My Quails feathers are completly falling out HELP!!!

[pheasantfrenzie]

Hi Everybody,
Please help me I don;t know if my quail are sick or something. I went into there pen to clean and I have been trying to hold them daily and when I went in there today and picked up the male almost all of it's feathers fell out? Can you not hold them that much or are they getting sick. I have 4 of them and only the 1 breed is doing this. I hope I'm not hurting them. I have only had them for about 2wks.

 

[JJMR794]

They Are Molting... Not To Wory Happens Twice A Year

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

Oh thats good. Thank you

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
what species of quail are you talking about? if coturnix or Bobwhite ..yah, that sounds like moulting...BUT... if it's Chinese Blue Breasted Quail( Button ) then it's more than likely b/c you handled them. You know how a lizard will sometimes drop it's tail when caught? well the feathers coming out on a CBBQ is on the same concept...self preservation. if the predator is left with a mouth full of feathers then it'll take him a minute or 2 to realize that there's no bird attached and the bird has time to escape. It's what CBBQ do when stressed /attacked by a predator.

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

Yes it is the Blue Scaled but I also have another pair that is Gamble I believe but they don't seem to be losing them as much. So since the blue scale are almost bald does that mean you can't handle them? If not what do you do with them set them free?

 

[theparrotletdude]

They might die in the wild, you can still keep it with your quail, as long as you don't handle him exept when necessary he should be ok.

 

[I <3 my EEs]

never heard that happen before... a close friend of mine has quail in a coop with her chickens and the chickens pulled all of his tail feathers out

 

[gamebirdboy]

You have blue scale and they were talking about button quail, a different kind of quail.

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

Ok I'm confused. Guess it's not hard to do but anyway why can't you handle your quail. I have read alot on this site any many people talk about how friendly they are. I bought them because my mom is sick and I wanted her to be able to handle them since they were small.
Are quail only good for the eggs besides eating them which I won't do well not yet anyway may have to have somebody else do that!
Can you calm them down at all or do you always have to start them when they are justed hatched?
Should I put them in with a yellow pheasant that thinks he is a dog because he follows me and always wants to be loved on would they learn then?

PLEASE HELP ME:

 

[gamebirdboy]

So you have Texas Blue Scale Quail? Some posters thought you had Chinese Blue Breasted quail. Most people call them buttons. You can handle them, personally I think they're just molting.