Is my quail molting?

[quailmama 82012]

I have 6 quail and one of them might be molting, but I'm not sure. I've heard there is a "season" for quail when they molt? I really don't know. he is only eight weeks old (coturnix) the feathers are not being lost in a very big area, he is just loosing feathers on his neck, his wings, and his back. The quail have been getting twelve hours of light each day, but not until recently. He has access to sand baths too.
sorry, i have no clue about molting, I just want to make sure.
thanks!!

 

[Quailobsessed]

In general, birds' moulting season is supposed to be before and after breeding season (late Winter to early Spring and Autumn). However, a lot of birds, including mine, don't always follow that.

Does your quail have pin feathers?
(pin feathers look like this)

 

[JaeG]

Our 4 week old babies are moulting like crazy. But if he's looking a bit bald in patches that could indicate he's being bullied by another quail. Do you have more than one male? The dominant male will mount other males and where you've described him losing feathers makes me wonder if it's that.

 

[quailmama 82012]

yes, he does have pin feathers.
and, i do have another male, but he is not the dominate one. i've seen the one with the pinfeathers mount him a lot.. and when he crows, the other doesn't challenge him. the only fighting i see is when Robert (pin-feathers) mounts my golden hen. it seems as if the other rooster is protective of her. even then its only a peck or too.

thanks.

 

[Quailobsessed]

If he's not getting plucked, he should get his feathers back soon.

 

[quailmama 82012]

i didn't want to start another thread, but something a little crazy happened last night.
i feel bad for it, but i must've left the cage door open a crack, and the garage door was open, leading into some forests were we just saw raccoons the other night. Anyway, I was sure if one escaped, it wouldn't come back..
then rolls around next morning and my parents go out to go for a walk and the cage door is WIDE open.. and one was missing. I went in there and I knew that I probably wont see my little quail again. So, my parents leave, and say they'll keep an eye out for her. I think that maybe she stayed inside and start looking.. and then I start hearing a very distressed, loud peeping and its not coming from the cage. I look up, and I see my quail, sitting on a very high shelf.
Long story short, we got her back into her cage, and I will be way more careful about my quail's cage from now on..
what baffles me is, why didn't she just leave? she could have easily gone. and, why didn't the other ones follow her?
Im just happy I still have six quail!!

 

[JaeG]

i didn't want to start another thread, but something a little crazy happened last night.
i feel bad for it, but i must've left the cage door open a crack, and the garage door was open, leading into some forests were we just saw raccoons the other night. Anyway, I was sure if one escaped, it wouldn't come back..
then rolls around next morning and my parents go out to go for a walk and the cage door is WIDE open.. and one was missing. I went in there and I knew that I probably wont see my little quail again. So, my parents leave, and say they'll keep an eye out for her. I think that maybe she stayed inside and start looking.. and then I start hearing a very distressed, loud peeping and its not coming from the cage. I look up, and I see my quail, sitting on a very high shelf.
Long story short, we got her back into her cage, and I will be way more careful about my quail's cage from now on..
what baffles me is, why didn't she just leave? she could have easily gone. and, why didn't the other ones follow her?
Im just happy I still have six quail!!

I'm so glad you didn't lose her. She would have wanted to stay with her flock. I've had a male go over a fence at our previous house into the neighbours backyard. It was all forest behind them and us but the male reappeared the next morning and was very glad to be put back in the cage with all his friends.

 

[Quailobsessed]

i didn't want to start another thread, but something a little crazy happened last night.
i feel bad for it, but i must've left the cage door open a crack, and the garage door was open, leading into some forests were we just saw raccoons the other night. Anyway, I was sure if one escaped, it wouldn't come back..
then rolls around next morning and my parents go out to go for a walk and the cage door is WIDE open.. and one was missing. I went in there and I knew that I probably wont see my little quail again. So, my parents leave, and say they'll keep an eye out for her. I think that maybe she stayed inside and start looking.. and then I start hearing a very distressed, loud peeping and its not coming from the cage. I look up, and I see my quail, sitting on a very high shelf.
Long story short, we got her back into her cage, and I will be way more careful about my quail's cage from now on..
what baffles me is, why didn't she just leave? she could have easily gone. and, why didn't the other ones follow her?
Im just happy I still have six quail!!

Wow, what a relief. Good thing you got her back. She probably just wanted some adventure