Quail are pecking out feathers

[Maladicta]

My quail are doing this as well! Not to the extend of the above, but I've been a bit worried. They have recently (upon purchase 2 days ago) been moved from a tony bird cage to a large chicken coop. They are feeding on layermash, shell grit, cracked corn and bugs etc. I will have a look for some 'game bird feed' for them at the local produce store. I don't think they sell it though as every time I've asked about food so far I've been told to feed them bird feed. It's only happening with my large Jap quail though (I think F&F?), not my tiny King quail (M&F).

 

[Quail Jailer]

Your birds may be stressed a bit from all the moving, give them a day or two to settle in and let us know how its going.



edit; Oh and do pursue some good high protien gamebird food!

 

[dc3085]

Feather picking is caused by one of these things 99% of the time

Lack of protein
Lack of calcium
Overcrowding
Too hot (usually this only happens in the brooder)
Too many males
Feather picking habit was developed in the brooder
Extreme stress (its almost never this one unless you are a terrible coop keeper)

 

[erpLAINE]

How about quails pecking their OWN feathers? Is that normal? Not really pecking out their own feathers, more like they're scratching. Is that okay? Thanks!

 

[dc3085]

THey probably have mites. You can put sevin dust in the birds dust bath to kill them.

 

[Jacey R]

I just got 2 new female quail today for a total of 5 birds (4 females and 1 male). One of the new girls has had the feathers plucked from the top of her head in the past few hours and the skin looks raw and sore. I suspected it was the rooster since he can get a little bit aggressive, but when I removed him from the coop I noticed one of my older girls pecking at the new one. Should I be worried? Is there anything I should do for the little one with the sore head? Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[GrandmaBird]

did you just add this new quail to the enclosure? They can be aggressive and territorial and she would be an outsider to the gang. For her sake I think I would remover her and introduce her through wire by way of a separate cage then move stuff around and add the new female. Can never be too safe. Good luck

 

[Jacey R]

Thanks for the advice @GrandmaBird. I have the 2 new birds in a separate enclosure now and will try to reintroduce them to the flock after a couple weeks of being nearby but not in the same coop. I had never seen my birds behave so aggressively! They seemed so gentle until this incident

 

[dc3085]

Game birds are very territorial as are most animals really. Territory for animals directly relates to survival. They believe they need what space and feed they have to survive and will not share with interlopers. Be careful when you are messing with their social structure and keep a watchful eye on them. If a bird bleeds you need to remove it or the flock will kill it. They can kill in a bird in just a minute or two despite how gentle they may seem. They don't know that you don't run out of feed and they aren't just going to let someone come in and take what they think is theirs.

 

[Jacey R]

@dc3085 That makes sense. I should have realized that they would be territorial and possessive of their food. I feel terrible that one of my new girls got hurt, but she is doing much better now that they have been separated. I will definitely remember this info anytime I get new birds and be extra careful.