quail question

[mcg30_40]

I have a friend that is hatching quail. The incubating and hatching are going great but the problem comes after the hatch. The chicks are pecking at each other's feet. This persist till they kill each other. Anyone have ideas why this is happening?

 

[monarc23]

what is he feeding them? Any meal worms? if so that could be the problem right there...eachothers toes look a lot like mealworms and if they are fed mealworms at a young age will thnk their own feet (and other chicks feet) are meal worms and will peck until they well...remove the toe...distgusting but i've read a lot about it...

My quail are fed only seeds, and their chick game starter feed along with boiled egg ground up for them to peck at....however i call my coturnix quail "pitbulls' because they will latch on to another chicks beak, down, leg, or wing and hold on for dear life...the chick benig bitten will scream and run around while the one biting is just hanging on like its no big deal...i have to pysically get into the brooder and pick up both chicks and that usually makes the chick let go of the other one...even though they do this.... no blood and no wounds!!! I dont get the lil things sometimes but i love them!

Also if the brooder isn't big enough for the amount of chicks in the brooder being cramped together i could see causing problems with pecking and canabalisim too.