help quails had chicks without incubator

[lisajmuir]

ok so i have 5 quails 2 males 3 females. so far they all have got along give or take a few bald bumbs!!

but today I found 6 dead chicks scattered about the cage. (10ft x10ft avairy). I thought it was impossible for them to hatch young on their own!!!!!!! so was really sad to find chicks!!!!! if i had known I would have got them out. but I fear the male killed them before i discovered them.

so my question is this........ should I now seperate the males and see if the females lay more eggs and sit on them? so this time I can get the babies under a heat lamp. or do you think it was a fluke and wont happen again.?? really dont know what to do?

any help much appreciated.

 

[nchls school]

ok so i have 5 quails 2 males 3 females.  so far they all have got along give or take a few bald bumbs!!

but today I found 6 dead chicks scattered about the cage. (10ft x10ft avairy).   I thought it was impossible for them to hatch young on their own!!!!!!!  so was really sad to find chicks!!!!!  if i had known I would have got them out.  but I fear the male killed them before i discovered them.

so my question is this........  should I now seperate the males and see if the females lay more eggs and sit on them?  so this time I can get the babies under a heat lamp.  or do you think it was a fluke and wont happen again.??  really dont know what to do?

any help much appreciated.

What kind of quail?

 

[lisajmuir]

.

 

[dc3085]

They're coturnix and that one needs treatment for its eye infection. Coturnix should be kept with 1 male for every 3-4 females at a minimum, 5-7 is preferred. You will experience all sorts of social infighting with two roosters and only three hens. Although it is mathematically unlikely that coturnix will brood chicks it does happen every once in a great while. In the case of quail unless the babies were visibly wounded it's just as likely that their mother didn't know how to take care of them and died of exposure, ants, etc.

Treat that eye infection with teramycin or vetracyn as directed on the package. Teramycin can usually be purchased at drug stores or feed stores. Vetracyn usually pet stores or feed stores.

 

[lisajmuir]

hi there thanks for the reply. the quail in the picture is an older pic. his eyes fine now
I have seperated the males so one has his female and the other has 2. they seem to be happier. but I think it will be best to find a home for one of the males so just have the 3 females and one male. If I see the female sitting on eggs again should I seperate her so she is not disturbed? wether they hatch again.... I dont know..... but this time now I know the impossible can happen.... I will be ready. heat lamp at hand

 

[dc3085]

Dont keep switching them around unless you integrate them properly later. When you remove a bird for a while the other birds will usually no longer accept it without going thru a couple weeks of integration. They're incredibly territorial.

 

[lisajmuir]

so whats best in this situation? just seperate the male until I can find him a new home?

 

[dc3085]

That would be best. Sadly though I highly doubt you'll be able to find a home for your other male. Male coturnix just don't have any value to most people. Most of us process extra males for the table since they are nearly impossible to get rid of.

 

[nchls school]

.

Would you post a picture of a male? This picture could also be a button quail and they do brood and hatch chicks often with the right environment,

 

[dc3085]

Would you post a picture of a male? This picture could also be a button quail and they do brood and hatch chicks often with the right environment,

Thats half inch by half inch wire in the background if that's a button quail it's the godzilla of buttons. It's a coturnix.