Is this normal male quail behavoir??

[pheasantfrenzie]

Is it normal for the male quail to peck at the females head and make them so bloody? I had a female that was so bloody on the neck I thought the females fought so I seperated all the quails in seperate pens. Then a couple of days ago one quail was making so much noise I new he was a male so I put the bird that was trying to get to him together and everything was fine and I FINALLY got an egg.
So today I let them all run in the garage while I was cleaning there pens and this other bird kept running around the couple while he was making noises so I thought it would be alright to put her in the cage with them. They were fine for a couple of hrs and then all heck happened. The male was chasing her around pulling on her head and she was bleeding really bad so I took her out and then all seemed to be fine. Then about an hr later I head so much noise again so I went to check on them and now the other femles head was bleeding and he was chasing her around also!!
Is this normal?? I would like to let them mate but not if there going to keep getting beat up. What do I do.

 

[TwoCrows]

Unfortunately it is normal for some aggressive quail, but he will kill her or the others eventually. So you need to separate him out. He is not going to make a good mate for another. Sorry.

 

[mhwc56]

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i have to agree. I'd cull that male and get 1 with some manners!

 

[Stellar]

Agreed with the others. I talked to an animal behaviorist yesterday and she reminded me that males do pass on that aggressiveness to offspring if you do breed them. Similar to cats. If the male is a sweetheart, his male offspring will be as well. Some birds are not meant to be as breeders or mates. You can have him as a single pet if you don't want to cull.

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

DANG I was hoping you wouldn't say that. Anybody have a male Texas A&M. He was the only female I had that hatched.
Man I am beginning to think somebody higher doesn't want me to raise quail only pheasants.
Will the females lay eggs without a male yes I know they won't be fertile but wanted to pickle some.

 

[mhwc56]

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Quaillady has NICE TA&Ms.

 

[TwoCrows]

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You do not need a male around for the females to lay eggs.

 

[kahlertm]

I have even had females beat up a male I thought was big /mature enough to go in and do the duty. Poor fellas came out bald and shaking. Will give those young bucks some more time to macho up. They are too nice lookin a bird to waste. So yes, normal and it has been my biggest lesson this year. Mixing, matching and being watchful of who you pair.

With good observation and some time taken out to see how they are getting along with frequent visits back to the cage, you can sometimes see things settle after 24 hours, but blood. NO. Gone to far, even bald head... I worry for his ego now. I am still new at near a year now, but have been trying to learn as much as I can with the temperament of these birds.

Some may not see it as they do go ahead and harvest the birds when they have made their choice on a few breeders and then it's on for more meat and egg production and the hatching fun. True farming. But for those of us trying to breed and continue on with hens for laying for extended periods, it gets a little harder. They get itchy mean at times. Keep an eye and don't let them practice and teach others. Stop it prior to it becoming ingrained or memorized territoriality. Separate. Or cull depending on who you are and how you feel about the birds as permanent residents or part of your sustainable living ie: food.

 

[Stellar]

THe OP above is the animal behaviorist I was talking about

Kudos my friend

pheasantfrenzie~ More eggs will be sent as discussed

I will stick in some whites if I can.

 

[kahlertm]

Good data retention quaillady on the male cat carrying and passing on the friendly gene. That study went on for a decade or better starting in London feral cat colonies. Furthered here in the U.S. and Australia to boot.

I am trying to find out more about Coturnix behavior as I search Pubmed papers and inquire with avian vets. Fortunately Coturnix have been used so much in research, there is a lot to weed thru, but weeding takes time. Joe125 is valuable as are Jj and other tried and true. It's why I am here. True Coturnix farms combined with trying to read those aweful research papers, (which Joe deservedly busted me good on the outdated-ness of some) is going to be a row to hoe.
Sharing and asking are key in figuring this stuff out. Twocrows you are a gift as well. Particularly to me here in the dry mountains. Different terrain allows for different housing technique and possibly some relief in my tight quarters set up now. We will see. Spoke with a gamebird man up north in Ft. Collins who did suggest more space for my picking problem, in addition to adding alfalfa to pick in as a distraction (environmental enrichment). Twocrows had the answer on that one well ahead of the big bird operation consult. The consult also suggested that genetics played a huge part in nasty bird vs laid back, so know your breeder. There are some fabulous ones advising here in my opinion. BYC Educators and BYC friends go out of their way to make sure people are getting the bird need met.

I've seen them jammed in tight on utube videos in the pacific somewhere. Feathers lost, panting and hardly enough room to stand. Not my style...still working on my style...which is ultimately up to my lil quail queens. They will tell the tale and I will read until I can figure out what the are telling me they need for space, busy things to do, etc.

It is a challenge I think we all have a passion for, otherwise we wouldn't be here together. Ask away. We'll figure it out. Different strokes for different folks. It's ok to agree to disagree on things.