Is a 1-2 male to female ratio ok?

[Oob Child]

I have 3 quail that are currently almost 6 weeks old. One is male and the other two are female. The male is easily excited and seems to make the relatively calm females excited sometimes.

I am raising them as pets and for eggs, so I’d never consider culling the male. I am hatching more quail in about 4 weeks. None of the females have laid eggs yet.

The male is George (the light brown one) and the females are Spot (the grey one) and Hercules (the other one, I think it’s a grau fee)

Sorry about the bad lighting, it is about 9:45pm and I’m off to bed

 

[le_bwah]

Adding more to a cage that size might not solve your issues and may introduce new ones. The birds have nowhere to run or hide from each other.

Also, if you intend to hatch your own chicks you really do need to consider how you'll handle the males—killing them yourself is often kinder than sending them to an unknown fate.

 

[Cool-breeze7]

1-2 is, imo, a bad ratio unless you offer an obscene amount of space. I’ve watched birds chase each other for probably close to 100ft (zig zagging, double backing etc).

It’s not guaranteed to be a bad idea and I’d certainly give ole George a chance to show he can play nice and be a gentleman. It’s also possible he will aggressively mate those two hens until the back of their head is a bloody pulp. Watch carefully.

If you’re going to have any animal you need a plan for how to manage end of life. I’m not saying cull the fella now but I’m saying you need a plan before life forces you to make a decision. If you’re hatching eggs odds are you will have to many males and will have to decide how to handle that situation.

 

[Nabiki]

It might work, but that looks like an awfully small cage they're in, so you're more likely to have issues. You will have a better chance of it working if they have more space and plenty of places to hide.

 

[Nabiki]

That's the exact ratio i'm aiming for

Expect about 50/50. You'll need to come up with a plan for your extra males.

 

[Nabiki]

Sorry, that photo was small. It's actually 2 layer and twice the width shown. View attachment 3554434
They just choose to be on the bottom floor more because their food and water is there.
They only seem to go to the top level.

That is still kind of small for them, especially if you want to keep a less than ideal ratio of male to female. Keep a close eye on them and be prepared to separate them if you see signs of overbreeding.

 

[AidKD]

Just 4 more weeks until I can get more. I'm getting them in rare fees. I'm specifically excited for the pearl ones. Then when they are 4-5 weeks old I'll move some females in with the others.

Ooo, pearls are so pretty!! Good for you!

 

[Patiocoturnix]

Typically when I hatch I get close to 50/50 male and female. You’ll likely gain some extra ladies but you’ll almost certainly get more males making your ratio worse.

My very first hatch had 7 chicks, only 1 hen. Bought 20 or so chicks straight run. Ended up with 14 males and 13 females.

Lol I know most people have this problem but I was so lucky on my first hatch I got 5 females and 1 male.

 

[Oob Child]

Lol I know most people have this problem but I was so lucky on my first hatch I got 5 females and 1 male.

That's the exact ratio i'm aiming for

 

[AidKD]

Does he harass the girls?