How to reintroduce a quail.

[sjaved789]

Hi guys i am a new registered user however I have been following this forum for a very long time

Last week I noticed one of my hens looked very tired and weak compared to the rest of my quail. So I decided to separate her and my other hen from the male for a few days so they can get some rest and warmth. A few days passed and I felt she had recovered so I put her and the other hen into the cage. Suddenly the male and the other female seemed to get into a fight and my poor hen got caught in the middle of it and was attacked. Both her eyes were plucked and starting bleeding and I honestly felt they had blinded her. I separated her and give her daily care and attention. Thankfully one of her eyes did open up the next day ( however the other one is still closed and looks very swollen after 3 days). Now I fear if I try put her back she will be attacked. I thought to put her with my other quail family but I remembered they once attacked a hen that I tried to introduce once. I know quail tend to attack sick birds but I dont feel she is sick just weak because she is the youngest I think any maybe I am doing something wrong when trying to introduce or reintroduce them. Any advise guys for a noob like myself. Thanks in advance

 

[TwoCrows]

Hi there,

and welcome to BYC and the quail forums!

Birds really do know when one of their kind is sick or weak. It is natural for the flock to weed out the ones that are not well, as they can jeopardize the entire flock. So it is instinctual to attack. Also, once a bird is catagorized as lowest in the order, the previously injured bird can remain at the bottom and be picked on continuously.

So at this point, you need to get her well again. And when introducing her back in, (and you will need to watch the flock for days to make sure she is safe), if she is instantly attacked, she will probably need to be permanently separated. You will need to find another quail or pair of quail that do get along with her. Being away for only few days will not cause the flock to forget her. That can take weeks. They obviously see her as weak and or now they just don't like her for many reasons.

Keep her warm, if she appears cold, add a heat lamp and watch the eyes don't become infected.

Good luck with your hen and great to have you aboard BYC!

 

[USAmma]

I have successfully taken a bird out and then put her back into the flock after recovery. I put her in a small carry cage with food and water, inside the main enclosure. They can see her but not get to her. When the bird was fully healed I colored her head with a marker so I could tell which one was her, and I watched her closely for any signs of being attacked.

I have also used this method to isolate a problem bird from the flock if it's being too aggressive. Usually a 24-48 hour time out in the carry cage within the main enclosure will cure it.

 

[sjaved789]

Thanks guys this is useful. I put some hens into her cage to see how they reacted and everything was calm.
After reading USAmma post I remember I have an aggressive roo who is overly aggressive and maybe he is the reason she got so iinjured.I was thinking maybe if I separated this male and let the hen move in back with the females for a few days and then reintroduce the male how would that turn out?

 

[TwoCrows]

It never hurts to mix and match and see what happens. Many times it is one bird that is aggressive, but when the others see aggressive actions, they all join in. If you do indeed have a bully, you may need to keep him separate as well.

Good luck with your flock!