Quail DIY disaster ! Fights no eggs ! Help!

[havensteinjohn]

Eat the mean ones

 

[Weirdness555]

Eat the mean ones

Well it works

 

[Quailsong]

It's possible the quail are bored and/or don't have enough safe spaces for everyone - so the stressed ones fight back to gain a bit of safety, which starts the whole cycle.

I don't know why you're using Xmas lights but I'd take them out immediately. White/bright lights can make birds even MORE stressed. Better to use red lighting, if at all. Natural outdoor lighting, even in the shade, can still give good amounts of Vitamin D. Not as much eggs, but autumn is a time for rest anyways.

I use deep litter method for my quail & I don't have huge fights. Sure some snap at each other once in a while & when I purposely upset the pecking order (by moving/adding quail) but that's it. Deep litter gives them something to do, so they're always busy & can rest wherever without fighting for that 'perfect' soft spot.

I'm currently keeping 4 DL (Deep Litter) pens: one pen has all boys (6-8, can't remember), 2 pens have 2 boys & 4 girls together in each & one has a boy/girl pair.

I've another pen that isn't DL (on laminate flooring) & is in my garage as a tester for quarantines. Because they're off DL they're my weakest quail immune-wise, so I use them to test for possible diseases from new birds I bring in.

Edit to clarify my pen # & quail amount. Double edit so people know DL is Deep Litter.

 

[Weirdness555]

I agree deep litter is my favourite way to keep quail. Oh yes, the Christmas lights thing, I meant to ask about that, I got side tracked. Why do you have christmas lights? In what capacity are they there? I couldn't see them on the outside of the pen in the photo...

 

[flg8r]

Sorry for the possible thread drift: Do you have a good link on how to keep quail that way? I tried some on the ground temporarily and it got gross fast. I was thinking about doing an aviary but I need to do more research on how to keep the ground from becoming nasty.

 

[Quailsong]

Non DL on grass? I use a quail tractor. You can see a vid of it in use on my YT page (link in sig). It's basically a rectangular box with 1/2" wire mesh for screening. Move it as often as you like, preferably at least once a day.

 

[Weirdness555]

Our quail are in a fixed aviary with bark chips on the floor. We had turf, but they destroyed it, and the bare earth wasn't a problem until we hit winter and it started turning to mud. Since we put the wood chips down we've had no problems. It allows them to supplement their diet with bugs they find, it keeps them amused, and produces good fertiliser. We have only got 6 quail in probably nearly 20 square foot of space though, so I definitely think that keeping quail on the ground means upping the space requirements per bird. Maybe to 3 square foot per bird or something. I'm pretty sure we could add maybe another 3 quail without them becoming cramped and poo becoming an issue.

Whatever you use on the floor, sand, earth, chips, you need to be able to turn it and scoop it out with a fork or something, that's the easiest way to keep it clean. I know you can get rubber chips for chicken runs, that should work for quail too, and then you just hose it down.

 

[JPine]

Thank you everyone for the advise. I've tried to repair everything accordingly. Things are improving. That's all I'm going to say for now. Lots of rain today everything is covered up so no pictures. But some suspense always makes things better

 

[Weirdness555]

Keep us posted

 

[JPine]

Still raining everyone, I'm hoping tomorrow I will have some pictures. Their finally calling for good weather. A little more suspense but wow have you ever helped me thank you. James thank you as well, you sent me a personal message, talking about how the breeders birds might have been rough to begin with . Thank you! I sat and watched and removed every extremely aggressive quail. Just like you said they were making the rest go bananas. Now it's just a sanctuary. Total peace and the sound of serenity