HELP! Hens killing roosters (Gory pic warning)

[ChristinaD25]

I had 8 coturnix hens living together happily for about 2 months.

5 days ago I integrated 2 roosters. One was killed by a skull penetrating peck within 1 hour. 3 of the hens were acting unusually psychotic when I discovered this. They were darting around trying to attack the other birds in what seemed like a group effort. They were even going after the birds they had lived with without issue prior to introducing the roos. I removed those three to a separate pen, and they have been living harmoniously since.

I picked 3 hens and 1 rooster and introduced them to the existing set of quail in the dust bath and then put them into a brooder box to observe them. They all seemed to be fine with each other. I moved them back to the pen where they lived without any issue for 4 days. Today when I went ti check on them, I found the other rooster, not just dead, but mutilated. The remaining 8 hens and 1 too were all calm and content seeming and had no trace of blood on them. A couple of the hens have ruffled feathers where the top of their wing meets their back, but I think that might just be starting to molt (?).

They scalped his entire head/neck. The feathers on his right upper back we’re ripped out, but he had no bite marks or anything appearing that it may have been a predator trying to eat him. There was blood splatter on 2 of the walls inside the hutch, but none near the egg roll opening where i found him laying. The severely plucked side of his back was not against the bottom of the elevated hutch which is made of 1/2” hardware cloth. There were eggs in the egg roll that were untouched - wouldn’t they be an easy meal for a predator?

The surviving rooster does not crow much at all, but does mate with the hens. Both this and the previously killed rooster were CONSTANTLY crowing it seemed. Could that have something to do with it? Is this normal? Should I be choosing roosters with certain qualities for them?

These are my preferred quail which I would like to use for breeding. I just don’t see how that will happen if they keep killing the roosters. What can I do??

 

[Kiki]

Yikes. I'd end that bird's suffering immediately. This is the exact reason I avoid integrating quail at all costs....although I did just successfully integrate five females with one male.

 

[ChristinaD25]

Yikes. I'd end that bird's suffering immediately. This is the exact reason I avoid integrating quail at all costs....although I did just successfully integrate five females with one male.

He was dead when I found him, if not I would have culled him immediately. Should I be putting the hens I want to breed in a separate enclosure with a rooster just long enough to watch them mate and then separate them?? I’m so confused on what to do here.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Move all of them when you integrate. They're territorial and if they think this is THEIR home, they'll defend against any newly introduced birds. It's a bit humbug, but make every bird uncomfortable for a period of time so that when they get put somewhere better (or even back in the same pen they were in before) they're all grateful.

This technique will also work on kids.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Sweet lordy lord. Coturnix are crazy lil buggers, aren't they? I'm so sorry about your quail roosters
Quail breeding, unfortunately, needs a bit of supervision I think. I'd try the suggestion from @CovidtimeQuail

 

[007Sean]

@CovidtimeQuail , is absolutely correct. Move all of them into a new pen/enclosure, preferable in the 'dead' of night. That way when morning comes, there all on the same 'footing', so to speak! This technique is really critical with gamebirds, due to their territorial characteristics. They will establish a new pecking order, and hopefully, no bad issues will return.

 

[ChristinaD25]

Move all of them when you integrate. They're territorial and if they think this is THEIR home, they'll defend against any newly introduced birds. It's a bit humbug, but make every bird uncomfortable for a period of time so that when they get put somewhere better (or even back in the same pen they were in before) they're all grateful.

This technique will also work on kids.

@007Sean Thank you both. Do you think it would be wise at this point (being there are still 3 new hens in there) to move the remaining group to a separate enclosure to mix it up a bit and then move them back into their pen? Should I wait a certain period of time before introducing a new roo?

 

[007Sean]

@007Sean Thank you both. Do you think it would be wise at this point (being there are still 3 new hens in there) to move the remaining group to a separate enclosure to mix it up a bit and then move them back into their pen? Should I wait a certain period of time before introducing a new roo?

If you have another pen/enclosure that's big enough for all of them, then move them all to it at the same time....if some of them start bullying again, you can move those birds back to the other pen/enclosure.

There is no guarantee that it will work in your case but it has worked for me many times in the past...at the same time I have had a few birds that just didn't 'get along' with any other birds. It's just really a trial and error type of situation.

 

[ChristinaD25]

Sweet lordy lord. Coturnix are crazy lil buggers, aren't they? I'm so sorry about your quail roosters
Quail breeding, unfortunately, needs a bit of supervision I think. I'd try the suggestion from @CovidtimeQuail

They sure are. This group is my “docile”
bunch… but apparently, that docility only applies to interactions with me, with their fellow quail they’re absolutely nuts

Is there a general rule about how many times/how often they should be mated to produce fertile eggs? My operation is small scale, so if possible I’d prefer to set eggs from specific birds, rather than setting a larger batch and and then have to house and feed them while culling them down to a selected few. If I improve my integration methods does the former seem like a realistic plan?

 

[ChristinaD25]

If you have another pen/enclosure that's big enough for all of them, then move them all to it at the same time....if some of them start bullying again, you can move those birds back to the other pen/enclosure.

There is no guarantee that it will work in your case but it has worked for me many times in the past...at the same time I have had a few birds that just didn't 'get along' with any other birds. It's just really a trial and error type of situation.

I’ll give it a shot! Thank you!