quail getting picked on

[Heather Christensen]

So I've got four 5-week old quail. The white one started crowing last week, so I figure its male? One is pharoah and I can tell by the coloration is female. The other two are tibetan and I don't have a clue if they are male or female yet.

So they have all seemed to be getting along well until this morning I noticed one of the tibetans pecking and chasing the white one around. Then I noticed blood on the white one's head and some drops of blood on the side of the cage. I figure I probably came in just after the white one was hurt. I stuck him in a cardboard box with holes cut in it and went right out to buy him his own cage. So now he's separated from the other 3. He seems to be acting normally.

So, my questions:

Do I need to do anything for the injury on his head? I tried to get a closer look but all I can see is a few feathers stuck together with blood, and I didn't want to pull them apart in case this made it worse.

Why do you think he was getting attacked? Is it likely the attacker was male and this was a male aggression/ competition thing? The others have not done any crowing yet, just the white one. Their cage is roomy, bigger than the recommendations for 4 quail so I don't think it's over-crowding.

 

[Welshies]

I would check their vents. Males have a bulbous vent while females have a flat vent. It was likely a male aggression thing- one cock to 3 to 5 hens is the appropriate ratio. They don't pair off.

 

[Heather Christensen]

I would check their vents. Males have a bulbous vent while females have a flat vent. It was likely a male aggression thing- one cock to 3 to 5 hens is the appropriate ratio. They don't pair off.

I haven't tried checking their vents, as I'm new at this, I'm not confident I will be able to tell the difference. But I should try it! So if I've got 2 male and 2 female, it sounds like I'm going to need to not only sale the extra male, but get an additional female?

 

[Welshies]

I haven't tried checking their vents, as I'm new at this, I'm not confident I will be able to tell the difference. But I should try it! So if I've got 2 male and 2 female, it sounds like I'm going to need to not only sale the extra male, but get an additional female?

You could have only 1 male with two females. The ratio is 3 to 5 for larger groups

 

[Heather Christensen]

So I just checked on them. The white male I separated is not happy - his cage is next to the cage the other 3 are in, and he's frantic to find a way to get back to it, I'm worried he's going to hurt himself. He can't even see them (his cage is on the floor; theirs is raised) but he can hear them I guess? He's just pacing that side of his cage and trying to jump up and stick his head through the bars (a real concern as it's just a rabbit/ gunea pig hutch). I just stuck him out in the hallway (we are keeping hte quail in a spare room in our house) and he calmed down some but I've not got any really viable alternative places to house him. And of course I'm going on vacation tomorrow morning - for 5 days. Not going to be able to sort getting him sold or keeping an eye on his behavior, etc. until I get back. It will just be the pet sitter and my parents looking after them while I'm away. Are the males okay by themselves for a little while or is he going to go bonkers and end up hurting himself/ getting sick if he's alone for a week?

 

[Welshies]

I would stick a female with him.
Their vents will be quite obvious. You can sex. It's not hard like it is with chickens.

 

[Heather Christensen]

You could have only 1 male with two females. The ratio is 3 to 5 for larger groups

thanks, good to know

 

[Heather Christensen]

I would stick a female with him.
Their vents will be quite obvious. You can sex. It's not hard like it is with chickens.

Thanks, I'll try vent sexing today. Will 1 female be okay with him for a week? I worry she would get too much attention/ harassed if the males are happiest with multiple females?

 

[Welshies]

Thanks, I'll try vent sexing today. Will 1 female be okay with him for a week? I worry she would get too much attention/ harassed if the males are happiest with multiple females?

Yes it would be fine.

 

[Chicken Whisper101]

I would sell the other male and get more females.