Help - Bald, overbred quail

[stephstuckman]

I have a rooster in with 8 hens. He keeps picking on two of then to the point they get bald heads, even bloody. I think he must only mate with those two hens or something. They are tuxedos and he is white along with the other hens. It's like he doesn't like the white hens, only the tuxedos. I have already had to separate them to regrow their head feathers once. The are in a 3'x4' pen with an enclosed nest box on the back. They also have a sand box and now 3 little cardboard houses for them to hide in. The little boxes helped a lot, it got them out of his site and a place to hide but he goes after them as soon as he sees them. Any other ideas or do I just need to get them introduced to the other little flock? The other flock had one rooster and 7 hens.

 

[Invision]

Sounds to me like he needs to be a pan frier... You don't want to encourage that type of behavior in your flock. I'd suggest a cull. Make sure the other females are not picking on them though, I had a female bald and I too thought it was the male but turned out I had a mean female. She's better now since breeding season is over for my flock (turned off the lights in September)

 

[dc3085]

You won't "break" him of it so Invision has suggested what is probably your only option. Although he makes a good point to keep an eye and be sure it isn't an aggressive hen doing the damage.

 

[stephstuckman]

Thanks for the advice. I hate to cull him because that only leaves me with one rooster. I was hoping to hatch some in the spring from both flocks. Nobody around here raises quail so it's hard to get just one rooster. My plan was to hatch a batch from each flock and put a rooster from one flock with the hens from the other to make two new flocks for next year. If I hatch some to replace him now it will be tuff because of the cold temps. Our low was 6 degrees Fahrenheit last night. I wish someone around here had quail so I don't have to order more eggs this spring. Then I could hatch me out hens and get the roosters elsewhere. I am trying to avoid inbreeding.

 

[Fat Daddy]

You also have the option of isolating the aggressive roo and providing "conjugal visit" a few hrs a week..... Your hens will stay fertile and not take a beating......

 

[Massey]

Could you move the 2 picked on hens to your other flock,

 

[stephstuckman]

I may have to, but when I moved the worst bald hen out he just started pecking at another. So I don't know. I made more little cardboard houses for them to hide in. Maybe that will help.

 

[Sill]

I know it might be tough to get another rooster, but really you don't want to hatch offspring from that rooster since temperament is inherited like other traits are.

 

[kweyland]

I agree entirely with Invision. which ever bird is the aggressor, shouldn't be used as a breeding bird, and needs to be separated before the behavior is learned by the other birds. When ever breeding flock birds, you never want to breed birds with any aggression issues.

 

[stephstuckman]

That's what I figured. But sounds like he will be in the freezer this weekend. I should be able to hatch and get a roo in the spring to replace him from my other group.

Will makes live 2 years? My other roo is great and big. I would like to use him as much as I can. The whole line breeding thing still confuses me.