Surplus Coturnix Roos

[FirstTimeClucky]

I hatched out some Coturnix eggs, now I have seven birds around 7 weeks old. Three have turned out to be roos. I know that it's best to leave just one roo with a few hens, and already the three males are picking on each other and the hens. They are all in a big cage together. I'm wondering what the best option is to house the "extra" two roos. I am not interested in culling them for meat.

I thought of just putting a partition in the cage to separate the two extra males from the rest of them, but I'm guessing that if I put two males together they will fight. Would they each be ok in a separate cage? Or would they be lonely by themselves? Should they be able to see the other birds even if they can't get at each other?

 

[JurassicBawk]

I hatched 18 quail in May, with 10 females and 8 males. Everyone was in one big brooder together until I put them outside at 4 weeks old, with the 8 males going into a rabbit hutch I had that has a ramp to a top enclosed level. The two smaller males (hatched a day later, one had leg issues that finally corrected) would hide out in the top section away from the other six. Once they got to adult size that cage was a bit small, so I made a 4x4 hutch and moved the 6 bigger ones and left the 2 smaller ones.

While the 6 will grab each other by the head feathers and/or fight occasionally, they've got enough room to spread out and no girls to fight over, so they're doing ok. They stay spaced out and away from each other unless they're eating, and even then bicker a little. Nobody is getting hurt or viciously fighting, so for now I'm letting them stay since I have no desire to process them or send them away to their deaths.

The other 2 males are best buddies. They dig a hole and both sit in it together pressed up against each other. They can see the other boys and go nowhere near the side of their cage that is closest to the others, rarely crow, and are super gentle and happy just being together. Normally I wouldn't put two males together like that, but they're brothers that have been together since day 1 and seem happy.

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

I agree, they seem to fight less if there are no girls to fight over. However, I have both white and brown coturnix together and the white ones are more aggressive than the brown. The boys do try to mount each other like a bunch of prison inmates! The brown guys have lost feathers on their heads just like the girls. Give it a try and see how it works out.

All of mine are brown ones. Two are a lot paler and fatter, but still browns. I'm going to put my two "extra" males into the tub on their own and see how it goes. The tub is under the table where the big cage is, so they won't see each other. I'll add a bit of fake foliage as a hiding place. This morning I noticed a couple of my hens are missing head and neck feathers, so it's as good a time as any to move the males.

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

I hatched 18 quail in May, with 10 females and 8 males. Everyone was in one big brooder together until I put them outside at 4 weeks old, with the 8 males going into a rabbit hutch I had that has a ramp to a top enclosed level. The two smaller males (hatched a day later, one had leg issues that finally corrected) would hide out in the top section away from the other six. Once they got to adult size that cage was a bit small, so I made a 4x4 hutch and moved the 6 bigger ones and left the 2 smaller ones.

While the 6 will grab each other by the head feathers and/or fight occasionally, they've got enough room to spread out and no girls to fight over, so they're doing ok. They stay spaced out and away from each other unless they're eating, and even then bicker a little. Nobody is getting hurt or viciously fighting, so for now I'm letting them stay since I have no desire to process them or send them away to their deaths.

The other 2 males are best buddies. They dig a hole and both sit in it together pressed up against each other. They can see the other boys and go nowhere near the side of their cage that is closest to the others, rarely crow, and are super gentle and happy just being together. Normally I wouldn't put two males together like that, but they're brothers that have been together since day 1 and seem happy.

My two males seem to be getting along ok, I haven't seen them fight after the first day they were alone together. However, they do crow a lot. I'm new to coturnix so I find their crow to be a pretty weird sound. The first time I heard it, it woke me up at about 5 am and at first I thought my air conditioner had broken down or something. Now that I know what it is, it's funny, kind of like a cross between an old car trying to start and a whip crack. And the good news is that it's not loud. I cover their cage in a dark towel at night, and they're pretty quiet until sunrise. They're like backyard chickens for people who don't have a backyard.

My other male is in hog heaven with his little harem of four hens. He spends a lot of time in the middle of the harem, stretched tall and surveying his domain. He only crows once in a while. One of the hens is noticeably bigger and fatter than the others, and he seems to prefer her based on her missing head feathers. One has started laying an egg every day. I don't know which one, but the egg is always in the same spot so I'm assuming it's the same hen. They were 6 weeks old when I got them, so I expect the others will start laying any time now.

I've kept a couple of pairs of button quail for two years now, I like them, but they're a lot more skittish and likely to fly out of their cages. I really like these coturnix. They're a lot calmer, actually rather tame, and they run to the front of the cage when they see me. But their crow doesn't sound like "coturnix" to me!

 

[dianneS]

I have five males in the "boy pen" right now and they fight, but not brutally. No blood, no injuries. However, I am fattening them up to be culled eventually.

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

I have five males in the "boy pen" right now and they fight, but not brutally. No blood, no injuries. However, I am fattening them up to be culled eventually.

I have a large clear plastic tub with screen lid where I was thinking about putting the "extra" two males, but I'm concerned that if they are "one on one" they'll fight and chase each other constantly. I have a lot of fake greenery which was previously used for reptile terrariums, maybe that would offer hiding spots to allow them to get out of each other's sight.

 

[Binki]

I've never tried it, but apparently if the boys can't see or hear the girls, they should settle down - maybe keep them outside in their own little bachelor shack?

 

[dianneS]

I agree, they seem to fight less if there are no girls to fight over. However, I have both white and brown coturnix together and the white ones are more aggressive than the brown. The boys do try to mount each other like a bunch of prison inmates! The brown guys have lost feathers on their heads just like the girls. Give it a try and see how it works out.