Coturnix Quail - The Good and The Bad

[MissPrissy]

The good - yesterday I got 2 eggs.

The bad - Last night on final walk through just before dark I found one had been attacked by another quail in the pen. Its eyes were gone and its neck was hanging on only by the bone. I had to cull it. That was the most grewsome thing I have ever seen.

How do you integrate new birds into the pen if they do things like that to birds they hatched and brooded with????

 

[ticks]

Quote:
Sorry to here that MP. I would try using a divider if possible. Put the new quail in a section where the other quail can see each other, and you get the picture.

 

[PurpleChicken]

I tried to introduce my one 8 week old male into my flock of youngins but every
time I put him in with them he would go into a frenzy and just start attacking them.
It was sorta funny in a way. No quails were harmed. There were 36 of them and just
one of him.

So, we put his cage next to the other cage for 2 weeks and finally threw him back in
with the others. It was a little crazy for a few minutes but settled down. Now it's
one big happy quail family.

 

[okiechick57]

I am having the same problem with my new babies being added, I made them a see through container and let them stay alone for a day or so.then incorporated them, less fighting..... man these little things can be mean !

 

[sara]

Wow. That must have been awful.

 

[Jenski]

MissPrissy, so sorry about your quail! These threads are of interest to me, as I am considering getting some quail and I am still researching.

Do these little guys just need a huge amount of room, or are they just naturally aggressive/high strung? How much space are people giving them, and is everyone having aggression problems? I echo MissPrissy's question re. any special tricks to keeping them calm/non-violent ~

 

[luvmychix]

I have a smaller pen built inside of the large that i put the new birds in so the can get used to eachothers scent for about a week....never had any problems....

 

[luvmychix]

I have a smaller pen built inside of the large that i put the new birds in so the can get used to eachothers scent for about a week....never had any problems....

 

[monarc23]

Ya know what, that's really odd. I mean I've read a lot about quails being like that but mine aren't. I'm not tryin to toot my own horn but I think I may know why they are accepting to new comers. When my button quail chick was about 4-5 days old my coturnix chicks were born, they went right in with my button quail chick...then when my jumbos were born a few days later, they went right in with the normal coturnix and the older button quail.

I've had my button chick and coturnix outside now for...errumm a week now, they're mostly a month, to just days away from being a month old. I just this morning put my adult hen and male button quail in the same hutch as the others since my button hen is done laying for the season. She was the one that was terrified, the male he ran right in the indoor part and layed down with a coturnix hen. The button hen flipped out for a bit (trying to get out of the hutch) the coturnix chicks just watched her or didnt pay her any mind. After she calmed down, there was no interest in her anymore at all. *the interest that was given was them watching her heads cocked as she binged off the caging*

I'll keep this post updated on it but im almost certain theres no problems. I've been back up to check a few times and they're all just wakling around preening, eating, drinking, peeping.

I really think it has to do with teh chicks almost continually seeing changes wether it be new comers a new brooder, and now a new hutch. I think the sort of constant change has put an invisable line in territory so no one gets in a huff over new comers. Least that's my theory on why it's working for me so far.


OH and before anyone gets in a hissy over me having buttons and coturnix together...they're fine...promise ya. If I ever EVER see even a tiny bit of problems they'll be removed. I'd just perfer tokeep them all together for the winter so they have more body heat. Once spring gets here if all is well, they'll be separated into their own species cages.

 

[MissPrissy]

Mine was not a newly introduced bird. It was a bird they have been with since hatch.

Good luck to you with your continued success. Hopefully your males won't spare and fight to the death before spring.