CBinSantaCruz
Chirping
Sorry. I don't have a lot more time to read through the threads and I am sure this has been answered before.
I admit I'm pretty new to this and did this on a whim without doing much research.
I have 13 Japanese quail in a 2x8 enclosure 12 inches high. I hatched 15 chicks from 23 eggs in a shoebox with a light. They are 3 months old and laying 5-6 eggs a day. They eat purina 30% game bird feed and occasionally melon rinds and left over greens.
I don't know for sure how many are males but at least 4 or 5 and likely 7 or 8. I hatched 15 so 7 or 8 would be the normal m/f ratio.
My quail are pecking each other to death. I've lost two quail in a week. I read in the forum that it is the males that are the problem. I don't have a problem culling them and am able to tell the males by their song when they happen to sing it. However I would like hatch another batch of eggs before I cull them.
How would you handle them if you were me. Would you separate them now? Leave a few males behind?
I think my plan is to gather eggs for a few days and incubate those, then cull all the birds that sing that choodle sound this Sunday.
It seems to me the males are basically doing rooster behavior and I need to get them separated asap. The way I handle my roosters is pick the biggest one and eat the rest. Same deal with quail? Thanks for reading all this.
I admit I'm pretty new to this and did this on a whim without doing much research.
I have 13 Japanese quail in a 2x8 enclosure 12 inches high. I hatched 15 chicks from 23 eggs in a shoebox with a light. They are 3 months old and laying 5-6 eggs a day. They eat purina 30% game bird feed and occasionally melon rinds and left over greens.
I don't know for sure how many are males but at least 4 or 5 and likely 7 or 8. I hatched 15 so 7 or 8 would be the normal m/f ratio.
My quail are pecking each other to death. I've lost two quail in a week. I read in the forum that it is the males that are the problem. I don't have a problem culling them and am able to tell the males by their song when they happen to sing it. However I would like hatch another batch of eggs before I cull them.
How would you handle them if you were me. Would you separate them now? Leave a few males behind?
I think my plan is to gather eggs for a few days and incubate those, then cull all the birds that sing that choodle sound this Sunday.
It seems to me the males are basically doing rooster behavior and I need to get them separated asap. The way I handle my roosters is pick the biggest one and eat the rest. Same deal with quail? Thanks for reading all this.
