Balding? Coturnix Quail

[TXmama4boys]

Hello! I have a couple of female coturnix quail that have bald spots right on top of their heads. They are about 8 weeks old. Is it from others pecking at them. There are no males. I had one die last week. I found a bloody spot on the back of her head. I didn't think females were aggressive. My coop is 4.5' x 2.5' and i currently have 9 females in there. Also, it is around 100-105 outside (tx). Could it be the weather?


Sorry if these are silly questions. I am 8 weeks into keeping poultry and know only what I've learned in the past two months.

Thanks!

 

[buttonquailtx]

There are a few things that can cause balding.

1. Aggressive breeding males (obviously not the case here)

2. Bullying by other quail. (If I had to guess, I would choose this one. Very common, especially with white birds.)

3. The "boink" factor. When quail are startled, they fly straight up and hit their heads on the top of the cage. Keep an eye out for predators disturbing them at night. (Placing a soft foam barrier on the inside roof of the cage)


It is a good idea to remove the injured quail to a recovery cage. The other birds will continue to peck at any blood or injuries.

I hope this helps.

 

[TXmama4boys]

Thank you! I am considering splitting up my girls and seeing of something changes.

 

[Quailsong]

It may also be just one girl, picking on the others. Sit back & watch them for 10 mins. See if one is bossy & causing trouble. That's the one you want to separate, cull or rehome.

 

[James the Bald]

Hello! I have a couple of female coturnix quail that have bald spots right on top of their heads.

Same thing happened to me! But, now it's more "evenly spread".

 

[Duck77]

If you have 8 weeks experience on poultry, then you've got me beat. But I do have the same problem with my Coturnix hens. Four hens have bald heads and ratty feathers. I have not witnessed a single peck so I cannot separate a bully. So far my online research has led me to believe they may be picking feathers due to a protein deficiency and maybe some of our more seasoned quail keepers can confirm or deny this possibility. To correct the problem, I have switched them to a higher protein game bird feed and I'm supplementing them for now with live mealworms just to see if this corrects the problem. They are insectivores so it doesn't seem right to only feed vegetable protein. These birds were purchased on Craigslist and they came with their cage but it is way too small for 9 birds and the seller said even more were in there before. So I am also building another hutch so they have more space. This might be generous for Cots and A&Ms but I want to give them 4 sq ft per bird. Hoping these things will all allow them to calm down and stop pecking and plucking. I would like to hear what finally solves the problem for you. Good luck!

 

[buttercup95]

I have white coturnix quail that are 7 weeks in and all of them are doing fine. funny enough I also have 9 females but they are in a 6'x2' pen and it's only 10" tall. I was told that if I kept them in a shorter cage they are more aware of their surroundings and thus the "boink factor" (I love that lol) is avoided. So far no wounds what so ever the only problem I had was one of them getting stuck off in their feeder and dying from heat and dehydration. Anyways I hope the best for you and even though it's not really advice I hope to have helped in some way. Maybe a more experienced quail breeder can help you and maybe help me too. Mine just started laying eggs today and I wanted to know when it was safe to breed them...

 

[buttonquailtx]

I have white coturnix quail that are 7 weeks in and all of them are doing fine. funny enough I also have 9 females but they are in a 6'x2' pen and it's only 10" tall. I was told that if I kept them in a shorter cage they are more aware of their surroundings and thus the "boink factor" (I love that lol) is avoided. So far no wounds what so ever the only problem I had was one of them getting stuck off in their feeder and dying from heat and dehydration. Anyways I hope the best for you and even though it's not really advice I hope to have helped in some way. Maybe a more experienced quail breeder can help you and maybe help me too. Mine just started laying eggs today and I wanted to know when it was safe to breed them...

As long as your females are healthy and an ideal weight, it should be fine to breed them now. As long as you keep a good male to female ratio and keep an eye out for aggressive males, breeding doesn't harm them. Laying eggs is tough on females,but they will lay if bred or not.


TXmama3boys:
Another thing that helps with plucking problems is fresh greens. Giving them something else to peck at sometimes helps the problem. But be sure not to give them iceberg lettuce or celery. These have no nutritional value and can lead to malnutrition and runny droppings.

 

[buttercup95]

Okay I was only asking because I know the first couple of eggs are off with chickens so I would assume it's the same with quail. Only one egg was squished so I don't know if it was thin shelled or they just walked on it maybe both? Also will they set on their eggs or do I have to incubate? I have an incubator so if I had to that would be fine I feel safer with a more natural setting though
Oh and I understand the male to female rate is 1 male to every five females is that correct or could I up the ratio to 1 male to every three females increasing odds of fertility? Or would that be too many males and they'd breed the females to death!

 

[buttonquailtx]

As long as your ratio is between 1:3 and 1:5, you shouldn't have any problems with fertility. I keep my ratio at 1:3, but I keep about 30 hens in a cage, and I feel that the higher ratio helps make sure every hen gets hit every day. If you keep a smaller flock, then the smaller ratio of 1:5 will be fine with no noticeable drop in fertility.