Teenagers

[Esc_Quaily]

Well my boys are now eh.. maturing and are making a racket looking for girlfriends . The boys are crowing and strutting about and the girls are hidden in a quiet corner. Is that the normal for hens? That they hide together to escape these randy boys? Teenagers eh

 

[Nabiki]

You need to start separating the boys out. The ideal ratio is one male to five females. If you have more males than that, they will overbreed the females, especially at that age. Overbreeding at best will result in mostly bald hens, at worst with dead hens.

They are also going to start fighting soon, and it will get bloody fast.

 

[TOMTE]

You need to start separating the boys out. The ideal ratio is one male to five females. If you have more males than that, they will overbreed the females, especially at that age. Overbreeding at best will result in mostly bald hens, at worst with dead hens.

They are also going to start fighting soon, and it will get bloody fast.

Doesn't the ratio depend on many factors? Such as space, breed, size, etc? I've seen others say there is no real "ideal" ratio since every flock is different but 1:5 is a good starting point.

Well my boys are now eh.. maturing and are making a racket looking for girlfriends . The boys are crowing and strutting about and the girls are hidden in a quiet corner. Is that the normal for hens? That they hide together to escape these randy boys? Teenagers eh

Are your hens actual hens (over a year old) or are they pullets? Were they all raised together? Typically cockerels need hens at least a couple years older than them to whoop some manners into them. Pullets and young hens won't know what to do with hormonal cockerels.

 

[Nabiki]

Doesn't the ratio depend on many factors? Such as space, breed, size, etc? I've seen others say there is no real "ideal" ratio since every flock is different but 1:5 is a good starting point.

Space and hiding places do matter, but while the 1:5 has some variance, but that's the best place to start. A particularly aggressive male may need more hens while a reasonably gentle male may only need three. As with much of life, there are always exceptions.

Quail don't have breeds, though different species have different "ideals". I was talking about coturnix, since that's the most common type kept here, and I thought that's what the OP was referring to.

I have not noticed size make any difference in the ideal male to female ratio.

 

[TOMTE]

Space and hiding places do matter, but while the 1:5 has some variance, but that's the best place to start. A particularly aggressive male may need more hens while a reasonably gentle male may only need three. As with much of life, there are always exceptions.

Quail don't have breeds, though different species have different "ideals". I was talking about coturnix, since that's the most common type kept here, and I thought that's what the OP was referring to.

I have not noticed size make any difference in the ideal male to female ratio.

I didn't even realize this was in the quail category thanks for clarifying! Sorry for any confusion