Getting fed up with quail brutality

[winstonsgrrrl]

I have a group of six week olds that have just started picking on each other. Two of them have bloody heads and are practically scalped. These have all been together since hatching! I separated the two out to heal, but I'm afraid what will happen when I reunify.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Are they crowding each other? Competing for food? Becoming sexually mature?

 

[AHappychick]

imo quail are soo nasty to each other. and this is the age when it begins, hatch mates means nothing to them. I usually put the wonded ones in their own pen, usually they are nice to each other. Blue kote is my best friend with quail and bacitracin, Eventually you can find some that seem to like each other and can live together. once possible cull all the nasty roos that are doing the damage (it is often but not always them) then see what you have left. I try to do groups of 4 or 5 hens to 1 roo.

 

[Wifezilla]

Will upping the protein percent in their food help? I know that helps with chickens but not sure about quail.

 

[AHappychick]

it does sometimes, especially with BW I found but even with a very high protein they are still brutes.

 

[La Mike]

Wifezilla
You can debeak them and stopp alot of that
Cold weather will cause them to cannibalize too
Make sure they are warm enough

 

[Wifezilla]

So far I only have 4 and they are pretty tame. The worst thing is 2 of my girls have a bald spot from the little roo grabbing on

I do have an incubator full of eggs, so I will keep this in mind.

Most likely any I don't sell as chicks will be headed for Camp Kenmore anyway (actually Amana Camp if you want to get technical

)

 

[La Mike]

Thats my second favorite place to keep them
First is the frying pan

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
WHAT TYPE OF QUAIL?

 

[DLS]

I trim there beaks that stops most of that right NOW. Put some terrimicin powder in tyhe water & the bloodied one will heal quickly