Tragedy of the Mixed Coturnix/Bob Flock

Quail4Fun

Chirping
Apr 20, 2020
50
79
50
I feel awful that this even needs to be a post I put up here but just wanted to share my experience for others...

I have (had) 10 birds, 9 coturnix and 1 bob white. They were separated in groups of 5 in 2 pens. 1 pen had a rosetta coturnix male and his 4 jumbo ladies. The other has a tuxedo coturnix male and his 3 tuxedo ladies and the lonely bob white male. The covey with the Bob white were all raised from day one in the brooder together. Minor issues but once all the spare males were culled, all was calm. It has been over 5 months of peace.

Tonight, I came home from the grocery store to find one of my tuxedo ladies (Elle) dead in the corner of the pen with her throat ripped open. I have no idea what happened. I had been home all day and nothing out of the ordinary. But my Bob white looks highly suspect as he had lots of blood on him as well. My other 3 tuxes are unharmed. I am a tad confused honestly, as would have suspected the dead on to be the tux male if anyone. It was heartbreaking to find her that way.

I took all the other birds out of the pen and Bob has been frantically looking for them and calling for them for the past 2 hours. He is making sad sounds i have never heard before. He has never been alone but I don't want to risk him killing more birds. My only guess is that he finally fully matured and this was the result. It is heartbreaking to watch him panic.

I know that people suggested this could happen but I was hopeful that being raised in a very small batch since the brooder, he would have been ok. I just never imagined he would go from cuddling to killing within 24 hours. Literally he was sleeping next to her in the sandbox yesterday.

So end of saga, raising coturnix and Bob's together isn't a good idea unless you have a large aviary, even if they are raised together. RIP Elle.
 
it is very difficult raising a mixed flock!! i’ve been experiencing problems lately with budgies attacking/scalping other birds (diamond doves and button quail) only during thunderstorms!! it’s extremely frustrating sometimes!! i’ve never tried bobs with my flock but i’ve heard they can be difficult with coturnix sometimes but are you sure it wasn’t a predator killing?? i once blamed a chukar, culled it and separated my birds to find out that raccoons had gotten in!?!?
 
it is very difficult raising a mixed flock!! i’ve been experiencing problems lately with budgies attacking/scalping other birds (diamond doves and button quail) only during thunderstorms!! it’s extremely frustrating sometimes!! i’ve never tried bobs with my flock but i’ve heard they can be difficult with coturnix sometimes but are you sure it wasn’t a predator killing?? i once blamed a chukar, culled it and separated my birds to find out that raccoons had gotten in!?!?
I've been keeping such a close eye on them that if it was an issue hopefully just separate them but that was not the case unfortunately. They are indoor birds. I do have cats but my cats have no claws and I have 1/2 hardware cloth on the cage so they can't get in.

I was wondering if she cut herself on the hardware cloth. She was my spazzy bird and was constantly running up and down the side of the cage. Perhaps an injury like that spurred further attack. Though I see blood on the hardware cloth it is not near any edges or cutouts but I wouldn't rule it out as a source of initial injury.
 
I've been keeping such a close eye on them that if it was an issue hopefully just separate them but that was not the case unfortunately. They are indoor birds. I do have cats but my cats have no claws and I have 1/2 hardware cloth on the cage so they can't get in.

I was wondering if she cut herself on the hardware cloth. She was my spazzy bird and was constantly running up and down the side of the cage. Perhaps an injury like that spurred further attack. Though I see blood on the hardware cloth it is not near any edges or cutouts but I wouldn't rule it out as a source of initial injury.
They will often peck more at anything red, so perhaps he attacked the hen after she was bleeding already.
 
I can't come to any other logical explanation... but still worried for my other birds to be left with him.
 
I feel awful that this even needs to be a post I put up here but just wanted to share my experience for others...

I have (had) 10 birds, 9 coturnix and 1 bob white. They were separated in groups of 5 in 2 pens. 1 pen had a rosetta coturnix male and his 4 jumbo ladies. The other has a tuxedo coturnix male and his 3 tuxedo ladies and the lonely bob white male. The covey with the Bob white were all raised from day one in the brooder together. Minor issues but once all the spare males were culled, all was calm. It has been over 5 months of peace.

Tonight, I came home from the grocery store to find one of my tuxedo ladies (Elle) dead in the corner of the pen with her throat ripped open. I have no idea what happened. I had been home all day and nothing out of the ordinary. But my Bob white looks highly suspect as he had lots of blood on him as well. My other 3 tuxes are unharmed. I am a tad confused honestly, as would have suspected the dead on to be the tux male if anyone. It was heartbreaking to find her that way.

I took all the other birds out of the pen and Bob has been frantically looking for them and calling for them for the past 2 hours. He is making sad sounds i have never heard before. He has never been alone but I don't want to risk him killing more birds. My only guess is that he finally fully matured and this was the result. It is heartbreaking to watch him panic.

I know that people suggested this could happen but I was hopeful that being raised in a very small batch since the brooder, he would have been ok. I just never imagined he would go from cuddling to killing within 24 hours. Literally he was sleeping next to her in the sandbox yesterday.

So end of saga, raising coturnix and Bob's together isn't a good idea unless you have a large aviary, even if they are raised together. RIP Elle.
So sorry for your loss :hugs I can't imagine what it would be like to come home and find one of my birds throat ripped open. :( :hugs:hugs
 

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