Coturnix Males Help Anyone???

[quailbrain]

I just started with Coturnix and it has been a learning experience so I can't say it's been bad but today is just so sad. I had heard that they would make their calls a lot but I had no idea what to expect. Our neighbors when the first small clutch was young and started to croak said they were fine so we went ahead with a big group. They turned 6 weeks on Sunday and All day yesterday the Croaked and all night. At 3 a.m. my hubby wanted to butcher them all. By 5 am he made me go pull all of the males out of the processing cages and he is going to process them today. I still have three males in my breeding cages. I'm so sad despite the fact that we were going to do it in a few weeks anyway.I just can't figure out why they cry all night and all day??? Am I doing something wrong? In no exageration last night we laid in bed counting to see what the longest time of silence would be. 10 was the highest we counted. There are 17 boys but not all together. They are not in a lighted area. It is very dark on out there. If i can't figure something out Dh wont be so excited this next hatch... I'm worried. Dh said he'd rather have a rooster!!!!!

 

[byoung14ever]

I think you have to many males. Just like a bunch of tennage boys competing for a girl they all want to be the loudest and show off for their potential mates. I have one male and four females in a cage together by the house and he rarely crows cause( i think) he does not have to compete for "love". In my large pen20x20 i have lots of males and females and they crow constantly as well but its far enough away from house its no bother. You only need one male for five females anyhoo. Brad

 

[quailbrain]

I didn't think they would croak even at night. I was really hoping we could at very least make it till they were 8 weeks old.... better would have been 12weeks. I'm bummbed out. i really wanted to pair them off at 12 weeks not this soon!

 

[byoung14ever]

I cant say about they night crowing i dont think i have heard mine do that. Is there a light around? Doesn't take a lot of light to keep them active.Sounds like they are maturing enough to want to mate so I would put them into breeder cages and pair off. Thats what I have mine in the small cage for. I keep those eggs for hatching and the eggs we get from the "flight" cage we eat or boil and give back cause they are usually dirty. Good luck with them!!I cant say for sure but they should quiet down in a few weeks as breeding season is about over.

 

[quailbrain]

There aren't any lights by them. If it was during the day no one would care, infact we have people who walk the trails by our house and stop to ask and see them all the time. The problem is the night noise.... all night. They are under a tree. No lights. In a corner.

 

[jetto]

Ours crow during the night too and they are in a dark barn at night. We have a bachelor pen that is the biggest noisemaker but even the other two pens with only two roo's in each with a bunch of hens do some crowing during the day. But the bachelor pen is definitely the worst offenders- and they get processed tomorrow but they are older birds too. Thankfully we live in the country where no one cares since we have cows mooing on both sides of us and usually sheep in the pen across the street. Kristi

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

I hope mine dont make that much noise. I have my first coturnix quail. I only have 8. Our town allows farm animals.. Poultry and mini farm animals. But I live in an apartment that allows pets.. They consider caged birds ok. I sure hope they dont get that loud. Im only going to keep 4, 1 male-3 females. And eat the other 4. And use the breeders to raise a small amount of birds for food. I sure hope I get my house soon..

Ive kept button quail here for a year. And no complaints on them. Sure hope the coturnix dont get me in trouble. So far so good. But they are only a little under 3 weeks old..

 

[quailbrain]

If it was one I'd think you'd be OK but the lot of boys I have are louder than expected. I just didn't expect the night thing at all!

 

[jetto]

I was startled the first midnight potty trip I took and I could hear them out there. I was afraid at first something had gotten into the barn and was going to get them- but they were fine. And they crow every night. Not all night I don't think but we both hear them periodically. Kristi

 

[JJMR794]

They Crow 24/7 Even Chicken Roosters And Tom Turkeys Do This.... I Personally Dont Think Its A Problem, But Obviously I Dont Live At Your House. I Am In A Rural Community On 3/4 Acre. With Lots Of Neighbors, But We Zoned Agricultural And Folks 'round Here Have All Sorts Of Critters So My Nieghbors Are Probably More Tolerant Than Most Others....