Quail bleeding feathers/ feather loss

[Vegetable Gardener]

probably an aggressive male. Sit maybe 10-20 feet away from where they are and observe which ones are aggressive. Also, if some hens have some hair missing from their head, it is most likely a male that is trying to mate. Otherwise, it might be mites or lice. But observe their behavior.

I think he may be innocent now? I don't catch him bullying anymore and I'm checking often. It seems he likes to sleep and huddle with the family. He also seems to be the last one awake during nap times.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Honestly, I didn't read any of your other replies after reading your description of the quail in the photos, and seeing your photos. Your quail are terribly unhealthy. I'm gonna tag some people with quail experience so they can give you better advice. I've never had a bird look like that before, they are extremely underdeveloped for their age.

@Nabiki
@muddy75
@Kiki

 

[Nabiki]

First off, what kind of quail are they? They don't quite look like coturnix, buttons, or bobwhites.

Second, get some game bird starter for them. They look terribly malnourished and ill.

Third, they need to be treated for those mites. Try some Ivermectin drops on their skin.

Fourth, get them off of the newspaper. It is slick and doesn't provide decent footing for them. They are likely to get leg injuries.

It sounds like you may not be able to care for them, and if that is the case, it would be kinder to rehome them with someone who can.

 

[Kiki]

First one likes to sleep all day. Second and third love to eat since they were born. 3rd loves to run and play a lot. Second acts like she's the mommy of everyone. Fourth (the one on the ground) was always sick and was getting skinny; turns out he had coryza and I treated him with garlic and apple cider vinegar in one of their water dishes. He seems to have gained some weight; looks more healthy now.

The first picture quail hardly drinks water by itself, I usually have to put its beak in there. It seems to have gotten coccidiosis today because of the soil. I think the fourth one had it too at one point, so I'm hoping the garlic-acv water works this time too.

Fourth one was always bald; has significant feather improvement in the past week. Third picture: he was always just furry and skinny, even though he ate a lot; seems to be growing feathers now.

Second picture was the first to get big and develop feathers; she loves eating . It seems like her wing feathers are getting bigger. She only had tiny feathers before.

First picture seemed to have feather development speed in between the 3rd and fourth.
I always check them and their stuff for mites. Haven't seen anything for a week or two. I do give them a shower on hot sunny days with dawn dish soap. Sometimes I spray garlic water on them and their cage. It seems to work. Just last week I got a spray for bugs which included fleas and ticks, so I sprayed their cage while they played outside.

First one likes to sleep all day. Second and third love to eat since they were born. 3rd loves to run and play a lot. Second acts like she's the mommy of everyone. Fourth (the one on the ground) was always sick and was getting skinny; turns out he had coryza and I treated him with garlic and apple cider vinegar in one of their water dishes. He seems to have gained some weight; looks more healthy now.

The first picture quail hardly drinks water by itself, I usually have to put its beak in there. It seems to have gotten coccidiosis today because of the soil. I think the fourth one had it too at one point, so I'm hoping the garlic-acv water works this time too.

Fourth one was always bald; has significant feather improvement in the past week. Third picture: he was always just furry and skinny, even though he ate a lot; seems to be growing feathers now.

Second picture was the first to get big and develop feathers; she loves eating . It seems like her wing feathers are getting bigger. She only had tiny feathers before.

First picture seemed to have feather development speed in between the 3rd and fourth.
I always check them and their stuff for mites. Haven't seen anything for a week or two. I do give them a shower on hot sunny days with dawn dish soap. Sometimes I spray garlic water on them and their cage. It seems to work. Just last week I got a spray for bugs which included fleas and ticks, so I sprayed their cage while they played outside.

Oh my gawd.... What do you feed these poor things?

 

[Kiki]

First one likes to sleep all day. Second and third love to eat since they were born. 3rd loves to run and play a lot. Second acts like she's the mommy of everyone. Fourth (the one on the ground) was always sick and was getting skinny; turns out he had coryza and I treated him with garlic and apple cider vinegar in one of their water dishes. He seems to have gained some weight; looks more healthy now.

The first picture quail hardly drinks water by itself, I usually have to put its beak in there. It seems to have gotten coccidiosis today because of the soil. I think the fourth one had it too at one point, so I'm hoping the garlic-acv water works this time too.

Fourth one was always bald; has significant feather improvement in the past week. Third picture: he was always just furry and skinny, even though he ate a lot; seems to be growing feathers now.

Second picture was the first to get big and develop feathers; she loves eating . It seems like her wing feathers are getting bigger. She only had tiny feathers before.

First picture seemed to have feather development speed in between the 3rd and fourth.
I always check them and their stuff for mites. Haven't seen anything for a week or two. I do give them a shower on hot sunny days with dawn dish soap. Sometimes I spray garlic water on them and their cage. It seems to work. Just last week I got a spray for bugs which included fleas and ticks, so I sprayed their cage while they played outside.

If these quail are 6 weeks old I'd end their suffering today.
They are extremely small for 6 weeks old and they look very very sick.

 

[vall]

Agreed. This is what a healthy quail should look like - she is 5 1/2 weeks old and over half a pound.

 

[Vegetable Gardener]

They are JMF quail from southwest gamebirds. I got the birds shipped all the way here in the North east. I'm giving them peas, rice, corn, and sesame seeds right now. They also have plenty of sand, and I let them free range once or twice a day. Can't really buy chick starter since we don't have a farm store here and amazon is dumb expensive. I'm still a dependent, so I can't really buy everything, whether I need or want it.

I can try to adjust their diets with different foods, but even though I want to buy the starter, my dad said no. Also, I would not kill an animal; they die naturally, unless they are to be eaten.

 

[Vegetable Gardener]

Agreed. This is what a healthy quail should look like - she is 5 1/2 weeks old and over half a pound.

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So how can I get them like that? I am giving them sav-a-chick and plenty of food. They don't seem interested in snacks like berries either.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

So how can I get them like that? I am giving them sav-a-chick and plenty of food. They don't seem interested in snacks like berries either.

They need gamebird feed or at the very least chick starter. If you have no farm stores nearby, I'm going to assume you bought your supplements from Amazon?

Do you only have 3 quail? 3 quail wouldn't consume 5lbs of feed in an entire month.

What do you mean when you say 'free range'? Any quail I've had escape an enclosure would disappear without a trace, they are highly susceptible to predation, and they don't return to their enclosures like a chicken would. If you are truly 'free ranging' them, they would leave if they were healthy enough.

I'm sorry if you can't do what's necessary for their care because you are a minor, but your parents shouldn't keep or allow pets to be kept unless they are willing to take proper care of them.

 

[vall]

So how can I get them like that? I am giving them sav-a-chick and plenty of food. They don't seem interested in snacks like berries either.

She is the offspring of JMF quail from southwest gamebirds. Same genetics as your birds. If you can't feed them a nutritionally complete feed, you need to rehome them. period.