Males: how aggressive is too aggressive?

[coturnixxx8]

Hi, I just got 4 coturnix quails in a 7 square ft enclosure. There are 1 male and 3 females all around one month old. The male sometimes for no reason would start frantically chase the females, peck at their heads and moulting them. This doesn't happen very frequently but each time it would last around 20 seconds. Is this considered "normal" male behaviour? How aggressive is too aggressive?

Thanks

 

[RosieR]

Sounds normal. Males tend to grab the head feathers to hold on while they mount. Likely the hens head feathers will look a bit scruffy where he pulls. If they start to get scalped then I would replace your male with a kinder one. But eventually the hens will probably start accepting mounting and will stop running from his advances.

 

[JaeG]

Females do mature slower than the males so if he gets too bothersome you may need to put in a divider of some sort. If the females are stressed they won't start to lay as early as they would in calmer conditions. You could add lots of hiding places but if he's being a pain I would give the girls their space.

A female who likes the male and who is laying will happily squat and be mated, but if the females continue to try and escape his advances then they don't like him. Group dynamics are very important for quail and even birds hatched and raised together occasionally don't get along.