Quails picking toes?

[Birdman18]

I have a hatch of bobwhite quail chicks and pheasant chicks and they seem to pick at each other toes a lot. Anyone find a good solution to this?

Thanks!

 

[JJMR794]

This Is Common In The More Agressive Gamebird Speces. Best I Can Tell You Is Never Ever Give Baby Or Juvenile Gamebirds Meal Worms As It Makes It 1000x's Worse!

If They Are Injuring Each Other Debeak Them--- Take A Pair Of Nail Clippers And Shorten The Top Beak... Not Much Just Enough To 1, Make It Shorter Than The Bottom Beak And 2. Make It Square Or Blunt..... This Helps With The Pheasants, Havent Really Used It On Bobs...

Also If Agression Is A Problem And You're Already Using Red Brooder Lights Then Drop The Brooder Temp Just A Lil Bit Each Day Until It Stops.... Not Enough To Cause Them To Huddle! Just Enough To Make Them Uncomfortable---- Seems Its Hard To Beat Up On Morty Over There By The Water Font If Your Too Cold... I Guess It Kinda Takes Some Of The Wind Outta Your Mischeivious Sails?

 

[Birdman18]

It looks like the toe picking is getting a little worse, i had this one bobwhite quail chick where the other chicks were pecking at his leg and was bleeding. I went to put a small piece of band aid around it and they were still pecking at him. The chick died and i was pretty upset. I just want to make sure the other chicks don't have this same problem. I really don't want to have to debeak them is their anything else you could do?

Thanks!

 

[shelleyd2008]

They were pecking him because he was bleeding, then they were pecking him because of the band-aid. They are attracted to the color red, so any blood is an automatic attractant. The red brooder lights make blood look black and deters pecking.

 

[jensen]

Also too bright of lighting can cause problems with picking overall. First few days good lighting so the chicks can see to start eating good but I lower intensity and go red or blue after that 'till grow out.

 

[Birdman18]

I have the red light bulb that I'm using, i guess I'll put some apples or so around the brooder so they can peck at that instead.

Thanks!!