What to do with a bully Roo?

[BeanTheQuail]

Hi all - any advice on what to do with a Roo that won’t stop bullying my other male?

Background:
I have 11 coturnix quail (2 male, 9 female) living in an aviary that’s about 8’ x 4’, they also have an “upstairs” sandbox that is about 1’ x 4’. One of the Roos is the only white bird in the flock. My pharaoh Roo will restlessly bully the white one - he is constantly pacing the enclosure to find/chase/peck him. The white one usually just hangs out up top in the safety of the sandbox (I have an extra food and water up there for him). I have also put a few potted plants on the ground level so there are more places to hide.

Not only do I feel bad that the white Roo has to live in fear, I had to quarantine him today due to his injuries. I also quarantined the Pharaoh Roo in hopes that he gets lonely and behaves better.

I’m worried the behavior will continue if I reunite them in a few days. I’m not sure what to do at this point.. and I don’t like culling unless I absolutely have to. Is there anything else I can do?

 

[sourland]

There are some males that simply will not tolerate another male in the flock.

 

[Rock17]

I would rehome the pharaoh

 

[The Moonshiner]

Or build another aviary and split your group into two.
I don't see the two males ever living peacefully together.

 

[007Sean]

White birds always get bullied by normal wild type looking birds....I don't know the reason, just that it happens that way! 3 different solutions have been given, choose 1. Best of Luck with your roo!

 

[Nabiki]

You need to get rid of one of your boys, I'm afraid.

 

[Pipsnchicks]

Hi all - any advice on what to do with a Roo that won’t stop bullying my other male?

Background:
I have 11 coturnix quail (2 male, 9 female) living in an aviary that’s about 8’ x 4’, they also have an “upstairs” sandbox that is about 1’ x 4’. One of the Roos is the only white bird in the flock. My pharaoh Roo will restlessly bully the white one - he is constantly pacing the enclosure to find/chase/peck him. The white one usually just hangs out up top in the safety of the sandbox (I have an extra food and water up there for him). I have also put a few potted plants on the ground level so there are more places to hide.

Not only do I feel bad that the white Roo has to live in fear, I had to quarantine him today due to his injuries. I also quarantined the Pharaoh Roo in hopes that he gets lonely and behaves better.

I’m worried the behavior will continue if I reunite them in a few days. I’m not sure what to do at this point.. and I don’t like culling unless I absolutely have to. Is there anything else I can do?

Two males absolutely can live together peacefully, especially with that many hens. However, it kind of depends on their personalities (like people - some people can't do groupwork well, and some love it).

In this case, you can try reintroducing the Pharaoh, but I don't think it's going to work. Just watch them closely for a day - usually, if it's to the point one of the birds has to "hide" in a corner to avoid others, you'll see scalping happen and it will come on quick, so you really need to watch close.

You could also try rehoming, but it's hard to give away roosters, especially when they're just plain colors. And this sort of aggression is usually genetic, meaning any chicks or anyone else gets would likely need to be kept alone again.

You could try and split the group. The thing is, if he's fighting with another rooster with nine hens in the mix, he likely has a lot of testosterone and won't be happy with just 4-5 hens. It's worth a shot, but again you need to watch them closely.

Your best bet, as sad as it sounds, is likely to cull. If you deal with it now, you won't have to deal with it nearly as much later on. You can always get more roosters or chicks from the other rooster and keep the peace.

 

[BeanTheQuail]

Two males absolutely can live together peacefully, especially with that many hens. However, it kind of depends on their personalities (like people - some people can't do groupwork well, and some love it).

In this case, you can try reintroducing the Pharaoh, but I don't think it's going to work. Just watch them closely for a day - usually, if it's to the point one of the birds has to "hide" in a corner to avoid others, you'll see scalping happen and it will come on quick, so you really need to watch close.

You could also try rehoming, but it's hard to give away roosters, especially when they're just plain colors. And this sort of aggression is usually genetic, meaning any chicks or anyone else gets would likely need to be kept alone again.

You could try and split the group. The thing is, if he's fighting with another rooster with nine hens in the mix, he likely has a lot of testosterone and won't be happy with just 4-5 hens. It's worth a shot, but again you need to watch them closely.

Your best bet, as sad as it sounds, is likely to cull. If you deal with it now, you won't have to deal with it nearly as much later on. You can always get more roosters or chicks from the other rooster and keep the peace.

Thank you @Pipsnchicks !! I did end up reintroducing the pharaoh a couple days after the white bird - I tried a metal beak bit but it seems he can still draw blood with it on… it may be too thin for him.
Have you used bits before?

Interestingly, when the bully Roo was separated, the females seemed more frantic than usual. Two of the girls were especially upset and would charge any bird that got close to them. Do you think they would eventually adjust to him being gone?

And yes, another unwritten worry of mine was that I want to hatch chicks in the spring. I think a few of my favorite gals would be great to breed with the better behaved white bird. However, I know the other male might not be too happy with any new birds in the flock and could try to hurt them.

Months have gone into building this aviary so I really don’t want to do it all over again for birds that don’t get along. I had a lot of hope for the guy but he just can’t seem to shape up. I don’t know what will be the best benefit to the future of the flock..

 

[Nabiki]

You really don't want to breed a bully unless you are prepared to deal with bullies. Temperament is part of what you can choose to breed for.

Your hens will get used to his absence with time.