Balding? Coturnix Quail

[buttonquailtx]

Sorry,i missed the comment on incubation. Coturnix seldom set their own eggs. They have been bred for egg production, meat production, and color. As a result, they mostly lost the instinct to set.

 

[buttercup95]

Sorry,i missed the comment on incubation. Coturnix seldom set their own eggs. They have been bred for egg production, meat production, and color. As a result, they mostly lost the instinct to set.

Okay I researched them ;loads before even considering a purchase and I knew they were bred for meat and are pretty much a less intelligent quail. I just think that talking to real people, no matter how much you read, is always more reliable than some article I found on the internet. I hope to be able to question you further about their incubation I might start a whole new thread but you seem very knowledgeable so would it be okay for me to pm you?. (probably in about a week when I am sure the males have made the eggs fertile) Also I'll post another thread tomorrow with photos of the best males so I can see which others think would be best for breeding.

 

[buttonquailtx]

Sure. Sounds good

 

[Duck77]

Having more time to observe my newly acquired quail, I have concluded that the bald heads on all my female Coturnix are from one rough male who grabs the back of their heads in his beak to mount them. He does it every time. So I may need to remove him to give the hens a break. I am only interested in eggs for now so I don't need his services. It isn't a problem to separate just one male and have him live alone is it? I know my turkeys and chickens panic easily when they find themselves all alone. TXmama, are you 100% sure there isn't a male lurking in your flock? Is there one that is not going bald? Do all their vents look the same or does one have a bulge just above the vent?

 

[TXmama4boys]

Thank you all for your imput. I realized it was one of my females harrassing the others. I have a seperate cage for males and some of them were balding as well. I found one mean male doing the same thing. I have since passed my aggressive ones off to new homes and we are no longer having issues!

 

[buttercup95]

Thank you all for your imput. I realized it was one of my females harrassing the others. I have a seperate cage for males and some of them were balding as well. I found one mean male doing the same thing. I have since passed my aggressive ones off to new homes and we are no longer having issues!

Haha my males just had to be separated for the same reason. I've been lucky enough this far but after the females laid their first eggs they went nuts!

 

[dynodon]

If you spot the bully ,you can take a fingernail clipper and cut off just the tip of her top beak . You will get a small drop of blood from it ,and it will discourage her from pecking for a good while .

 

[TXmama4boys]

great advice! thank you!!!

 

[dynodon]

I have over 400 Texas A&m quail , and have had very little balding .I have found that they actually do better a little crowded than when they have lots of room .I know this sounds backwards , but that has been the case with mine .I t seems that with a lot of room , they are more territorial than when more crowded .I keep 50 to 60 in each cage , that is 6ft. x 2ft floor space . I also keep a cat litter box filled with playsand in each pen . That gives them something to do besides eat each other . I feed mine nothing but game bird starter grower 28% protein . These are just getting cranked up laying ,Today was my best day so far with 94 eggs , 52 yesterday .I also use the drip waterers ,and these things are a real worksaver .I was spending about 2 hrs a day washing the poop out of the gal .waterers ,and re filling them .I think the drips also give them something extra to occupy their little minds .
If you see one that is really aggressive to the others .Clip off about 1 | 16 th off the top bill with a pair of fingernail clippers . You will get a few drops of blood ,but she can still eat just fine but will no longer be aggressive .

 

[dynodon]

Buttercup --a simple remedy for your birds getting into the feeder ----I'm assuming that it is the round , open top gravity flow feeder . If so just cut the bottom out of a gallon bleach jug and slide the dome part over the feeder .They will slide right off . I also use them on my one gallon waterers to keep chicks from perching on top of the waterer .