Quail has been scalped

[kevinj]

i will try to clean his head again in a little while but this is what it looks like after one day.

 

[Swbertrand1]

These folks are knowledgeable in treating injuries and will hopefully chime in here.
@aart @azygous @dawg53 @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[kevinj]

update: he is kind of lethargic right now, just standing there with his eyes closed. Is he cold?

 

[Swbertrand1]

With no other replies, I'll offer what I can: The bird is likely still in shock and just resting - attacks are very traumatic. Put him/her in a safe space where it won't get pecked or picked on by other birds, will stay warm, and can rest without loud noises. Protect it from houseflies too; they can lay eggs that quickly turn to maggots creating a second issue to deal with.

Make sure the wound is cleaned with saline several times per day and then an antibiotic (without pain reliever) applied shortly thereafter. You can use a Q-tip to gently remove any dirt and other contaminants, then apply an antibiotic paste that will nourish the damaged tissue and promote healing. Keep the injured area moist with the antibiotic. You'll need to address this multiple times per day, I've seen three to four times per day mentioned.

If you see the bird shaking, then it might be cold. I don't know where you're located or what the temperatures are there, but if you feel a little heat would help, go for it if it's cold. I wouldn't, however, exceed the temperature where the bird was located before it was attacked by more than a few degrees, if at all.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yesterday I found one of my quails scalped, so I moved him to another cage to recover. He has lost the skin on the top of his head, and his eyes were closed. I gave him some electrolyte solution yesterday (to deal with the shock), and after a while he seemed okay. He was eating and drinking fine yesterday, and this morning he was very active (standing up, looking around, walking around). However, now he would just stand there with his eyes closed. Is this a problem or is he just sleeping. Also, is there any ways that I can prevent infections.

update: he is kind of lethargic right now, just standing there with his eyes closed. Is he cold?

Since he's lethargic, I would provide a warm place for him.
I don't know a lot about Quail, but my understanding is they don't deal with stress too well, so he may be in shock.
Give him some drops of warmed sugar water. If you have Poultry Nutri-Drench give him 2-3 drops twice a day as well. Work on hydration.

As for the wound, just keep it clean and apply triple antibiotic ointment. Make sure flies aren't able to get to the wound. Scalping wounds like that heal pretty well when tended to daily.

 

[Swbertrand1]

By the way, how did he get scalped??

 

[bhaugh]

I will heal most anything in birds and have done so. I've brought birds back from this kind of scalping but I wouldn't do it again. I didn't take into acct the pain the birds must have felt while healing. I'm not wimpy when it comes to birds but there must always be a threshold of what is acceptable and what is cruel. I know we hate to loose birds but sometimes culling is kinder.

 

[kevinj]

With no other replies, I'll offer what I can: The bird is likely still in shock and just resting - attacks are very traumatic. Put him/her in a safe space where it won't get pecked or picked on by other birds, will stay warm, and can rest without loud noises. Protect it from houseflies too; they can lay eggs that quickly turn to maggots creating a second issue to deal with.

Make sure the wound is cleaned with saline several times per day and then an antibiotic (without pain reliever) applied shortly thereafter. You can use a Q-tip to gently remove any dirt and other contaminants, then apply an antibiotic paste that will nourish the damaged tissue and promote healing. Keep the injured area moist with the antibiotic. You'll need to address this multiple times per day, I've seen three to four times per day mentioned.

If you see the bird shaking, then it might be cold. I don't know where you're located or what the temperatures are there, but if you feel a little heat would help, go for it if it's cold. I wouldn't, however, exceed the temperature where the bird was located before it was attacked by more than a few degrees, if at all.

Since he's lethargic, I would provide a warm place for him.
I don't know a lot about Quail, but my understanding is they don't deal with stress too well, so he may be in shock.
Give him some drops of warmed sugar water. If you have Poultry Nutri-Drench give him 2-3 drops twice a day as well. Work on hydration.

As for the wound, just keep it clean and apply triple antibiotic ointment. Make sure flies aren't able to get to the wound. Scalping wounds like that heal pretty well when tended to daily.

Thanks! I have already treated for shock, and it seemed like he was out of shock as of yesterday evening. (i found him yesterday morning like this). I placed him out in the sun (it is currently low 80s) with a cover on the cage. I want to bring him inside but parents wont allow me to. I think it might be the guys cutting grass outside that is making him uncomfortable.
Thanks!

 

[kevinj]

By the way, how did he get scalped??

there is a super aggressive male that always picked on him. I found him on top of a little shelter I built for them. I dont really know why that quail was the only one the aggressive guy picked on, but I have separated them.

 

[Kellyjenny]

No judgment what's so ever. I know people like to help but every time I try to reply to people and only if I have experience and knowledge about a particular situation. which I am at this. As this happened a couple of times to me and now I prevent the situation from ever happening again. I know how to deal with an incident like this. First and foremost when this situation happens you want to separate him put him in a nice quiet place with water with electrolytes or sugar water.Do not whatsoever touch or clean the wound until the quail is passed the shock phase. and when you see him walking around and drinking which hopefully won't be that long. If you do touch his head and try dealing with the wound he will just get more stressed out and anxious and won't get out of the shock stage once you see him acting normal then you should start dealing with his wound. This had happened to me right away I was dealing with my quails wound as he was stressing and shocked and breathing heavily and I was cleaning he died in my hands. Now this has happened to me a couple times so I decided the last time it happened I put them in a dark room gave them water let him rest get out of shock Wait for him to walk around then dealing with the wound and it's less stress. Oh and I'm so sorry this is so long. Please keep me posted I would like to know how he's doing.