Bloody Feet

[IRISHBOXER77]

I am new to quail and I have a problem. I am on my 2nd batch of bobwhites, I only have 7 in my brooder and 6 that are about 3 months old. The 7 I have in the brooder thay are picking at there feet so bad they just lay around most of the day. Some of there feet are really bloody and only hop around on one leg. I did not have this problem with the bobwhites I had before. What may be the cause of this?

Thank you.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Are you using a white light bulb for heat? We use red light bulbs to help prevent that. From what I've read, they think each others toes are worms and pick at them. Under the red light it isn't as much of a problem.

David

 

[IRISHBOXER77]

I do use a red heat light to limit there stress.

 

[byoung14ever]

Put some greenery(small tree limbs, spruce branches) in there for hiding and it gives them something else to pick at when bored. I would remove the injured and put in a different brooder until they heal. It seems once they are injured and have a bloody spot the others will key in on it and keep pecking until it dies. I dont know why they do it I have some hatches do the same thing others do not.

 

[IRISHBOXER77]

I will give that a try, the last hatch I had where fine. Bobwhites are killers I wish they would all get along. I hope the ones that are really bad off live.

 

[byoung14ever]

I have had some pretty bad live. If you have any poultry antibiotics and/or electrolites this will help. I always pull them and put in their own little triage so they can rest and heal without being picked on further. Brad

 

[shelleyd2008]

You can also give them something else to pick at, like a hanging head of lettuce or some bugs/worms. They are bored, so they peck.

 

[JJMR794]

Lower The Temp In The Brooder--- Bobs Especially Get Peck Happy When The Brooder Is Too Warm---- Seems To Make Them More Active And A Lil Grouchy.... Also Do Not---- Repeat Do Not Give Them Worms At This Age It Will Encourage This Behavior In Bob Whites. Definately Put Some "hideouts" In The Brooder. And The Vitamin Mineral Suppliment Is Good As Well.... The Red Light Is Good... What Are You Feeding The Precious Lil Dears? (yes That Was A Feeble Attempt At Sarcasm) Are You Feeding Gamebird Starter And Not Regular Chick Starter? The Greens Are Also Good Idea, As Well As Seperation Of The Most Injured. If You Are Worried About The Wounds Themselves You Can Spray Or Paint Them With Bluecote--- In Gamebirds Especially This Helps To Hide The Wound From The Roommates' View--- Bobs And Pheasants Are Especially Bad About Noticing A Wound Or Defect On 1 Of Their Broodermates And Constantly Non Stop Picking At It Until Death Ensues... The Wound Cote Is Blueish Purple In Color And Helps Hide The Wound Or Imperfection So That It Does Not Get The Other Babies Attention.

Oh Lemme Just Make Sure Of This---- You Dont Have The 2 Different Ages Togather Do You? I Mean Like In The Same Brooder? 'cause This Would Be Bad.... For Some Reason Bobs Dont Mix With Other Age Bobs Until They Are About A Yr Old Or So. There Are Exceptions To This Of Course, But As A General Rule The Young Bob Mentality Is "if He Aint One Of Us, Then He's Against Us---- Lets Get Him First!" They Tend To Outgrow It Once Sexually Mature.

 

[IRISHBOXER77]

Thank you everyone for the help. First thing right know I have the 2 week olds in a brooder alone the older ones have there own cage. I feed the chicks regular chick starter 20% but I do add chopped up cat food to give them more protein about 1/3. I think I need to add a place where they can hide away inside the brooder. Where could I find Bluecote? I have Southern States and a Tractor Supply near by thats about it.
The temp right know is around 80-85 in side the brooder and the only light they see is the red heat lamp. The first hatch went will I hope and I hope to have more maybe a Quail breed that will not try to eat eachother. After all the work I really do like to do this but like everything you learn as you go.

Thanks

 

[JJMR794]

Yessir There Is Definately A Learning Curve To Bobs!!! The Only Things I See--- Chick Starter Bad--- Can Cause Constipation In Gamebirds--- Best Is Gamebird Starter Or Turkey Starter-- Medicated Or Not --- Doesnt Matter. As Far As Temp I Wouldnt Worry About It Too Much I Would Bump It Down A Little And Watch Them--- If They Arent Huddling And Acting Cold I'd Leave It Alone. Are They In A Spot Where It Heats Up Suring The Daytime? That Could Be Causing Them To Throw These Lil Temper Fits And Start Beating Up On Each Other.... So Look At That--- If So Try To Move Them Someplace Where The Temp Stays Constant And You Can Control It By Using Your Brooder Light--- That Way You Can Ensure No Overheating During The Warmer Daytime.

I Get Wound Kote Brand Wound Spray At The Tractor Supply Near Me. You Can Buy It Or The Competing Brand Bluecote From Cutlers Supply On Line Or Even Ebay If You Look. But By The Time You Pay For It + Shipping=== Just As Easy, Quicker, And Cheaper To Run To Tsc And Grab A Can Or Bottle Off The Shelf And Walk Out (after Paying For It) With It. It Comes In A Liquid That Can Be Painted On, Or An Aerosol Spray( Works Best With The Birds...) That Can Be Sprayed On--- Just Spray The Wounds And Suspected Peck Zones With It Liberally--- You Wont Hurt Them With It( You May Have Purple Hands For A Day Or Two...) It Works In Many Ways--- 1 Controls Bachterial Growth--- Stops Infection. 2 Sooths The Wound And Aids In Healing 3 Tastes Nasty So It Deters This Behavior 4 Covers Or Stains The Peck Zone So The Other Lil Boogers Can See It Or It Doesnt Draw Their Attention And Helps Eliminate The Behavior=== Great Stuff To Have On Hand For Any Gamebirds! It Might Be In With The Horse Meds So Look There If You Dont See It Anywhere Else