One of my quail is smaller than the rest.

[lena_]

it's a fairly large difference and its feathers are coming in all wonky.

Next to the jumbo chicks it is tiny! I would say it's either bad genetics or that's just a normal Japanese quail. What are you raising them for? That won't be much if you're planning to eat them.

 

[crazyquaillady4]

Eggs mostly with eating once they stop laying.

 

[brewer12345]

On my first bunch of coturnix bought as tiny chicks from a local breeder. Out of the 19 left I have one or two that are a fraction of the size of the rest of the birds and one with a badly twisted neck. They seem to run around, eat, sleep, drink and do everything else that the other birds do, so it is what it is. I won't breed the itty-bittys or the one my daughter persists in calling "crooks" (crooked neck), but if they turn out to be hens and lay like the others, who cares what they look like?

 

[crazyquaillady4]

Yea not going to breed her, but I am hoping she will at least lay eggs. She is so sweet!

 

[dianneS]

I lost my runt baby last night

It is probably for the best, as there was most likely something wrong with her anyway. She just wasn't growing and even the feather growth had slowed down.

I actually think she got smothered by the rest. They were sleeping in a big pile last night and this little one was literally flattened when I found her this morning.

 

[donut314]

I lost my runt baby last night

It is probably for the best, as there was most likely something wrong with her anyway. She just wasn't growing and even the feather growth had slowed down.

I actually think she got smothered by the rest. They were sleeping in a big pile last night and this little one was literally flattened when I found her this morning.

They pile up when they're too cold. Give them some heat. Last year I had about 70 quail chicks and one of my heat lamp died in the middle of the night. I found 15 chicks flatten under my second lamp. It was a tragic morning.

 

[crazyquaillady4]

My runt is now almost the same size as everyone else. Not quite yet, but closing the gap between sizes every day.

 

[crazyquaillady4]