Introducing New Quail to an Existing Flock
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Quail are such amazing little egg producers, that eventually, you are going to want to get one of each color. (kidding, not kidding!)
They are adorable and sweet, but they CAN be territorial. SO it is important to introduce new ones properly.
their age is important
Make sure that your new quail are at least 5 weeks old before you introduce them to your existing flock (also known as a covey). By this time they are mostly grown and can hold their own with the adults.
We ship our quail to our customers at 3 weeks old, so you want to have a separate area to raise those babies up just a couple more weeks before introducing them.
a new space
Once everyone is the proper size, you want to move EVERYONE to a new enclosure that no one has seen before. This could be another cage or hutch, or it can simply be a tupperware storage container with a screen over top, a dog crate, a big cardboard box with a screen over it, or some other contraption you can house them in temporarily.
This new enclosure is important because no one is going to feel territorial about it. They haven’t seen it before.
lots of distractions
Put down some comfy bedding, and make sure to have plenty of food and water in there. You will also want to put in a sand-bath (just a shallow container with some sand or dry dirt). They love love love a good sand bath and this will be a welcome distraction as they get to know each other. Do not skip this step.
Another good idea to have in the temporary setup, is a hidey spot or two and maybe some yummy snackies like herbs from the garden, or some lettuce or sliced cucumber from your fridge. The more distractions the better.
timing is everything
So now you have your temporary cage all set up. You can put all the quail in there (new and old) at dusk. At nighttime, quail naturally want to wind down, so this is the perfect time to introduce them. Just plop them all in (carefully!) and you can watch them check out their new friends and new space. Leave them in the new setup for 2 days. We want them to blend as a new covey before returning them to the main coop.
if you notice any aggression
You can expect some “fighting”, pecking, or chasing, as they have to figure out the new hierarchy of the covey… Who is head quail, who is assistant head quail, and so forth. This is normal and how we got the term “pecking order”.
If you do notice some missing feathers the next day, that is ok and normal. If you see blood, find out who is the bully and remove THEM. By putting them in a “timeout” for a day, before returning them to the flock, knocks them down on the totem pole a bit. Keep an eye on them. They may need another timeout.
Do not remove the injured bird, as reintroducing them later will have them at the bottom of the totem pole again and will be difficult for that bird. Spray some BluKote or Vetericyn poultry spray on the injury and keep them with their flock-mates. Quail heal incredibly fast.
However, if you follow these steps, you shouldn’t have any issues.
After 2 days together, everyone can go back into the FRESHLY CLEANED main coop. Where they will live happily ever after. Make sure to clean it well so everyone has a fresh start.
A few notes...
Be sure that your male to female ratio is correct, or else that can lead to aggressiveness. You want no less than 4 females per male. 5 or 6 is better.
You CAN have more than 1 male in a coop together, if it is large enough and the ratio is correct, but keep an eye on them. SOme males do not like this. Some are OK with it. We personally keep single breeding groups together.
Always give a good quality feed to prevent them from starting to peck at each other’s feathers. (bald heads on females is from breeding, not feather pecking.) And make sure they always have feed available. Quail have high metabolisms so do not ration their feed. It is an all-you-can-eat buffet!
Best of luck with ALL your quail! Do not stress about introducing new ones. We do it all the time and it typically goes flawlessly. As always, reach out if you have any questions. I am here for ya!
And if you are ready to add MORE quail to your farm, homestead, or backyard, we’ve gotcha covered! Head on over to our Online Farm Store to pick some out. We ship anywhere in the US (January through October) and will be there to support you during every step of your quail journey!
Until next time!
Happy Homesteading 🙂
-Julie