A molt at 3 weeks old?

[007Sean]

I think you just have an unusual situation, for some reason they are maturing extremely fast....even for Coturnix. What feed are you using?

 

[threeepeat]

I think you just have an unusual situation, for some reason they are maturing extremely fast....even for Coturnix. What feed are you using?

I'm using nonGMO Turkey starter with 25% protein.

This is the stuff:
https://ritchiesmith.com/chatterbox/products/pre-starter-a-crumble-25-protein

In addition I have been supplementing lightly with BSFL, ground up of course. And the feed was ground up slightly until recently. Here is the bag I have:

https://www.urbanbird.ca/natures-grubs-350-gram.html

Beyond that, for a time, I added a very small amount of this DVL Poul-Vite poultry vitamin water to their water at the very beginning because my very first chick had a walking issue. He seems to walk fine now. Just doesn't ever stand up fully extended like some others like to do. I wasn't able to find Save-a-Chick or Nutri-Dense anywhere locally. Here's the stuff I used:

https://www.petware.ca/products/17683

 

[QuailQueen3]

I should clarify what I mean by "ton." Really it's not a ton, it's just that it went from no feathers in the brooder at all one moment to a whole bunch over a period of three days. I know they are from both colors of chicks.
The feathers started tiny and have gotten bigger. Different types, shapes, colors. The falb fee chicks have these cool black cross feathers originally tiny and now bigger, and at least one of the roux chicks is shedding bigger greyish looking ones. You can see see one sticking out from the bigger red chick in the photo.
The brooder was just cleaned before this pic so it doesn't show the feathers lying around in the pine shavings

This sounds like a normal shedding of baby down feathers as the more mature adult feathers “fully feather” at 3-4 weeks.

I have Jumbo Brown Coturnix and they start shedding their baby down feathers at 10-14 days in a brooder (temps at 99/100 F day 1, decreasing by 1/2 degree F per day).

 

[threeepeat]

This sounds like a normal shedding of baby down feathers as the more mature adult feathers “fully feather” at 3-4 weeks.

I have Jumbo Brown Coturnix and they start shedding their baby down feathers at 10-14 days in a brooder (temps at 99/100 F day 1, decreasing by 1/2 degree F per day).

I'm honestly not sure, although I know that I've only seen one feather that was puffy and down-like. The rest have been a mix of different types, all unfamiliar in terms of type to me, so far! I'll post a pic of a set of the original feathers I found. I've since collected some others that do look again different, potentially, in terms of type. Just how many types of feathers do juvenile quail have at this point? Interesting

 

[threeepeat]

I'm honestly not sure, although I know that I've only seen one feather that was puffy and down-like. The rest have been a mix of different types, all unfamiliar in terms of type to me, so far! I'll post a pic of a set of the original feathers I found. I've since collected some others that do look again different, potentially, in terms of type. Just how many types of feathers do juvenile quail have at this point? Interesting

 

[QuailQueen3]

I'm honestly not sure, although I know that I've only seen one feather that was puffy and down-like. The rest have been a mix of different types, all unfamiliar in terms of type to me, so far! I'll post a pic of a set of the original feathers I found. I've since collected some others that do look again different, potentially, in terms of type. Just how many types of feathers do juvenile quail have at this point? Interesting

What kind of quail are they? Mine are Jumbo Brown Coturnix. I would say 90% of my baby down feathers are small, light, gray and just pass through the 1/2” x 1/2” hard cloth with the poop.

 

[threeepeat]

What kind of quail are they? Mine are Jumbo Brown Coturnix. I would say 90% of my baby down feathers are small, light, gray and just pass through the 1/2” x 1/2” hard cloth with the poop.

They are 7 standard coturnix chicks, or juveniles I guess now. 5 are Falb Fee and 2 are (current assumption) Scarletts.

In the feather pic, the one feather that looks down-like to me is fourth in from the left on the bottom row. I'm new. Is this the only "down" feather in this pic?

 

[threeepeat]

They are 7 standard coturnix chicks, or juveniles I guess now. 5 are Falb Fee and 2 are (current assumption) Scarletts.

In the feather pic, the one feather that looks down-like to me is fourth in from the left on the bottom row. I'm new. Is this the only "down" feather in this pic?

Just to follow up, I stumbled across some information that suggests that quail can sometimes pull out their own feathers if they feel too hot.

I can't confirm this was the case here, but I just want to add it to the discussion. Because I have these quail in a relatively warm indoor situation and because their feathers seem to have grown out quicker than typical, they may have started pulling out some of their own feathers.

If it was an early molt also, it seems to have wrapped up fairly quickly. No more feathers flying around etc.

l also noticed that, after a rapid start to their overall size and development, their size seems to have plateaued at week 3 or 4. In other words, growth has slowed up. Same feed (minus the BSFL) and no heat lamp etc. Is this relative slow up normal?

Thanks

 

[Nabiki]

It is normal for their growth to start slowing down around week 4, then slowing more around week 6.