Is it better to have 1 solo male quail or 2 male quails in one cage?

[geminihc]

Got a flock of ~8 week old quails. I had to segregate an extra male since I found there were actually 2 males and it caused some stress to the whole flock. One was particularly bossy/aggressive. So I currently segregated that one to a cage very far away. and now the flock seems much more happy and no stressed out running in circles/calling now.

The lone male is now not doing much for the whole day, just sitting in the corner, not much activity/pecking. only just the occasion crow (definitely wanting to mate again). i'm afraid that it is lonely to the extreme, and not sure if they can "decide" to not live. I wouldn't want that.

I do have the other more calm male with the flock taht i dont REALLY need to have with the flock since i"m not breeding. would it be better to put this male with the lone male, so they are paired up?

However, they were fighting alot before. Hard pecks at the neck/head (from the more aggressive one).

Which is better of the 2?

 

[mdees88]

I wouldn't want to keep a male quail by himself, they are social animals. He probably won't like being paired up with another male either, especially one that he's fought with before. All my males that aren't used for breeding end up at the same place....

If you don't eat them maybe you could sell him to someone who does.... 8 weeks is great age to butcher them.

 

[Quailobsessed]

I keep two males together, but they don't fight (they really like each other). If yours were fighting, I wouldn't recommend keeping them together. But it's not good to keep them alone either. Is there anyway you could give him any females? I'm very familiar with musical males because I have more males than I need, but I won't cull or eat them (It's illegal in suburban Australia anyway), so I have to move them around a lot to put them with the best matches.

 

[geminihc]

So I did gamble and put the 2 males together , and tada... The girls are very calm, quiet and not running around. And the 2 males seem to be ok so far.. they just kinda stand still beside each other... Very weird and awkward? Maybe they will become friendlier when no females get them horny...

 

[Quailobsessed]

So I did gamble and put the 2 males together , and tada... The girls are very calm, quiet and not running around. And the 2 males seem to be ok so far.. they just kinda stand still beside each other... Very weird and awkward? Maybe they will become friendlier when no females get them horny...

They will most likely go better now that they don't have females with them. The two males I keep together go well as long as no other quails (male or female) are put with them. I also keep them in a very large enclosure so they can escape each other.