Quail bullying on one quail

[ryan112ryan]

I have 5 week old quail, cotournix, last week one of the males pecked one of the females so badly her head started bleeding.

I pulled out the males from the main cage and put the injured one in her own cage till she could heal some. She healed up pretty well over the next three days, she was very alert and moving around just fine. So i added her back into the now, female only cage. The females started pecking at her head within seconds and she started trying to break through the cage roof. So I pulled her out again.

What I don't get is the female runt which is half her size was also pecking at her. Any suggestion?

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

They are PROBABLY pecking at the red on her head,
JJMR794 will be here soon!

 

[Rozzie]

Poor girl. Once a bird is injured, the others often go after it until they kill it. Chickens do the same thing.

Also, after you took her out (even for a short while) then tried to put her back, she was a "new" bird. Putting a new bird into an existing group of birds (whatever type...) doesn't always work. Often, you have to shuffle things around...take them all out of the pen and house them elsewhere for a few days, then reintroduce at the same time. It's better still if you can move things around in their pen to confuse them further.

Do you have any Blu Kote you could put on that wound?

 

[LadyNai]

We've had bullying issues.

You have to wait til she's all the way healed before you put her back.

Poor thing, but she'll recover, they're tough like that.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

When I take mine out, I take 2. The other injured or not. Once separated from the others they settle. Once heeled, I clean em up and put them back and the buddies fend others off. But mine were Golds that are calmer birds than the Whites.

But you could try it.

 

[Robo]

Quote:
Almost all of them have that. The roosters pecked her because they were starting to mate. The hens pecked her because she was taken out and whenever they see a new one in the pen they have to bully it. I either put the new one in at night or move them to a new cage so they aren't as concerned about keeping their homes.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Almost all of them have that. The roosters pecked her because they were starting to mate. The hens pecked her because she was taken out and whenever they see a new one in the pen they have to bully it. I either put the new one in at night or move them to a new cage so they aren't as concerned about keeping their homes.

ROBO IS CORRECT.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

So, you are says what? That what did work for me, couldn't possibly have happened? I guess I dreamed it or imagined it.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
NEVER SAID ANYTHING OF THE SORT... DONT GET ALL PUFFED UP ON ME

(SORRY POOR QUALITY QUAIL JOKE)

IF THAT WORKS FOR YOU DO IT!

ALL I DID WAS AGREE WITH ROBO'S EXPLAINATION. THE BIRD IN THE PHOTO IS A WHITE... WHICH HAVE THE TENDANCY TO MATURE FASTER THAN OTHER VARIATIONS... THE ROOS ARE OR WERE OVERLY AMOROUS AND BEAT HER UP A LITTLE.. ITS A COTURNIX THING, IT HAPPENS. THE OP TOOK STEPS TO CORRECT AND DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM AT HAND AND ONCE DONE PLACED THE GIRL BACK INTO THE PEN... SHE HAD BEEN GONE LONG ENOUGH TO LOOSE HER PLACE IN THE PECKING ORDER, SO THE PECKING ORDER HAD TO BE RE-ESTABOLISHED... AS IT WILL AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL IT RUNS IT'S COURSE OR THE CYCLE STOPS--- THATS BASIC COTURNIX COVEY ETIQUETTE 101 RIGHT THERE... ROBO'S SUGESSTION OF MOVING ALL TO A NUETRAL PEN IS QUITE ELEMENTARY AND WELL BASED ADVICE. IT WILL ELIMINATE ANY TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABOLISHED AND DELETE MOST OF THE PERSNICKETY PECKING ORDER PROBLEM.

NO ONE DISCREDITED YOUR POST IN ANY WAY.... NOR DO I BELEIEVE ANY INSINUATION OF THAT WAS INTENDED

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
Interesting! Now that you mention it, my whites did mature earlier. In fact, the little white roo who was actually the runt of the bunch (at least a week or a week and a half behind in feathering out etc.) was the first to mature -- he was crowing, etc. at 4.5 weeks. The white hens also matured -- and gained weight -- the fastest. I'll have to remember that in the future.