I just went to clean out the pen for my older quail, they are about weeks and i have them in a tote just the required size for all 11 of them. I have to clean the pen frequently, they spill the water and food so much so i'm afraid of mold growng so i've been very strict about checking under the newspaper lining and in their food surrounding the plate i lay their food on and the water. i didn't find any mold and it didn't smell like anything but wet grain. so to clairify no noticable fungi or mold cultures to show. While putting them back into their pen one of them drooled, i tried googling it but i really couldn't find a thing, it kept taking out the drooling part of "quail drooling" so i thought i might ask you all what you thought? i read that they had to be 5 weeks to withstand low temps outside and being as it drops in the 60's here i've not put them out yet. next friday they will be 5 weeks. I hope they aren't sick i would hate for that to be the case. their wings were dirty from them laying in the wet food when they went to sleep but none of them have cuts or scrapes, they are acting normal. i don't know what it could be? thank you for your replies!
If they've just gotten a drink and you pick them up they can dribble water out of their beaks if you've squeezed their crop or turned them sideways or upside down enough for gravity to pull some water out of their beaks. It's normal but make sure they are not too hot as that will cause them to need to drink excessively. That said, if your birds are just walking around with water dribbling out often that is not normal and you will have to evaluate the situation. Elevate their feeders and waterers so they have to stretch their necks just a bit to reach them. It will help keep them from making a mess, kicking bedding in the feed and water containers. I use bricks and thin pavers to stack so I can keep them at a level that is appropriate for them. As they grow you will need to change the height of their feeders often. Also, make sure you are not using open dishes that they can sit in or dust bathe in. Chick feeders will keep the feed and water cleaner. Use a separate box or bowl with something they can dust bathe in. You can use sand, coconut coir, even shavings for bathing materiel.
I went back last night and checked up on them, none of them were dooling at that time, but they did get into a tiff, i have one in quarentine now, the back of his head has a quarter size hole.. its healing up well this morning. i started reading more, all my birds are fully feathered and its not dropping below 50 here at night so i put them out immediately when i saw. sadly the chick that got hurt is one of my tamest ones out of that batch... so i was scared he or she was going to die. they are about 4 weeks now and they did fine last night. just never seen one do that before i was worried
