Quail Fighting

[CuteQuail]

Well, I intend to raise my quail for eggs. I'm just worried while I am waiting for more females, that my one roo will fight with my one hen. Trying to get 1 male 3 females in total.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I don't expect that he'd fight her, but he will grab her by the feathers on the back of her head and mate her frequently. Might want to give her somewhere to hide from him but keep them together and see if that will work for you. If not, do you have the ability to house them separately until you have more hens?

Youtube of quail mating, see how he grabs her feathers?

 

[CuteQuail]

I can house them separately but I will see. Also, my hen laid her first egg today! I read somewhere that if I add vaseline or coconut oil they can't get a hold of their feathers. But would that affect the quail? And wouldn't things like leaves or sand(they love their sand bath) stick to the quail? Also, this might sound like a stupid question but, do I need roos to get eggs from my hen?

 

[CuteQuail]

Also on a side note, does anyone know where I can get good quail food? I'm currently using a quail/gamebird food(first food when you look up quail food on amazon) and I am wondering if they are getting too old for it. Also cheaper would be better($15 a bag). Or a place where I could buy in bulk?

 

[CuteQuail]

The quail food I use.

 

[Ebony Rose]

my hen laid her first egg today! ...do I need roos to get eggs from my hen?

Congratulations on your first egg, and depends on the hen. Some won't lay without a mate, and some will. I seriously wouldn't worry about her losing feathers over mating unless she's goin' bald. If she start going bald, separate them for a few days until her feathers start growing back in and hurry up on getting more hens LOL!

 

[Ebony Rose]

...does anyone know where I can get good quail food? I'm currently using a quail/gamebird food(first food when you look up quail food on amazon) and I am wondering if they are getting too old for it. Also cheaper would be better($15 a bag). Or a place where I could buy in bulk?

Without knowing where you are, that's an impossible question for anyone to answer. Do you have any feed stores near you, typically if you can buy chicken feed at the store, then you could buy quail feed or game bird feed; I've heard that turkey feed works too, but never used it.

 

[CindyinSD]

If all you want is eggs, Roos aren’t necessary.

It’s tricky though, to get girls without boys, and you do need to deal with the boys you will inevitably get in the mix. Also the hens lay well for around a year (if I remember right.) Most folks incubate and brood their own coturnix and replace their aging layers with new chicks either from purchased hatching eggs or from their own flocks’ fertile eggs. Either way, that means dealing with males.

Are you okay with butchering the extra males for the table?

 

[CuteQuail]

I'm not planning to butcher the extra males. I'm going to give them away at the same place that I'm going to get my females. It doesn't matter if I get food online or from a store but I have an Ace Hardware near. Last time I checked they had chicken feed and might have other feed. Just wondering if its time to stop using the high protein feed(my quail are about 2 months old).

 

[Ebony Rose]

Just wondering if its time to stop using the high protein feed(my quail are about 2 months old).

Quail feed / game bird feed / HIGH protein feed for life for quail.