Mean coturnix hen! Update, new roo, hens are still mean!!!

[rachel]

I had 4 females and a male coturnix in a pen that's about 2'X4' and this morning when I got up the male looked like he got the crap beat out of him. He had a bloody bald head and his eyelid was bleeding. Later in the day one of my females had a bloody cere and a bleeding foot. I think the foot was from cutting herself on the metal feeder. The male and female are now in their own cage (and will be separated so they each have their own cage as soon as I clean another one out) I have one golden hen that I think is the culprit for all of this, she's just terrorizing the other birds. They're 7 weeks old, do you think she'll get over it, or am I going to have to eat her? I hate to eat a female.....

Also, I double checked to make sure she wasn't just a roo with spots...

Edited to be more clear that this is about quail not chickens.

 

[silentrunning]

I'm pretty new at this so someone may disagree with me and that's ok. I would guess you have another male in there somewhere. I have had a lot of the bloody head syndrome but never from a female. One of the culprits turned out to be a male with no rust coloration on his chest at all. I thought it was a female until I was feeding them one day and she/he gave out the quail crow. He is VERY aggressive and is one of my best breeders now that I have just him and 4 hens togather. I will watch to see if someone says that a female will display this behavior.

Doug

 

[calgal98]

You only have to eat the female jerk once. After that she has pretty much learned her lesson!!

 

[rancher hicks]

Very funny. My guess is there is not enough space to accomodate the birds. But then its only a guess. I have raised garden beds that are 2x4' and I can't imagine putting 4 standard birds in such a small space.

 

[rachel]

My guess is there is not enough space to accomodate the birds. But then its only a guess. I have raised garden beds that are 2x4' and I can't imagine putting 4 standard birds in such a small space.

They're quail not chickens, so there's plenty of room.

Also I'm positive that the rest are all female, they're goldens and browns with very obvious marking, either very spotty chested or very rusty chested. But just to be sure I did do the squeeze test on the mean hen, she's a she. I've seen her terrorizing the others, so it's not even a question of who the offender is. How long should I wait it out? I guess I could always put her in her own cage and keep her for eggs by herself, at least until she gets the picture to not be a jerk.​

 

[NancyDz]

A different grouping of birds might help. I've switched mine around a bit, now I seem to have the right mix of personalities I have one male with only two and the other with 4 females. Do you have another male you can put her with?

Good luck!

Nancy

 

[monarc23]

Wow! I've never had a hen THAT mean! I've had hens that will chase around another bird they dont like and peck at it a bit but then she gives up never any blood or feather loss! If I had a grump like that hurting them that bad I think i'd cull.

 

[rachel]

Thanks Nancy, I was thinking of trying that, but these birds are all jumbo browns and goldens and my other pen is all A&M, tuxedo and tibetans and they're getting along so well I didn't want to disrupt that group. It's worth a shot though.

 

[rachel]

Okay so after I took the browns out, I put an A&M roo in with my three golden hens. Everything went fine for a few days, they mostly ignored him and then this afternoon I go out there and they had pecked his eyes so badly they were swollen shut. He's in a hospital cage in the dark now, which I suppose doesn't even matter since for now anyway, he's blind as a bat. I fed him some water so he wouldn't dehydrate since he can't see to drink on his own.
Is this just a matter of the hen(s) not liking birds that look different, do you think if I had a golden roo (which I don't) they would accept him? I am pretty sure I know who the instigator is, I think she's going to become dinner.
Poor little guy, I feel bad I subjected him to those crazy girls!

 

[NancyDz]

Wow, she sounds like a bad seed.... definitely process that one.. you dont want those mean gene's . The other hens may join in as they are scared not to!

Hope your A&M roo pulls through okay.