Personality changes?

[Susan Skylark]

I thought we had a decent stability established in our 3 pens when we left for a two week trip. We came home to find one of our previously nice hens was now a jerk. After a night in isolation we put her back in her home pen to no avail. We tried another pen and she’s likewise pecking at all the other hens, pretty much causing a stampede. I took her out and everybody was back to usual calm. She’s now on the cull list as it doesn’t look like this is going to improve. Has anybody else experienced a sudden change in previously peaceful established groups? The only thing I can think is my son has been tossing them the occasional grasshopper and it turns into a hilarious football scrimmage but maybe she’s decided to go pro? It is definitely a soap opera, but at least I have some nice chick replacement hens coming along and I know who to cull!

 

[Nabiki]

I was going to ask what has changed in their environment, but you answered that. She has learned that being aggressive gets her the grasshopper.

You may want to stop feeding them grasshoppers since they can be a vector for disease.

 

[4xhennifer]

I was going to ask what has changed in their environment, but you answered that. She has learned that being aggressive gets her the grasshopper.

You may want to stop feeding them grasshoppers since they can be a vector for disease.

Grasshopper are in the grass lol. How do you stop them from eating them? I understand she’s tossing one to them but for those that free range they’re going to eat everything appealing they come across.

 

[Susan Skylark]

We don’t do it often, but it is hilarious to watch and nobody in any other pen has issues. My guess is she’s finally fully mature and her natural bully is coming out (high school mean girl!). As for grasshoppers being disease vectors I can’t name a single pathogen or disease causing organism that is commonly associated with orthoptera (order of grasshoppers and crickets). Since the local pheasants aren’t dying of anything I think the quail will be fine I did tell my junior entomologist to go easy on the ants and daddy long legs as they do contain venom or other nasty chemicals that may be toxic in large doses (probably several dozen ants but still!). He wants one of those tennis racket bug zappers so he can kill flies for the birds! They will literally eat out of his hand.

 

[Nabiki]

Grasshopper are in the grass lol. How do you stop them from eating them? I understand she’s tossing one to them but for those that free range they’re going to eat everything appealing they come across.

If you're free ranging your quail, you're not going to have quail for long. It's pretty safe to say that they're not going to find many on their own.

 

[Nabiki]

We don’t do it often, but it is hilarious to watch and nobody in any other pen has issues. My guess is she’s finally fully mature and her natural bully is coming out (high school mean girl!). As for grasshoppers being disease vectors I can’t name a single pathogen or disease causing organism that is commonly associated with orthoptera (order of grasshoppers and crickets). Since the local pheasants aren’t dying of anything I think the quail will be fine I did tell my junior entomologist to go easy on the ants and daddy long legs as they do contain venom or other nasty chemicals that may be toxic in large doses (probably several dozen ants but still!). He wants one of those tennis racket bug zappers so he can kill flies for the birds! They will literally eat out of his hand.

I said the wrong thing. Grasshoppers are a vector for parasites, not disease. I was recommending them as a treat but someone with a LOT more experience than I have told me that.

 

[Susan Skylark]

We only ‘free range’ in the garage with the door shut! And yes, grasshoppers probably are some sort of intermediate host for some sort of parasite (as are beetles, fleas and all sorts of stuff) but I’m not too worried as a parasite that requires an intermediate host will not spread in an environment lacking said intermediate host. A bird might acquire a worm but said worm won’t infect the others if it’s larva need an intermediate host to reach maturity. Since my birds don’t have routine exposure to grasshoppers any larvae or eggs passed in their feces will die or fail to develop due to the lack of an intermediate host (grasshoppers). This doesn’t apply to parasites with a direct lifecycle: worm to dog to worm, but only to worm to grasshopper to bird to worm sort of lifecycles.

 

[4xhennifer]

If you're free ranging your quail, you're not going to have quail for long. It's pretty safe to say that they're not going to find many on their own.

I have an entire family of quail living in my bushes. They’ve been there for over a year popping out babies like they’re farming them. They’re doing ok.

 

[Nabiki]

I have an entire family of quail living in my bushes. They’ve been there for over a year popping out babies like they’re farming them. They’re doing ok.

Those are wild quail, right? Coturnix quail are domestic and have very little survival instinct. Also, EVERYTHING likes to eat quail.