4 week old quail help with rowdy males

[calcifer]

ok so this is my first time raising quail and so far so good but now that they are getting older two( assuming male) are getting rowdy! the two just learned how to crow and are now chasseing all but one of the 6 remaining birds around the brooder pecking at there heads and backs, so far there has only been one time that they caused one of the females(?) to bleed but it seems to be upsetting and stressing them quite a bit, the 5 are all huddled together in a corner and jump and run around when the two bullies start to attack them. is this normal male mating behavior or are they just aggressive? the two are both tuxidos and are not bothering the third tux(passive) but are bothering the rest( a and m). also it seems like they might be guarding the food and water.(fed and watered almost daily) is it possible that the rest are all female or? thanks

 

[kingmt]

For that many birds one of the males has to go. It is normal but it is also twice as many makes as you need. They will end up killing the females & probably each other. The one being left alone is probably to young yet but will be in it also in a few days. Then you well see which side it is on.

 

[calcifer]

hmm ok they don't seem aggressive to each other right now( they sleep together) but ill separate them. is it to soon to move the males to a new unheated(lamp) location? they both have great markings and I was going to keep some of the extra males in a separate cage far away from the females. I am going to be breading the rare silver color mutation soon and don't want to kill all of the males. at what point does mating turn aggressive with males? I want to set up breeding pens but the males who get too aggressive with the hens will become dinner, so is light pecking and chasing normal or should I cull these two and wait in till I get a nicer male? they do seem to be hording the food

 

[kingmt]

I'm assuming these are Coturnix. 4 weeks sounds early but that is how they act. 6 to 8 weeks is where I'd expect it. You can keep a male by itself or in a group of about 6 males or more. If the cage is all males they will take care of each others needs but just a couple of males one will get rode to hard & it will kill him.

 

[calcifer]

should I separate them now? I have them in a 1' x 5' brooder I hate to see my females being bullied? also my silver chicks should hatch on the 1st is this to small of a brooder for 20-30 chicks?

 

[calcifer]

if I have only one tux female can I pair her with a male 1 on 1 or is this to stress full for her? and if you breed a tux with a and m will you get any tux?

 

[dc3085]

i recommend crossing tuxes with a&ms. The first few outcrosses youll get more white on your tux offspring. One on one is too much for a hen id avoid doing that.

 

[kingmt]

Yeah. If they are acting as you say I'd pull one now. Things can get bloody fast. The brooder should be fine.