Carnivore chickens?? Help!!

[senorita05]

Can the chickens I purchased recently be carnivores? I have 2 quails that live in the coop with the chickens. I usually let the chickens out and leave the quails in the coop because they are small and can easily get lost in my backyard. This morning I had 2 hospital appointments to attend and no one was going to be home, so I left all the chickens and rooster (4 in total) in the coop with the quails. This has never been an issue because I raised one of the hens and the rooster with the 2 quails together and they get along well. When I came home, it was just sheer horror. I went to let my hens and rooster to graze around the backyard and I saw that one of my quails was bleeding profusely. On closer inspection I found that the quail was severely injured. He was missing feathers from his back and the skin had been peeled off to the point where I can see veins. He was obviously attacked. I immediately removed both my quails and took the injured one to the vet. The vet said he couldn't do anything for it that I wouldn't be able to do at home. I was really sad about that. So now I'm taking care of him. I honestly thought he was going to die when I brought it home because it kept closing its eyes. But now it seems more awake. I'm keeping him warm and have provided plenty of food. But he doesn't seem to be eating. He drank lots of water at the beginning but now he isn't touching anything. Later when I went to the backyard I noticed that the 2 new chickens were eating quail feathers. I am now very concerned because of his health and I don't want to hatch new baby chicks and put them through the same thing. I can't help but feel guilty and partially responsible for not being more careful. Any help and advice would be appreciated.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chickens are omnivores, like humans. As such, they eat meat as well as vegetation. Same with quail.
Chickens get bored easily and probably started picking on it while you were away.
What percent protein is in their feed? If the chickens were eating feathers, that's a good sign they're low on protein.

 

[senorita05]

I am not too sure about the percentage. I feed them bread, boiled rice, layer mix, grapes and watermelon and the occasional scrambled eggs for protein. I fed my other 2 the same thing and they seem to have grown up fine. What should I be feeding them? And do u have any suggestions on how to help heal up the quail because I can't stand to see the poor thing like that.

 

[ten chicks]

I am not too sure about the percentage. I feed them bread, boiled rice, layer mix, grapes and watermelon and the occasional scrambled eggs for protein. I fed my other 2 the same thing and they seem to have grown up fine. What should I be feeding them? And do u have any suggestions on how to help heal up the quail because I can't stand to see the poor thing like that.

I would keep your quail and chickens separate,they are too small to defend themselves against an attack from your rooster/hens. It probably has nothing to do with a lack of protein,but more to do with them maturing and fighting. Keep in mind that any wound no matter how small will cause all the other birds to start pecking/picking at it. Too small a coop or being locked up for long periods of time will also induce fighting/pecking. Having lights on 24/7 will also cause stress/fighting/pecking. Bottom line is that i really feel your quail need to be in their own coop for their own safety.

To bump up protein,you can give canned cat food/tuna/other meat,etc all chickens love meat as they are omnivores.

Clean his wounds daily using a saline solution,apply an antibiotic ointment to wounds(nothing ending in "cane/caine") toxic to birds. Keep him warm and quiet,make sure he is eating/drinking. Encourage eating by providing some of his favourite food. He may be in pain,hence his not eating.

If possible,can you post a picture of wounds,this will help in determining wound assessment.

NOTE: if he does not start eating on his own within the next day or so,you may want to start tube feeding. Often birds after not eating for a couple of days will not eat, this is just how birds react to injury,the trick is to get them eating/drinking before they reach the point of no return.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The layer feed will have the protein percentage on the label. It will also have the phosphorus, fat, fiber, and calcium. Layer feed is usually between 15 and 17%. The label probably also says something to the effect of " this is a complete ration" or "this feed is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of layer hens in production and no other supplements are needed".
A few table scraps are fine but bread is very low in protein as is the rice, grapes and watermelon. Bread is also high in salt (not great). Fruit is really good for them but a lot depends on how much rice and bread they're getting.
I'm sure you're not doing this but let's assume they were getting half their daily intake in bread, rice and fruit and the other half is layer feed then their total intake would be well under 13%. Too low and will induce them to feather pick or become more carnivorous to meet their nutritional needs.

It depends on the quail's wounds. I would flush them with saline, then betadine, then campho-phenique and finally a triple antibiotic ointment. Do that once or twice a day. After a day or two you won't need the saline. If it is going to heal, it will do so quickly.

 

[farmtotable]

For the injured quail, coat the wound with Neosporin for as long as it looks all red, raw, and weepy. We had a chick who was injured in much the same way, and she grew into a completely normal chicken.

I know someone mentioned this above, but quails are much smaller and far, far more delicate than chickens. You should never house them together. Perhaps more importantly, chickens can carry diseases which are fatal to quails and for that reason alone the two species should be kept separately.