Fighting with flock's new members

[Drother]

I have 12 Bob White Quail and they are just 11 weeks old. Yesterday I picked up 6 Coturnix hens that are already laying and tried to put them in with the young Bob Whites. Vicious fighting started in seconds with the Bob Whites attacking the older Coturnix. I have separated them now and placed them close enough to see and smell each other. Maybe I will tray again in a week.
Looking for any and all suggestions on how to integrate new birds to the flock. I had hoped that the young flock would be young enough to accept new members.
Any thoughts?
Minneapolis Quail Newbie~

 

[chicknmania]

In the first place, you should always quarantine new birds for three weeks to a month. Quarantining means keeping them in a separate enclosure from your existing flock, to make sure they are healthy and not contagious.

After a month, they should be able to socialize through the wire of the pen. If they do well with that, then you can let them mingle, with supervision. Of course there will be some fighting to establish pecking order.

They need a chance to get used to each other, and to the new environment.

 

[paneubert]

Bobwhite and coturnix are not the same. So this is like asking why your guinea hens are fighting with your chickens. Unfortunately bobwhite are angry little birds.... How big is their enclosure? Lots of hiding spots?

 

[blackdust951]

it may have to be quite large for 18 quail especially for bobwhite's as they need more space and the coturnix quail will get picked on a lot i think it may be better to keep them separate but yeah it's your decision

 

[Drother]

In the first place, you should always quarantine new birds for three weeks to a month. Quarantining means keeping them in a separate enclosure from your existing flock, to make sure they are healthy and not contagious.

Chicknmania, Great point. I was not so concerned about viral risks because both sets of birds came from the same breeder just 8 weeks apart. Maybe just naive.

 

[Drother]

Bobwhite and coturnix are not the same. So this is like asking why your guinea hens are fighting with your chickens. Unfortunately bobwhite are angry little birds.... How big is their enclosure? Lots of hiding spots?

Paneubert, Thanks, I was assuming they were closer breeds. They are in 2 - 16 square foot enclosures and each space has several buckets turned upside-down with an opening cut in the side plus branches to climb on and duck behind. That is 1.8 sq foot per quail.

 

[Drother]

Update, After an escape and round up they all went into the same pen and acted like long lost friends. Now they cry when separated. So far so good. They have been together for 5 days with zero fights but we will see what happens when puberty hits. One Coturnix was given to a good neighbor for all the help and generosity.

 

[paneubert]

Update, After an escape and round up they all went into the same pen and acted like long lost friends. Now they cry when separated. So far so good. They have been together for 5 days with zero fights but we will see what happens when puberty hits. One Coturnix was given to a good neighbor for all the help and generosity.

Good to hear. Hope they stay friends.

 

[chicknmania]

Update, After an escape and round up they all went into the same pen and acted like long lost friends. Now they cry when separated. So far so good. They have been together for 5 days with zero fights but we will see what happens when puberty hits. One Coturnix was given to a good neighbor for all the help and generosity.

Well, ok, I am having the same problem with chicks! I am worried about them, we had a chick who was rejected by her mother. She's been in the house with us in a brooder box for the past week. Today my husband and I went to the hatchery and got three chicks (hatched yesterday) to be friends for her. Two are her size and one is considerably bigger. Well, she was terrified of them. They finally did all eat out of the same dish a bit, but then Solo (the rejected chick) retreated behind her stuffed animal mother, and the three new chicks crashed and are sleeping in the food dish together.
The brooder box is a bit small for the four of them, so I will get them a bigger box, hopefully tomorrow, but I am worried about stress and afraid they might die....sighhh. I did this before with an orphaned chick and it worked out fine, but in that case there was only a day's age difference between them. And no, i didn't quarantine them...I never do with day olds from the hatchery..I don't really see a reason to in that case. But maybe I should have kept them separate with a barrier for a bit.

 

[chicknmania]

But all are friends now!