Quail in winter

[hedgemoo]

I'm planning on not artificially lighting my quail to give them a natural yearly cycle. Ive read they stop laying, but wondered what else i could expect.

Are there any changes in the roosters? Do they stop trying to mate or crow? Do they become less aggressive and happier to live with other roos? Can they still be vent sexed outside of the breeding season?

Also, if i replaced my breeding roosters with a younger one every year, should a fresh rooster be a new one from that spring, or one from the previous year that had overwintered? Im possibly overthinking this, but am trying to get an idea of what the yearly cycle is like for quail breeding.

 

[JaeG]

The roosters will stop crowing and mating as the daylight hours shorten. I wouldn't say they'd be less aggressive with other roos if they are introduced at that time, but if they've been living in the same cage then things should settle down.

I haven't tried vent sexing in the off season so I'm not sure there.

As long as a roo is old enough to breed then you can choose whichever one you like. Just be aware that your hens may or may not like your choice, so have a few boys to try out, as sometimes some hens just don't like some boys.

 

[hedgemoo]

Thanks, thats helpful. I hadn't realised hens were fussy.

 

[FloorCandy]

Thanks, thats helpful. I hadn't realised hens were fussy.

I have 3 Roos, one is dominant, the other 2 fluctuate, all the hens hated one of them, they would grab him if he tried to mount a hen, the other males didn’t care. Suddenly the hens like that roo, and hate the other sub roo. If I take that roo out and put it in the breeder cage with girls, they don’t hate him anymore. So hens are fickle, choose whichever you like as long as he isn’t aggressive with them, take out the old one, and they will probably adjust. Sometimes individuals get attached and call for each other, but I find that is the exception, not the rule. My hen Big Bird (really thought she would be a roo) and my alpha roo Tiger Millionaire call for each other if separated, none of the other birds care as long as they aren’t alone.

 

[FloorCandy]

I believe it is said that males become less fertile after a year or so, but I’ve seen many people claim 2 and 3 year old Roos are still baby making machines. The hens fertility also drops after a year.

My plan is to light the pen all winter, I need the eggs, those ladies need to pay their rent haha. I’m a hatchaholic so I will hatch all winter and choose my favorites to start the spring, then I’ll cull most of this years and send them to freezer camp (not Tiger, we love him). I just filled my incubator, 42 eggs are going strong. I’m hoping to pick out a few, and sell the rest. If that goes well, I’ll repeat that all winter, and have a nice flock chosen for spring. If no one buys them, I’ll just hatch a few at a time all winter so we always have the excitement and anticipation, but not the overcrowding, and I’ll serve quail for christmas dinner .

 

[hedgemoo]

Lol the relationships and fights are so cute. When i started a few months ago i thought i could put any old half dozen birds in a hutch and i was good, how naive. Now i realise however many hutches I have, I'll always want another one.

 

[FloorCandy]

Lol the relationships and fights are so cute. When i started a few months ago i thought i could put any old half dozen birds in a hutch and i was good, how naive. Now i realise however many hutches I have, I'll always want another one.

I keep building new pens haha.