Feather picker AKA Mean Girls stink

[kahlertm]

GRRRRR. Relative to the "help my quail's feathers are all falling out" thread....I have a near naked pen and a chronically picked/naked back girl(s).

I have found the culprit. She has a distinct hump on her beak and is mean as h.e. double toothpick. I want to cull her as I do NOT want that passed on. But it seems to be a learned behavior. I thought it was space - so, I increased space. I thought it was heat - it kept on occuring during cooler weeks.

Do I slap some "rooster booster" anit pick stuff on the naked girls? So far my one pen of browns 4 in a 30 X 30 X 18h pen with hidey cave, two small sand baths, fake foliage etc. are not picking each other and have found harmony. But now I have these multiple cages where I can only house two hens and even in those cages...any one that had lived with miss mean girl, picks feathers now... Heat? Breeding season? Cull all mean girls? Normal for Coturnix females?

Like egg eating (another primal, stomach turning make me angry phenomenon), feather picking bothers me.

JJ and others Alex, Aprophet, Fatdaddy ...Coturnix:

1. When do they molt (if twice a year- is it age related or season related)?

2. Will rooster booster or anti pick stuff work_ have you tried it?

3. Do you just put the offender in her own pen and or cull her?

I am going to cull this one as she has now seriously injured (severe head pecking to the point of scalping like male cock fights) three other hens...Too bad. She was pretty ...of course she was. She is the only one with any darned feathers left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is in the cage of shame right now to simply provide eggs for consumption...(no I am not being cruel to her, she is just where she can no longer hurt "people"

.)
The ones I took her from are now immediately feathering out.

However, I have one tibetan who remains bare backed with obvious pecked feathers. She is with another brown and I may repeat this process of isolation and probable cull. UNLESS anti pick solution works...

thanks,
Tonya

 

[JJMR794]

TANYA I HAVE TO SAY I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS LIKE THIS WITH COTURNIX... BOBS? OH GOD YES! BUT NOT COTURNIX

FOR A REPELLENT YOU MAY TRY BLUE COTE... IT WORKS WELL WITH RINGNECK PHEASANTS THAT DO THIS AS NOT ONLY DOES IT COVER UP THE SPOT AND WORK TO LIMIT BACHTERIA BUT IT ALSO TASTES NASTY. I CANNOT ADVICE ABOUT THE OTHER REPELLENT, NEVER TRIED IT.

AS FOR SAVING YOUR GIRL... 1 WORDS GETS IT DONE.... BITS! PLACE A BIT ON HER LIL WICKED BUTT AND YOUR PECKING PROBLEM IS SOLVED WITH HER

 

[Fat Daddy]

Quote:
+1!! I have had one hen do it too. She would scalp someone at least once a week. The blu kote worked as long as you kept it on. But she would just pick a different bird. You will be surprised how quick they grow everything back to the point you cant tell which one had skull show'in.. I have followed JJ's and Deerman's advice on the bits and they are right. Bits absolutely end pecking problems. I have a bunch and use them on any trouble maker. Not hard at all and we can talk ya thru it if you need help. I Never put one on a coturnix thou. I ended up cull'in my "mean girl" cuz I grew to dislike the witch!! she was TASTY!!! MEAN BIRDS JUST TASTE BETTER!!! Good luck Lady. Bill