How to i assist ...2 quails being overmated feather loss on back

[Sammi_0411]

Hiya could do with some advice please so i have 7 courtaix quail.... 1 male 6 females more then enough space problem is 2 my gals being overmated and have feather loss on their back his not aggressive just over excited i dont really want to get rid of him his a sweet boy and looks after his girls any way i can help deter this? I thought 1 male to 6 female ratio okay? And as i said they have more then enough space not sure if maybe because couple gals wont let him mate them and run and hide? Any advice would be appreciated
Tia
Sam xxx

 

[Kirkwooder]

separate him into an area all by himself.

 

[le_bwah]

I had a roo that only went for one hen out of six, almost monogamous. They were fine for about a year until I introduced the new hatch and he turned aggressive.

I'm curious what "more than enough space" means. Are their hiding spots low-ceilinged enough that he can't hassle them there too?

 

[Quailobsessed]

Males will sometimes pick their favourites and over-mate them. How bad is the feather loss?

 

[JaeG]

It's very common for males to have favourites. They are tough little birds and our girls that are the favourites seem to do just fine and recover once they go through a molt in autumn. Ours are in a huge aviary and it still happens. As long as he isn't being overly aggressive to the point he is drawing blood I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[MDBird]

I've had luck separating roosters for a day or two or if you have other pens moving the roosters around. Of course if you change something that can always lead to new issues.

 

[shrimpsilkies]

1 roo to 6 hens is dependent on the roo. My last one definitely liked having 12 hens and even then was a little rough. His son is the opposite and only mates one or two and is so gentle, doesn’t leave a feather out of place. I attribute this to the fact that the hens ganged up on him twice and left him bald-headed and terrified. He learned his lesson.

Separating him (he will be cranky but alright on his own) for a few days might make the hens aggressive towards him, but it might not make him more gentle. I’ve heard that aggressive quail can be controlled with a spray bottle of water, maybe the same thing will work here if you spray him or chase him away from the overrated hens.

He may also just be young and hormonal. With age some roos will calm down but it’s not guaranteed.

 

[Shannon Robinson50]

I have one hen that’s totally bald on it’s back. She hasn’t molted since the last rooster which we rehomed and is favorite of new one. Poor thing. Only one rooster in there. We have 6 hens. They=aren’t crowded or anything like that she is just popular. We are considering separating her out, but she seems happy. He’s not mean or anything. the previous rooster was a heavy bird with big feet. It pulled out the feathers. No bleeding involved. I’m hoping when she does molt the feathers will remain. Our new rooster is much smaller.