Angry quail?

[Kherome]

I brought home my quail (1 dozen) and they stayed together in one cage (they are 4.5 weeks old now) for a few days while I sorted the caging situation out. Today I split the group 6 in each pen. I have NO idea on gender except for with 1 bird, the only normal brown who developed rust colored chest feathers. So in splitting them I opted to arbitrarily split them, putting 6 tuxes into one cage, and leaving the 4 tibetan/BR, 1 tux, and the brown male in one cage. The cages are next to each other and they can see each other. There is one tux in the tux only cage who is hopping around peeping and popcorning like it's really angry. In the other cage is a tibetan that is pacing back and forth peeping at the other cage. Did I split up friends? A couple? (At this age?) Will they be ok? The splitting was random, just by color (for the heck of it) so that they weren't crowded into one cage now that they are older.

 

[Invision]

At 5 weeks mine started beating each other up. I let it go on for a week then I culled the 4 males that I could see (Pharaoh Quail) easy to tell. But sounds like you have to check them with the foam test, but my guess is you'll have to wait another 2 weeks before you can tell.

 

[Kherome]

Yes, I know I'll have to wait a bit to start figuring out who is what. But at this age is it possible the two who seem angry about being split up were friendly with each other? Will they get over being split up? I have read online that around 5 weeks they can start to get mean with each other, that is why now (4.5 weeks) I opted to split them into two cages, to help me keep a better eye out for trouble makers and because they need the space. Anyone making trouble is the first into the freezer, and I also need to figure out who my boys are so I can cull any excess. But at this age I didn't expect the angst over being split up.

 

[dc3085]

At this age don't worry about their social structure too much. It's a minimal stress for them compared to say switching cages.