How long should I keep the "parents" of the quail chicks separated?

[ellieV03]

Hi again,
So my quail just hatched four chicks a couple of days ago and they were in the cage with the parents, everything was fine, the mother was caring for them and the father was leaving them alone.
Last night tho, the male first tried to mate with the female and then attacked one of the chicks by throwing it around and the baby was limp for a while even if today seems to be getting better.

Anyway, I separated the male from the female and the chicks, but the two adults are very bonded and they're calling each other from the separated cages so I'm not sure what to do.
I was thinking of leaving the chicks with the mother for the first couple of weeks before separating them since she is caring for them very well, but I don't think I can leave the adults separated for so long, and at the same time I'm afraid if I put them together again too soon the male will hurt the chicks.

Another thought I've had is that if I leave the adults separated for too long (the two weeks I was talking about) maybe they will be aggressive towards each other when I put them back together (especially the male).

How long should I leave the parents separated?
And is it possible they will be aggressive towards each other if reunited after too long?
Or should I just separate the chicks form the parents?

 

[NatJ]

I don't know much about quail, so what I am saying is based on what I know can work with chickens.

the two adults are very bonded and they're calling each other from the separated cages so I'm not sure what to do.

How close together are the cages? If you put the cages right next to each other, they could interact through the sides of the cage (so not completely separate, hopefully not upsetting them as much) while still letting the mother care for her babies and the father not hurt the babies.

Another thought I've had is that if I leave the adults separated for too long (the two weeks I was talking about) maybe they will be aggressive towards each other when I put them back together (especially the male).

Side-by-side cages usually avoid that kind of problem in chickens. It might work for quail too (hopefully someone with more quail knowledge can chime in on that.)

 

[ellieV03]

I don't know much about quail, so what I am saying is based on what I know can work with chickens.


How close together are the cages? If you put the cages right next to each other, they could interact through the sides of the cage (so not completely separate, hopefully not upsetting them as much) while still letting the mother care for her babies and the father not hurt the babies.


Side-by-side cages usually avoid that kind of problem in chickens. It might work for quail too (hopefully someone with more quail knowledge can chime in on that.)

Are there other options if I'm not able to put the cages next to each other?
I could try but the lower level of the cage has a layer of opaque plastic so the wouldn't be able to see each other through that

 

[NatJ]

Are there other options if I'm not able to put the cages next to each other?
I could try but the lower level of the cage has a layer of opaque plastic so the wouldn't be able to see each other through that

Can you divide one cage with a piece of wire mesh? That way they could interact through it.

(For wire mesh, you could use hardware cloth, window screen, plastic needlepoint canvass, possibly even tulle or similar fabric: anything that is strong enough to keep the quail from going through but still lets them see and interact. Of course the holes need to be small enough that quail chicks do not go through.)

 

[Azavatone]

Hi again,
So my quail just hatched four chicks a couple of days ago and they were in the cage with the parents, everything was fine, the mother was caring for them and the father was leaving them alone.
Last night tho, the male first tried to mate with the female and then attacked one of the chicks by throwing it around and the baby was limp for a while even if today seems to be getting better.

Anyway, I separated the male from the female and the chicks, but the two adults are very bonded and they're calling each other from the separated cages so I'm not sure what to do.
I was thinking of leaving the chicks with the mother for the first couple of weeks before separating them since she is caring for them very well, but I don't think I can leave the adults separated for so long, and at the same time I'm afraid if I put them together again too soon the male will hurt the chicks.

Another thought I've had is that if I leave the adults separated for too long (the two weeks I was talking about) maybe they will be aggressive towards each other when I put them back together (especially the male).

How long should I leave the parents separated?
And is it possible they will be aggressive towards each other if reunited after too long?
Or should I just separate the chicks form the parents?

Hi again,
So my quail just hatched four chicks a couple of days ago and they were in the cage with the parents, everything was fine, the mother was caring for them and the father was leaving them alone.
Last night tho, the male first tried to mate with the female and then attacked one of the chicks by throwing it around and the baby was limp for a while even if today seems to be getting better.

Anyway, I separated the male from the female and the chicks, but the two adults are very bonded and they're calling each other from the separated cages so I'm not sure what to do.
I was thinking of leaving the chicks with the mother for the first couple of weeks before separating them since she is caring for them very well, but I don't think I can leave the adults separated for so long, and at the same time I'm afraid if I put them together again too soon the male will hurt the chicks.

Another thought I've had is that if I leave the adults separated for too long (the two weeks I was talking about) maybe they will be aggressive towards each other when I put them back together (especially the male).

How long should I leave the parents separated?
And is it possible they will be aggressive towards each other if reunited after too long?
Or should I just separate the chicks form the parents?

If the parents don't want anything to do with their kids, you can separate them immediately as long as you have a brooder (cage) set up for them with a heat lamp. …and a suicide proof water supply.

I just ran in to the case where one of the hens wants nothing to do with chicks, but the dad is great with the 40+ week olds + newbs that I've hatched recently. The other hen is of the mindset of, Tthere're too many kids around me! Whadda I do!?!!!"

The chicks grow up well on their own. It's VITAL that you have a heat lamp for the first 1 to 2 weeks until their feathers come in. They can't regulate their heat until then. For the first 2 days, quail chicks are GENIUS LEVEL at committing suicide around a thought of water. Be super careful but after that, they are better at staying alive. Note that any water dish they will find a way to crawl into and proceed to practice drowning. It's mind boggling. Once you get to the two week mark, the little hoppy flappers should be maintaining nicely as their feathers come in and inspecting everything that that demands to be inspected.

They do well on their own. Just use a proper waterer and a heat lamp.

Enjoy your babies!