quail pecking problem

[bobd400]

Okay, so came home today and found one of my chicks bloody. I'm trying to narrow down the cause based on what I've read here...

I have 6 hens only. They are 3-4 months old. I've had them about 5 weeks. They have about 1.5sq foot each area.
For the first month I gave them 14 hours of light a day, which I read was the minimum. After a month with no eggs I increased to 16 hours a day and for the last 4 days we've been getting one egg a day. My wife thinks the one being pecked may be the one that started laying but we don't know.

Could the light increase be a problem? Could one hen start laying cause stress or aggression?
I'm 99% sure its not an issue, but 3 are "golden ", 2 are Pharaoh and one (the pecked one) is white (makes the blood way more noticeable)

None of the other birds look hurt, and I haven't been able to pick out one bully.

I have the one seperated in a travel box and tomorrow I will try to find some medicine but I'm really confused what to do next.

This is my first foray into quail (or any bird)

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Quail Jailer]

Are you certain they're all hens?

I think you might have a bloodied rooster, With the whites its hard to tell.

and yeah I had one barely injured but the blood got everywhere, looked like a cardinal.

 

[bobd400]

Are you certain they're all hens?

I think you might have a bloodied rooster, With the whites its hard to tell.

and yeah I had one barely injured but the blood got everywhere, looked like a cardinal.

The supplier ssaid that as I requested they were only hens, and I've never heard anything that sounds like a male sound coming from them. I've listened to the different sounds online, and that rooster specific sound I haven't heard coming from anybody.

But I'm confused, even if it is a male, I thought like a five to one ratio was okay?

 

[Quail Jailer]

It is, but like people. Sometimes folks just don't get along. where is the injury on top of the head or near the eyes?

 

[bobd400]

its on the sides of the head and up towards the eye, as a matter of fact that first we thought the eyes were hurt but they seem okay.

The one side of the head has a spot almost the size of a quarter red, the other side maybe a dime. The bird was acting funny just sitting there not really moving much even when I touched her a little bit. Even when the other birds came around to bother her she didn't move.

 

[Quail Jailer]

I just re read your post, I thought you said it was injured on its head, you did not. sometimes a hen can get rejected for reasons unknown to me.

but I would try to confirm absolutely the sex, usually with hens you just don't have much trouble.

 

[bobd400]

Thanks, I'll try to figure out what it is. But in any event, how do you normally handle it? I mean I can keep it separate until it heals but wont there be the same problem when I reintroduce?
Thanks again!

 

[Quail Jailer]

All you can do is try, but to increase your chances of success, put them all in a pen that is new or unfamiliar for a week or so before reintroducing them to their home pen, do it in the dark when they cannot see well. This will help prevent the others from viewing the "newcomer" as a threat.

 

[bobd400]

So an update....

-Pecked bird seems okay. Don't know how he/she did it but the blood is gone. Wound is visible. On the side of the head/neck but further back from eye then I thought


-there has to be two at least laying. Got one egg yesterday between 5-7pm and just found another now at 6am. I understood one will not lay more then once every 24 hours.

- still not sure how I'm going to proceed, I'm not really set up to move the whole flock to another area for a while, don't have a second accommodation available right now.

- I guess if I'm going to reintroduce it into the flock after its healed up, I should probably do it in the dark at night as suggested still?

- is there any possibility it's a space issue?

If it is a space issue, I could probably set up the one bird by itself, but would that be okay?

Thanks!

 

[Quail Jailer]

A box could be used as a temporary pen...