Quail questions

Hi there, and welcome!

Since you have only two quail that you're keeping as pets, you may be interested in providing them with a more natural environment, which will help reduce (possibly eliminate) the problems you've been seeing.

I keep seven quail in a 10 foot by 10 foot enclosure that is on the ground, so they eat worms and bugs and grit and greens all day long. I throw bird seed in for treats (they LOVE bird seed), and they can't get head injuries because there's nothing to hit when they jump up. Plus, they are not stressed out so they don't jump much anyway, and they stay pretty tame. Happy, stress-free birds are healthy, calm birds!

What kind of head injuries are you seeing? It's possible that one is attacking the other--they will usually go for the head when they fight and it can be gruesome. If there are open wounds, be sure to treat her with Blucoat or a similar fly repellant to prevent maggots from entering the wounds. Do you know if the girls were raised together, and what their ages are? If one is a juvenile (even if she's full-size) and one is an adult, you can have problems with integration. If there's a chance the injuries are caused by one picking on the other, you may need to separate them until the one heals completely. Separating for a couple of weeks also ensures that she is fully adult when you re-integrate.

If you decide to continue keeping them in a wire brooder setting, you can do some things to help them feel more comfortable. Coturnix ADORE a sandbox to lay in. This can be a simple cardboard shoebox (though they will wear holes in it, so you'll have to change it periodically) filled with dirt and weeds from outside, or it can be a cat litter box filled with sand, or whatever you can think up. I like a wooden sandbox with three high sides and one low side--the high sides ensure more of the sand stays in the box, while the low side gives them access. A litter box like that would work too. You will find that they will spend most of their time in the sandbox.

They love birdseed mixed in the sandbox or feed. They love weeds (pulled from the yard) to pick through. They love mealworms and other insect yummies.

Now that mine are living a luxurious more-natural life, I've discovered that they really don't like to be inside enclosures, which makes me wonder just how stressful it must be for brooder quail who live inside an enclosure all the time. Mine have access to two doghouses which they almost never use, except to eat because that's where their food is. They do, however, appreciate open shelters that protect them from rain while still providing good all-around visibility. I have a lean-to formed from a piece of plywood set up against one of the doghouses, and they use that, but their favorite "shelter" is either under the eaves of the doghouse (only one has eaves) where they have almost 360 degree visibility, or in little hollows they've dug under the hay bale in their enclosure.

Yeah, I know, time for pictures--I'll get to that eventually. There are some somewhere on here, but I've done more with their enclosure since then.

If you're wanting to make something similar for yours, I bought a scratch and dent chain link dog pen for $135 and modified it by covering the bottom with wire (to prevent digging predators) then bedding (which I then kept ducks on for a season, so it's now composted to thick, rich earth full of bugs--you could approximate the same result by covering the wire with wood chips, dirt, or other mulch, then adding fresh straw or other bedding once a week or so until it all composts), then covering the top with more wire, and the sides with 1/2" HWC (hardware cloth, which is not really cloth at all but a strong, small-gauge wire mesh available in hardware stores--the employees will know what you mean when you ask for hardware cloth). The HWC is not cheap, but I picked mine up from a warehouse that was going out of business, and got it relatively inexpensively.

For two girls, or even three or four, you could build something much smaller and cheaper--even a small chicken run that is adequately covered with small-opening wire and protected from being overturned by a predator, could work--and give them a really great life.

Good luck with your girls. Coturnix quail are really fun and wonderful pets, but as with all things, there's a bit of a learning curve and right now, there is not a lot of information out there about keeping them as happy pets. I think if you can find a way to reduce their stress and provide them a healthier environment, you will see them improve quickly.

I hope something here helps!

 

P.S. It's almost certain that your one girl is not laying for the same reason that is making her unhealthy. Stressed, unhappy birds won't lay. If you can get her more comfortable, she will probably start to lay, although supplemental light won't hurt--at that point. I wouldn't mess with the supplemental light until she is healthy and happy though. Good luck!

 

It sounds to me like you have one hen and one roo. Is the bird you described with the head injuries the one that is laying the eggs?
What does the "Head injury" look like?

Do you have any pics of your birds, and pen setup? That would help. Also, supplemental lighting is fine for most coturnix. They will sleep when they are sleepy, no matter the lighting.

Weeds, seeds, and bugs.....always use in moderation, if at all.

 

I have found BlueKote to be a wonder for wounds. The problem with a head wound is that you ONLY want it on the wound. You could create a "template" to put over the wound so you only spray on the area you want.

This link will help you with posting pics.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=504

 

Can you post photos of your birds? Just so we can get a glimpse of them better I am a neosporin fan to head injuries. I clean the blood off and then dab some neosporin on. The quail should get used to you as you feed them.

 

I was thinking the same as Joe125.

It sounds to me like there may be a pair.

The way I post pics is I upload to a free hosting site, like Photobucket, then copy and past the img. link into your post here.

 

If all else fails, you can spray BlueKote on a cotton ball and the dab the spot. Neo works great too but you have to make sure it isn't the Neo with a pain killer in it, birds to NOT react well to the pain-killing 'caines used in medication for people.

Sounds more like a pair than two girls. Is there any particular call either of them make? If you can't get pictures posted, that may help us identify them as well.