Please advise

[skytalec]

I have about 25 birds, about 8 weeks old, a few days ago ive noticed most of them have bloody woonds on a back. I keep them in cages in basement, w the heat and light on,what could cause these and what could i do to save them

 

[cstronks]

Gently wash the cuts out with either soap or a watered-down antiseptic, then cover the wounds with either a band aid or cloth attached with tape. Do not leave it open like that because it will get infected.

 

[cstronks]

Also, how much space do you give your quail? If they are crammed together, they will get bored, and they will peck. The photo appears to show a lot of birds (2 of which are wounded). You may need to either expand your quail pen or reduce the number of birds you have.

Another thought - could be males fighting. Do you know the sex of the birds? Too many males in a confined space will fight each other. There are a lot of issues that could be causing your problem, but as for treatment of the injuries, it isn't much different than when a person gets hurt. Clean thoroughly and cover. As for what is causing this, you are going to need to review the number of birds, sex of the birds, and space of the pen. They could all be factors causing issues.

 

[sniper338]

yep.

I count 8 birds right there. Too many. You need to separate them down to one male per 3-5 females per cage. I am doing a 1:4 ratio right now that seems to be working really well. (As I am just starting out too).

After you separate them you need to sit and watch them for a while and pay close attention to see if one is aggressive and pecking the others. If you find an aggressive bird that is chasing and pecking others you need to remove it from the pen and put it in its own cage. Then you can re adjust your ratio again if you have birds to spare... You should pay close enough attention where you can feel confident that the birds in each cage are getting along real well... then that will probably stop more than half your problems...

If you can put some hay or something in the cages to give them something to dig around in.. keeps em less bored..

Thats where I would start with what I have learned.

 

[LeaLandHouse]

We've found that our ratio is a bit higher...when there is a low ratio the females are over worked (so to speak) and the male will pull the heck out of the back of their head with some having a bald spot....and small marks..and some light bleeding that needs constant tending...we're at 1:8 ratio approximately. 18-17 females all in one cage and change out the males every couple of weeks or so to promote different lineage...
We started with just 5 and now were at 30+ birds overall. Everyone will have different views on ratios as some males are more aggressive sexually than others...Keeping a close eye on their activity will allow you to judge...

 

[sniper338]

Lots of sitting and watching.... figuring them out... see what works and what doesnt....

 

[TwoCrows]

Holy Crow!! You can't cram that many birds together! LOL

Separate these birds out to where you have about 2 square feet per bird. And follow the advice of others on ratio male to female. Put some Blu-kote on the wounds or something that will stop infection.

Mix and match them with those that do get along.

Good luck!

 

[skytalec]

I know it looks they r crowded but they were not that bad, 25 birds , cage was 3'x5' and 3'tall, but after advice i added ( joined) two like that, they deff liked the space, once it warms up a bit, they have a nice coop outside.

 

[skytalec]

New question i have, debeeking or not? And for them to lay aggs, do they need boxes? My cages have wire floor for clean up (one of those cages for rabits).

 

[dc3085]

New question i have, debeeking or not? And for them to lay aggs, do they need boxes? My cages have wire floor for clean up (one of those cages for rabits).

If you have adequate space you do not need to debeak them. They should not fight at all if you have them in the proper space and kept in the proper ratio of hens to roosters (Between 4 and 7 hens for each rooster). I've never even heard of anyone needing to debeak coturnix. They are substantially more docile than say bobwhites or chukars. Debeaking is more a thing for commercial breeders who are jamming as many as possible into as little space as possible.