Many of my Brand new Quail DEAD!!!!Update 11/5

[CoopCrazy]

I just want to cry soo bad.... I just got 15 Jumbo Coturnix from Attack Chicken this last Sat. and I called my mom to ask her to check on them as I am at work... And she calls me back to tell the tarp I had over the cage ripped to shreds in the storm last night and lots of my Quail are dead.. and the ones still alive are just huddled in a corner covered in blood and panting..... I have no idea how many are dead nor do I do know how many more i will have to kill...... I am just sick with myself as I was supposed to build a permanent box for them just for this reason , to get out of the weather.... I am kinda baffled though as my mother says there is blood everywhere... Would they have beat themselves against the cage badly enough to cause this? Or just the 60 mile an hour winds enough to do it to them...

On a more positive note I will be processing the ones that have died and using them as chicken food... Atleast I will get experience from my loses, as I havent butchered quail before...

 

[Kullas]

Im sorry for your loss. 60mph wind and a tarp = lots of flapping kinda sounds like it may have scared them enough for them to run into the cage and bounce up and hitting the top

 

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
I did not expect this wind til it was too late... Just makes me sick ...

 

[Kullas]

all i did for mine is put a piece of tin over my pens and screwed the pens down to the frame i built and ancored the tin to the tops of the pens. im not a big fan of tarps

 

[shelleyd2008]

They very well could have done that to themselves, and if they are bleeding the others will pick at them. The tarp blowing in the wind would have scared the crap out of them.

 

[CoopCrazy]

I actually think that they were attacked by some sort of predator.... All are missing toes many missing legs and all had feathers missing on their bellies... It looked like something tried to pull them thru the hardware cloth...

I found 8 dead, 7 alive but in shock, bellies ripped, and toes/feet missing.. I had to cull 2 do to missing legs, and the other 5 are doing great, they are eating, drinking, and starting to get around a lot better...

 

[farrier!]

Bummer.
I had my quail outside for a couple of months and that was my worry.
Good luck with the survivors!

 

[shelleyd2008]

It was probably the coon that got the last ones. You need to put a spacer under the pen, like 1/2" hardware cloth 6" below the bottom of the cage, so nothing can grab them from below. I assume that you reinforced the rest of the pen, so the racoon doesn't get in and kill all of these?

 

[CoopCrazy]

I really bumped on the security on the actual cage .. and it withheld the whole onslaught.... I just never thought something would be able to reach into the wire on the bottom its on 1/2 x1/2 hardware cloth... Going to build a freestanding quail cage witha 2x4 spacer with the strongest hardware cloth I can find, them wrap the legs with more fencing for triple protection... The sad thing is if I had built shelter box on Sunday instead of waitng to do it Monday this wouldnt have happened.... But another lesson learned ... Atleast the others seem to be ok and I think Oddball is one of the survivors... Attack Chicken made me promise not to eat Oddball and after getting all the blood off I think she is one of the survivors...

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Their toes can get through the 1/2" x 1/2" wire, that's probably how 'it' got them. Just grabbed hold of a toe and pulled. Poor birds

ETA: Even if you had built the shelter box, it probably would have happened. They don't use things like that unless it is super cold.