Bald cots

[workindog]

Is it normal for my coturnix quail to have missing feathers on top of their heads? Ive looked them over many times and havent seen mites, and their dust bath does have some food grade DE in it.
So im assuming its from breeding?? I had 2 males and 3 females together
They started breeding around 7 wks, i wasnt sure which male was doing the deed so i was reluctant to cull one of the boys at that age.

I know the male that i just dispatched was on the agressive side. So if he was the culprit, either from breeding or bullying, when should i see feather regrowth?

Anyway, is this uncommon? Should i be worried or is it normal? Ty

 

[JaeG]

It is from over breeding and the feathers will grow back, if given a chance, pretty quickly. I have a girl who is a bit bald at the moment as she's the boy's favourite. I might be trying her with another male.

 

[HUGHES555]

Its from breeding. The roo grabs the hen by the back of the head and jumps on her back and does the deed. If the hen doesnt want to be mated then they can try and run and they will lose feathers or if the male is to rough then they will lose feathers. You will also notice their backs losing feathers from where the roo puts his feet. you might want to give your hens a break from the roo for a week and let them recover or you may need to get them a different roo.

 

[Binki]

Agree, from breeding, usually one male to several females will help the females keep good plumage but sometimes he has a favorite and/he grabs on to the head feathers too long and ends out pulling some out.

I just had to partition a male who favorited a girl, he's such a good male too with tidbitting for them but he hangs on too long resulting in poor "Popcorn" getting a bald spot while the other girls look fine.

My other male is always pecking at his girls when I'm around (he's incredibly tame and bossy lol) but it's always light and closed beak, so no feather damage.

It's also really funny to watch him mate because he doesn't hang on and will flop off of them, then get up and puff out his chest and sometimes do a deep wheezy sounding trumpet. It's so comical

 

[rita2paul]

i have a male who has plenty of girls to choose from but he will always be after this one girl. she has a few feathers missing from the top of her head.

 

[HUGHES555]

i have a male who has plenty of girls to choose from but he will always be after this one girl. she has a few feathers missing from the top of her head.

Some guys just have their favorites. lol

 

[DK newbie]

Another option is boinking. I work in a pet shop where we have 7 female button quail in an indoor rabbit cage with a wire top and most of them have some kind of damage to the head feathers even though the cage is only about 12 inches high and the males are in a different cage.

 

[workindog]

Ty everyone for your replies. I wondered if it was from breeding