Quail questions

[greymane]

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Good idea, but I would worry about the cotton getting in the BlueKote. I always wear exam gloves when I use it (because it just doesn't come off!), do I imagine you could just spray some on the fingers and then dab the area. Good call!

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
definitely like the neosporin treatment for pecking / boinking wounds(not for just on the head) be sure it's the type without pain meds in it tho

 

[Chinchilla2]

I got Bluekote in a spray and in a dauber bottle. Saves on the cotton ball/blue finger look

If you're quick and dose the cotton ball good, the fibers won't move from ball to bird. Or cow, cat, or dog for that matter.

 

[quailmekiwi]

Ok, where can I buy BlueKote or Neosporin then? and can I spray fly repellent(like Mortein) inside the enclosure on the grass? because there's been some flies buzzing about the enclosure and i don't want them to harm the quails.

this is a picture of the quail with head injuries and im pretty sure its a female but ive posted a picture of its chest for you guys to see, just to make sure.
thanks greymane for the link on how to post pictures, it really helped

this is a picture of their enclosure

this is a picture of the quail that hasn't started laying(ellie), im sure its a female...

picture of both quails, the one that lays is in the front(kiwi)

the one on the right is ellie and if you can see, she has a little bald patch on her head. but i couldnt keep her still to take a photo so i just took one without holding her.

i hope these pictures help!

thank you

 

[Chinchilla2]

Bluekote can be picked up at any feed store, co-op, or Tractor Supply. Neosporin is in the bandaid section of your local store. Just NO PAIN KILLER in it. If the package says "Plus", "Pain Relieving Formula" etc., don't want that. You might ask the pharmacist or a store associate for that department to help you pick it out just to be sure.

Don't fret the flies, they make excellent combination snack and exercise toys for the birds. They chase 'em and eat 'em.

 

[quailmekiwi]

thanks, i'll go and buy some neosporin for the quails! also, ive heard flies can lay eggs in the quail's feathers and the maggots will eat the quail. so i really dont need to worry about the flies? and the quail will eat them??

um... sorry about all the questions!! but when do quail molt? i think their beginning to molt because there's small feathers all over the enclosure! here in Australia we are one month away from summer( so its spring at the moment)

 

[FenDruadin]

That sure looks to me like breeding injuries. Can you get a picture of the other one's chest so we can help you be sure whether it's not a boy? Sometimes even boys will have some speckles on their chest, but they'll have a rustier coloration. They also tend to be smaller (in general--this varies by individual). How do you know which one is laying?

I love that your birds are on grass! Yay! I'm concerned about the enclosure's security, though--do you have a perimeter fence around your property to keep out raccoons and foxes and so on? Or a large guardian dog to deter them? If not, a raccoon can rip right through the chicken wire or even just reach through with a dexterous little hand and grab one. I have had a raccoon grab a quail's toe through a 1/4" opening in a brooder floor and rip off the entire leg, also had a raccoon reach through chain link and rip off a duck's head. I'm not telling you that to scare you, but because I didn't take the risk seriously until it happened to me, so I'm hoping others can learn from my bad experiences. Also, some predators will climb (and hawks can fly and can easily take a quail, so I always make sure the top of the enclosure is covered.

Also, I'm wondering where your girl could have boinked her head--it doesn't look like there's much in the way of room for that. And mine don't "boink" in a large enclosure anyway--only when they're stressed.

To answer some questions, unless the flies are unbearably thick, they are not a problem. They'll lay eggs in an open wound (which is what the Blue Kote is designed to prevent), but not just in the feathers. Well, some kinds of flies lay eggs on horse legs, and the eggs are called bots and you have to take them off because the maggots are a danger to the horse... but I've never heard of this for birds. You can get Blue Kote at the feed store and neosporin at any old pharmacy. I second the recommendation to ask your pharmacist to point you to a formulation without painkiller. The store brand version of neosporin will work just fine (it's just an antibiotic ointment). But actually, if what you have there is a breeding injury and no open wound, it doesn't need either of those things. It just needs more females in the pen.

Good luck!

 

[mhwc56]

the flies are annoying to us but tastey to the quail. don't worry about them.
i hate to be the bearer of bad news but your set up is a open invitation to predators to come eat at your quail snack bar.
ANYTHING can get them in your pen set up ...snakes,opposum, racoons,crows, hawks,dogs,cats,and anything else that eats small birds.
You NEED to have 1/2 " hardware wire on all sidesas well as bottom and top(unless it's a solid top like a sheet of plywood)and sturdy support posts for the sides and top. that set up can easily be knocked down or reached through with paws or accessed from above and then you will be without your quail .

also...that injury looks like a dominance pecking. BOTH of your birds look to be hens so it's not from breeding. i have found that when i use neosporin on a pecking wound,if i've used enough that it's a little thickly applied the other birds don't care for the taste or texture or ? of it and leave the pecked spot/bird alone

 

[The Critter Place]

Good Morning!
I see a lot here that I agree with.

It looks like it could be 2 females. And as mentioned , maybe a dominance thing.
I also agree with the others, that the enclosure is not safe at all!

I have 8 Coturnix in a cage in the house. In my laundry room which gets alot of traffic, I also have other birds, and 3 crazy small dogs that get in the room. My quail have never spooked to the point of bonking their head. So I have to wonder if that is the cause of your quails wounds and think it may be more along the lines of mating or dominance behavior.

My yard has a 6' wood fence to the ground. And my aviary is 1/2 x 1 " and I've had a snake get in. I also find cats in my back yard all the time!

If the pecking continues, there is a product I used years ago called Bitter Apple, can be bought at pet supply stores if it still is around.
It's to keep animals from chewing on each other , like guinea pigs like to nibble the fur of the others. And birds that feather pluck.

It's as the name says... Bitter! And when applied to the affected area, the other animals don't like the taste.
I'm not saying it will work for sure, but is an option.

I hope they settle down and you can enjoy them without too much fret.

 

[quailmekiwi]

I opened up the pen to take a picture but usually it has a lot of pieces of flat wood around the sides and on the top. I will provide extra protection though because I dont want any of my quails harmed!

and yes i do have a fence to keep out racoons and foxes etc.

the other quail is the one that is laying eggs. none of the eggs are fertilised so im sure they are 2 females.