Quail behaviors

[Lilyofsalen]

When quail are angry or displeased, do they make this . . . how to describe it . . . angry guinea pig noise? It's like a rumble or a higher-pitched growl. Mine do this a lot when I refill their feeders and they rush to the food. How much growling is normal? If you had some quail that did a lot of growling and chased others off (but didn't actually hurt them), would you keep it as a breeder?

Also, I have quite a few males (at least 9/20). Some will become dinner at some point, but I was hoping to put it off a little longer so I could decide who stays and who goes all at once. At what point would you say the extra males need to go? I don't have any injured hens, scalping, or fighting going on yet (unless that's what all the growling is about). However, the males are chasing the females around and I can tell that is causing some stress. Basically, all is quiet and then all the hens start running, jumping, yelling, and flying to avoid a determined male(s).

 

[Sammi_0411]

Noise your describing is when they not blessed pleased yeah x

 

[Kale the Quail]

(this isn't my video by the way) does it sound some what like this?

 

[shrimpsilkies]

Exactly, a sort of wheet-wheet-wheet or more like grunting for the ones with deeper voices. Mine are pretty sweet with one another even though they do shove and fight over food when they’re hungry in the morning. I don’t think you should not breed from them unless they fight when not being fed or pluck feathers.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

Yeah, that describes it but mine have deeper voices. I hadn't heard this sound out of my quail until I hatched my own birds. I think it is because they feel more confident than my first birds.

 

[FloorCandy]

Yes, when they are really anxious they sound just like Guinea pigs. We’ve often noticed this.

 

[Quailobsessed]

Yes, they make strange angry noises.

 

[Captain Quark]

It sounds like you are describing our roo's happy noises. He gets so excited over some things (sunflower seeds in the shell, live worms) he goes on and on. Usually the girls hear him and come running to steal whatever he found. This video he managed to keep his worms for a bit. He grew up by himself in wildlife rescue in a dog crate for the first five to seven months so I wasn't sure if this was normal behaviour or he's an odd guy because of his lack of growing up with other quail.

https://youtu.be/j3QZsAPHS8A

 

[Lilyofsalen]

Here's a video where I feed my mealworms. You can really hear the grumpy noises when there's food involved.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

Just heard a new noise. I'm a little worried about this boy, he's really pretty but I'm concerned about aggression. I think the noise he's making is some sort of anger noise, never heard it before and much louder than his usual noises too. Some quail must've really set him off.