No tail feathers (vent is revealed partially)?

[SeptemberQuail]

I have a roo, he's about a year old now. Around a month ago I noticed his vent was visible when he was walking around, then I only just realized that he was missing a few feathers on his behind.
I never noticed until that time, and now he's separated because of that, and also that he's aggressive towards my white quails. It looks as if its a little harder for him to mount the hens, I believe. He's still in breeding mode. Whereas my other male has stopped breeding and doesn't have that big, swollen vent anymore.

I think my quail are molting as there are a whole bunch of feathers on the floor and I think one or two have stopped laying (not sure which ones though).
So, is this tail loss moulting or something else I should be concerned of?

(I haven't seen any new feathers grow on his tail yet.)

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Anyone?

 

[TwoCrows]

Is the swelling more or less under the vent, behind it or above it? Chickens are prone to swollen butts, that start out like your bird and progressively get larger. Usually in hens. Of course I am not suggesting prolapse, being a male, however hernia's are common in chickens from forcing the eggs out the vent. If this male has a weak or thin spot in the abdominal cavity, it is possible his "over humping" tendencies may have given him a hernia and his intestines are bulging a bit.

There is always a possibility of Mareks disease which causes tumors to grow, which can grow on the gonads. But generally you would start to notice illness along with the Mareks. Mareks is not all that common in quail however.

Keep an eye on him and the others to see if others get affected or if this one turns up ill. Then it might be easier to diagnose as time goes on.

 

[Kale and Quail]

What happened to your quail? I have something similar with my young male.

 

[FloorCandy]

What happened to your quail? I have something similar with my young male.

This is a very old thread, so I wouldn’t expect a reply, but looking at the photo, it looks normal. Males, especially the most dominant, get a big bulge behind their vent. If you press it, foam comes out. Some have much larger bulges than others.