quail help needed ASAP

[maco5]

my friend has ten cortunix quail she got in october.
they were 5 weeks old when she got them, and did quite well until recently.
They started picking at each other pretty bad, and so far 2 have died.
Their backs are totally featherless above their tail feathers, and quite bloody, and even on some of their heads.

She seperated the ones that were badly injured, and they recovered, but after being reintroduced to the flock, within a couple of days, they were beat up again.
Last night I got her the rooster booster anti pick lotion and we put it on them.
One of them looked pretty bad, and this morning it had died.

She said the ones that have died were very wet on their chest and stomach area.
Does anyone know if this is an indication of a disease, or just stress?

The one that died last night had laid an egg in the morning, and it was green, which doesn't seem normal for a quail, but I know nothing abiut them, so maybe it is!
Any advice is highly appreciated!!

 

[monarc23]

How many of those birds are males? If theres too many males per females that could be the problem right there.

As for the wetness, im not sure unless they are so stressed they're vomiting. Coturnix are pros at vomiting when upset esp just after eating.


Coturnix can lay ANY color egg imaginable really. Pure white, blue, green, silver, black, brown, spotted, speckled, brown...etc

Blad heads are almost always from males grabing the hens for mating that's normal. But if there stoo many males over breeding happens and stress from fighting over females happens.

1 male per 5 hens total is the ratio i hope this helps some!

 

[maco5]

They are all females.
There is one that has all of her feathers, so she figured that is the one who is causing the problems.
That was has been isolated.

Would thery vomit before they die?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
hmmm 100% sure they are all hens? If so, then this may be a space issue. They may be in way too small of an area.

Im glad that fully feathered one has been isolated hopefully that stops the problems.

it's possible they could vomit before they die....it takes a really upset coturnix to vomit though.

 

[maco5]

There are 10 eggs so it is an assumption they are all female.....

I also think it is a space issue, however, they were fine until recently.

She is working on a bigger space for them, in the meantime she has the ones that are injured the worst isolated.

Do you know if anyone makes the blinders for quail?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
yep i've seen them before buti cant think wher ei saw them online at.


10 eggs from coturnix means nada some have hens that lay 2 eggs a day!

I'd tell your friend to pick up the one with all it's feathers esp. and see if it's vent (bum) is swollen...if it is that's a male.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Sorry but it sounds to me like you have males. Hens doing that
to each other is almost unheard of.

Post some pics so we can ID them.

 

[maco5]

Wow that would suck if their were males!
It would explain what is going on though for sure!
And I wondered about the injuries because it appears to be in the manner that a male would cause to mate. (weird way of wording that I know)

Anyway, I will call her right now and tell her to check the one with feathers.

So if the vent area is swollen its a male?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
yep hold on a sec and i'll get up the picture i have of it

from my educational post (in my sig): In vent sexing the males will have a small pimple like bump...hens will not. Also the males you can actually press your fingers lightly together near the upper vent and if a white foam (almost looks like foam mousse) comes out that is a male...this substance isn't sperm, however it aids the sperm when breeding.
Foam substance (please note that you will ONLY get this foam when the birds are in breeding season..otherwise you'll just get a spit-like substance that I have learned is NOT the foam even the hens can express this spit substance so it's not a good way to sex...also these males that are in breeding season will have swollen bottoms):

 

[Mrs MIA]

Are any of them mostly rust-colored on the chest? Does she ever hear any of them making a gargling sound like a cat-call/whistle? If so, then there are males in there. If you gently squeeze around the vent area, a male will secrete a white foam, like shaving cream. Hopefully Niki has a picture for you.. I can't say that I've ever shot a pic of my male's vent...

Edited to add... she's quick!