Quails started pecking

metalminions

In the Brooder
Aug 10, 2015
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Hi
I've had a look through similar posts but can't find anything not relating to new introductions, so sorry if this is a repeat! I have three female quail that I hatched from eggs about a year and a half ago. I did initially have a male (Kevin) but I had to 'dispatch' him earlier this year as he was causing too many problems. The hens have always got on well, but in the last week one has started picking on one of the others. I'm not sure what's caused it as I haven't changed anything. The one doing the pecking was ill a couple of months back (it was very much touch and go) and had to be separated for a bit, but they were all fine when I put her back in, and have been for at least 6 weeks. Can anyone suggest something I may have missed, or give any advice on what I can do? They are my first hatch so if I can avoiding culling them I'll try anything! Thanks
 
Was she a different color then the others? I had the same problem except with my males who were Texas A & M but I didn't put them back in together.
 
Hello there :) Sometimes my quail will "sporadically" start bullying another quail, nothing vicious though but separating them while they can still see each other seems effective for most introductions/reset the bullying behaviour of the offending quail.

Here's a thread with more info, https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1140722/integrating-quail#post_17754260

I have a super tame quail that lives with three other hens and she will start bullying them (she gets frisky and starts sprinting like a spaz like a puppy and nip at other quail she runs by) but never picking off feathers but sometimes (rarely) even chittering and chasing them.

It's usually triggered when I'm petting her so I figure it's dominance/jealousy type thing lol.

Anyways, I've been successful in breaking this spontaneous bully behaviour by removing her from them when she acts that way. I sometimes keep her in the other cage for only two minutes before reintroducing her and she's never been in there more than an hour. I have put her back in and she goes back to bullying so I remove her again, most is four times I think. She's a weird case lol but I think the problem was mostly me coddling her and encouraging the crazy spazzness :p
 

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