Bloody Quail…any ideas?

[BabySteps]

Hi,

One of my hens is bleeding from her abdomen. She was fine one minute then a couple of hours later there was blood on her foot, abdomen, and face. It looked like a crime scene in the hutch. When I took her out to look, it seems like the blood was coming from her breast area but I can’t find an actual break in the skin. I have isolated her but that seems to be stressing her out more than helping her. I have polysporin to apply but can’t find the wound. Could this be as simple as a broken pin feather? Does she need to stay in isolation?

 

[Nabiki]

I've circled in red what looks like a wound. How secure is your pen? This could be from a rat. They can squeeze through smaller holes than you might think. It could also be from a rough spot in your wire that she flushed and scraped against.

Can you post pictures of her home?

In the meantime, get her clean, put her into a clean, warm tote and make sure she has food and water. She may be ready to go back out in as little as a day, or it might take a few days, but not more than that.

 

[BabySteps]

Thank you. I am attaching pictures of the enclosure. No one else was hurt. The bottom of the run is also lined with chicken wire.

 

[Whraith]

Also check her nails if you can't find any wounds on her abdomen. I had a bird pull a nail off that bled and he was holding his foot up to not put weight on it so of course his abdomen area was all bloody.

 

[Nabiki]

Looking at the pen, I'm still guessing rat or rough spot. Keep an eye open for rat droppings or missing eggs. At my old home I had a serious rat problem, and I would sometimes find eggshells pretty far away from the pens.