Some of my quail seem...poorly feathered??

[speng5]

So it is about time for me to get my quail into their outdoor homes now that they are old enough and it is also warm enough where I live. It seems like some of the quail (maybe 40% or so of them) have some sparse feathering? Such as incomplete feathering on the lower breastbone area, on the insides of the legs, etc. This is not rough breeding related bald headedness or anything like that, and it also these arent being ripped or plucked out. The skin in this spots is clear and smooth and not otherwise irritated. It seems like these are just spots that the feathers stopped growing before they reached full coverage, when losing the chick style "down" or "fuzz". I'll also add that I was mindful of weaning down the temp on the brooder plate a handful of degrees a week, and was also cognizant of keeping appropriate protein in their diet, as I was made aware by their breeder they have significantly higher protein needs as chicks than most other poultry.

I'm wondering what could the cause be for this, and is it too late to get them to grow more plumage? Will they be ok outside if not?

 

[Nabiki]

I can think of three things off the top of my head.
1 - lack of protein. It sounds like you've thought of this, but if you can post the nutrition information of what you're feeding them, that would help.
2 - too warm. They have been kept in temperatures that are a bit to high, so they have not feathered out normally
3 - over crowded - If you have too many chicks crammed into insufficient space, they may pluck each others feathers, or constant rubbing will wear the down/feathers off.

Do you have pictures of their housing? How much space do they have?

You mentioned that you were using a brooder plate. Brooder plates aren't ideal for quail. A heat lamp may be a better choice in the future.

What temperatures are you talking about when putting them outside? How old are they? If they are 4-6 weeks old, they will probably be okay as long as they are dry, out of the wind, and can keep their feet warm. If there are enough of them, they will also keep each other warm.

 

[speng5]

I can think of three things off the top of my head.
1 - lack of protein. It sounds like you've thought of this, but if you can post the nutrition information of what you're feeding them, that would help.
2 - too warm. They have been kept in temperatures that are a bit to high, so they have not feathered out normally
3 - over crowded - If you have too many chicks crammed into insufficient space, they may pluck each others feathers, or constant rubbing will wear the down/feathers off.

Do you have pictures of their housing? How much space do they have?

You mentioned that you were using a brooder plate. Brooder plates aren't ideal for quail. A heat lamp may be a better choice in the future.

What temperatures are you talking about when putting them outside? How old are they? If they are 4-6 weeks old, they will probably be okay as long as they are dry, out of the wind, and can keep their feet warm. If there are enough of them, they will also keep each other warm.

Thanks for the reply.

Protein: 0-4 weeks they were on 30% starter, 4-6 weeks they had 22%. They are a little over 6 weeks now and I have just switched them to 20%.

They are kept for now in an unfinished basement that often has a couple windows open for ventilation and usually it is around 64-66 degrees.

I have 3 pens that each have 4 hens and 1 rooster a piece, they measure 30"W X 38" L.

The poor feathering is on about 40% of my birds and a that includes 2 of the roosters. I dont observe a lot of pecking or fighting or breeding behavior and i dont have hens with bald backs of their heads.

I am wanting to put them outside the next week or so and night temps here will be high 40s or low 50s-ish.

 

[Nabiki]

They should be okay. I would be checking them for mites just in case.