Introducing new quail

[Heather Christensen]

Any advice on getting newly introduced quail to get along with each other? I had 2 in one cage, 2 in a seprate cage as they were new, to do 30 day quarentine. I tried putting them all in together yesterday. One of the original quail was being so agressive, I put her back on her own. The other I left in there, but they are NOT making friends. They are alternately fighting or sticking to opposite ends of the cage, pacing and trying to find a way out. Am I doing it wrong? Do I just need to wait it out? The quail are stressed and I'm worried they're not eating enough.

 

[feedman77]

If you have one put all of them at once into a different cage.
That way it all new surroundings for all and there is less potential for territoriality.

 

[JaeG]

If you don't have a spare cage pop them in boxes while you completely rearrange their old cage, add some pieces of wood or rocks or anything you've got to make it look different. Move the cage, even slightly if you can. Then reintroduce everyone.

Sometimes you can get the odd one that wants to make trouble no matter what. Some don't like colours that they aren't used to and no amount of effort will change their mind. They can be frustrating birds to integrate.

 

[kumquat]

What type of quail do you have? Coturnix/Japanese? How big is the cage you want to combine the 2 groups in? Do you know the sexes of all 4 quails?

 

[Heather Christensen]

If you don't have a spare cage pop them in boxes while you completely rearrange their old cage, add some pieces of wood or rocks or anything you've got to make it look different. Move the cage, even slightly if you can. Then reintroduce everyone.

Sometimes you can get the odd one that wants to make trouble no matter what. Some don't like colours that they aren't used to and no amount of effort will change their mind. They can be frustrating birds to integrate.

All 4 of my birds are different colour variations, so that is probably not helping! I just separated them today, no one was getting seriously injured, and but there was a lot of fighting and jumping around. I could have given it more time but these birds live in my study and I couldn't take the commotion anymore. I'm thinking it may not be worth the drama to try to get them all to get along.

 

[Heather Christensen]

What type of quail do you have? Coturnix/Japanese? How big is the cage you want to combine the 2 groups in? Do you know the sexes of all 4 quails?

They are Coturnix, all confirmed female. The cage is 110cm by 55 cm - seems like plenty of room for 4 birds.

 

[Tiny dinosaurs]

I have the same question, I am introducing two slightly younger cotournix to my little flock of three, one roo and two hens, how long do they need to remain separated and should I switch up the floor plan of the coop before introduction or will that stress make them more liable to be rude to the new girls?
I'd hate for the existing three to gang up on them!
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[Danny C.]

If you have one put all of them at once into a different cage.
That way it all new surroundings for all and there is less potential for territoriality.

This makes sense! I have play sand for the bottom of my pen, and every 3-4 weeks I go in the 8’x5’x6’ hard floor bottom pen and remove heavily use and usually wet from rain sand and put in new 50lb bag of sand. Removing all brooder boxes, cover logs, food and water to nothing but quail. They huddle in one big group away from me then after done with new sand and all things back in, for days I don’t really notice much aggressive behavior.
These are 5 males and 16 female bobwhites. Here are few pics and daily egg production.

 

[JaeG]

I have the same question, I am introducing two slightly younger cotournix to my little flock of three, one roo and two hens, how long do they need to remain separated and should I switch up the floor plan of the coop before introduction or will that stress make them more liable to be rude to the new girls?
I'd hate for the existing three to gang up on them!
0<0

Keep them where they can see each other but have a barrier between them or put them in separate cages next to each other. Rearranging the main cage and adding visual barriers makes it neutral territory so the established birds are less likely to gang up on the newcomers. Hopefully they'll all get along but occasionally personalities clash no matter what you do.