erkenstein]

Your dominant female is bullying the other one. The breeding season is here, so hormones are flowing. You can try adding cover for the other one to escape her, but once they get it in their heads that they want to chase and bully, it's pretty hard to do much about it besides separate them.

In one of my breeding groups (4 females with 1 male), one of the females turned aggressive and ended up injuring another one. I removed the injured one to let her heal (the others birds will kill an injured one) and removed the aggressive one as well, each to separate cages.

Once the injury had healed, I reintroduced the victim back to the group and it was fine. Several days later, I returned the aggressive hen to the group and she went right back to stalking, chasing, pecking, and growling. I put her with a different group and she did the same thing. So, she ended up on the culling schedule.

 

[nehsha]

I have two female quail, about 10 months of age who have been very happy living together since 6 weeks old. No other quails, just these 2.

One has started constantly pecking the head of the other one, chasing her around constantly and making a very deep noise as she chases her. She also tries to mount her and has taken to running around pecking at the walls of the enclosure.

Nothing has changed at all so I am at a loss to work out what the issue is.

Hi kaytee75. I have the same situation right now. How did you overcome the issue? Did the aggressive quail calm down? I have put the aggressive one in a separate enclosure.

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Hi kaytee75. I have the same situation right now. How did you overcome the issue? Did the aggressive quail calm down? I have put the aggressive one in a separate enclosure.

How long has the aggressive one been bullying the other?

 

[nehsha]

So it was attacking for 3 days. As soon as I noticed the behaviour i separated them. But tried to put them back together 2-3 times over the last 3 days.

 

[Quailobsessed]

Hi kaytee75. I have the same situation right now. How did you overcome the issue? Did the aggressive quail calm down? I have put the aggressive one in a separate enclosure.

I had the same problem when I had one male with four females. One of the females was attacking two other females. Turns out, three of the four 'females' were actually males. Are you completely sure on their genders?

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

I had the same problem when I had one male with four females. One of the females was attacking two other females. Turns out, three of the four 'females' were actually males. Are you completely sure on their genders?

This reminds me of the time I bought four quail chicks. At first I thought one of them was a female, but turned out all four were males.

So it was attacking for 3 days. As soon as I noticed the behaviour i separated them. But tried to put them back together 2-3 times over the last 3 days.

How is the aggressive quail attacking the other? (e.g. is the aggressive quail mounting the other one or just chasing?)

And how badly pecked is the bullied one? If this behavior is continuous, you might want to think of permanently separating them or getting rid of the aggressive one.

 

[nehsha]

Are you completely sure on their genders?

Yes, they both lay eggs. Unless the aggressive one wants to become gender fluid...

How is the aggressive quail attacking the other? (e.g. is the aggressive quail mounting the other one or just chasing?)

And how badly pecked is the bullied one? If this behavior is continuous, you might want to think of permanently separating them or getting rid of the aggressive one.

Chasing, mounting and then pecking behind the head. As soon as I noticed this, I separated them. Then tried to put them back together a few times but the behaviour continued. So kept them in separate enclosures. The behaviour started a day after a really hot day 43°C (109°F). The aggressive one was not making the normal chirping sound at all. It was growling(?). Sorry I am not sure how to describe the sound.

But last afternoon, I put them together again to check. And the aggressive one behaved normally. It is now also making the chirping sound.

 

[Quailobsessed]

Yes, they both lay eggs. Unless the aggressive one wants to become gender fluid...


Chasing, mounting and then pecking behind the head. As soon as I noticed this, I separated them. Then tried to put them back together a few times but the behaviour continued. So kept them in separate enclosures. The behaviour started a day after a really hot day 43°C (109°F). The aggressive one was not making the normal chirping sound at all. It was growling(?). Sorry I am not sure how to describe the sound.

But last afternoon, I put them together again to check. And the aggressive one behaved normally. It is now also making the chirping sound.

So are they okay now or are they still fighting?

 

[TurtletheCoturnix]

Yes, they both lay eggs. Unless the aggressive one wants to become gender fluid...


Chasing, mounting and then pecking behind the head. As soon as I noticed this, I separated them. Then tried to put them back together a few times but the behaviour continued. So kept them in separate enclosures. The behaviour started a day after a really hot day 43°C (109°F). The aggressive one was not making the normal chirping sound at all. It was growling(?). Sorry I am not sure how to describe the sound.

But last afternoon, I put them together again to check. And the aggressive one behaved normally. It is now also making the chirping sound.

Were the quails introduced to the cage at the same time? Sometimes they're just defending their territory.

The aggressive one might be the "alpha" female, so you should keep an eye on it, because she probably will bully the other one later on.

Also, how long were they together in the same cage?