Quail behavior guide

ManOverBoard

Songster
Apr 30, 2023
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Hi all.
Newbie quail owner question... Is there a guide for understanding quail behavior anywhere?
We've got 14 cotournix quail all 3 weeks old.we have no idea how many are hens or not, and all various colors and sizes.
We have noticed over the past three weeks that some have stood up on their tippy toes and made a sort of chirping sound almost identical to a cricket. That's sort of subsided and now one of them is making a new sound that resembles a raccoons chatter, we have not yet figured out which one.
And just tonight we're noticing some are becoming a bit more aggressive perhaps working out a pecking order. They peck some of the ones laying down. Or they stand assertively in one spot and grab a feather and pull it out of one walking by it. And one tonight stood up on it's tippy toes but remained in a horizontal body position and raised the feathers on its back from tail to shoulder and paraded through the pile of sleeping quail and kept stepping on other quail intentionally.

They've got tons of space right not as they're in a three foot wide by 8 foot long metal planter.

Just hoping there's a guide some where.
We are used to keeping chickens and reading their body language, but have no clue when it comes to quail.🤷
 
That standing on toes with the chirping noise is usually the sound an alarmed hen will make, though they are a bit young to tell their genders yet unless they are feather sexable.

The feather pecking makes me wonder if they're getting enough protein. What are you feeding them?

You may find some good information in the learning center on quail here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/
 
That standing on toes with the chirping noise is usually the sound an alarmed hen will make, though they are a bit young to tell their genders yet unless they are feather sexable.

The feather pecking makes me wonder if they're getting enough protein. What are you feeding them?

You may find some good information in the learning center on quail here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/
Thank you.
We're currently feeding them a mix of two different 20% all flock feeds and hard boiled eggs and meal worms to try to boost the protein.
 
Can you get some turkey starter? What you're feeding them now isn't great. If you can't get a turkey starter, you can grind in some dry cat food. You'll know what the protein percent is by doing that, at least.
 

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