Some of mine have done it before usually starting with head pecking they can do so much damage in such a short space of time
Something ate one of my coturnix hens.
- Thread starter dragontamer56
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- Sep 20, 2010
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Of this, I must protest!
Coturnix don't generally resort to cannibalism, unless they are starved to near death!
Only rats/weasels and the like vectors start at the vent, and work their way up. Yes coturnix can be cruel and savage to their own kind, but they are not cannibals by any stretch of the imagination.
What aren't you guys feeding your birds?
Coturnix don't generally resort to cannibalism, unless they are starved to near death!
Only rats/weasels and the like vectors start at the vent, and work their way up. Yes coturnix can be cruel and savage to their own kind, but they are not cannibals by any stretch of the imagination.
What aren't you guys feeding your birds?
Quote:
OK then. What micro-weasel or rat went through the 1" mesh of a cage that was inside of a closed garage? Most quail are opportunists, and will attack any open wound, not just the head. It has never happened to me, but I have heard of breeders havin' problems with certain birds "vent pecking" other birds. If the victim was havin' any sort of problem around the vent, such as a prolapse, you can bet that the party would start in that area.
If the housing information provided by the OP is accurate, you can almost certainly eliminate a predator from the equasion, unless of course you want to include killer mice.
OK then. What micro-weasel or rat went through the 1" mesh of a cage that was inside of a closed garage? Most quail are opportunists, and will attack any open wound, not just the head. It has never happened to me, but I have heard of breeders havin' problems with certain birds "vent pecking" other birds. If the victim was havin' any sort of problem around the vent, such as a prolapse, you can bet that the party would start in that area.
If the housing information provided by the OP is accurate, you can almost certainly eliminate a predator from the equasion, unless of course you want to include killer mice.
- Sep 20, 2010
- 1,163
- 24
- 131
Quote:
OK then. What micro-weasel or rat went through the 1" mesh of a cage that was inside of a closed garage? Most quail are opportunists, and will attack any open wound, not just the head. It has never happened to me, but I have heard of breeders havin' problems with certain birds "vent pecking" other birds. If the victim was havin' any sort of problem around the vent, such as a prolapse, you can bet that the party would start in that area.
If the housing information provided by the OP is accurate, you can almost certainly eliminate a predator from the equasion, unless of course you want to include killer mice.
Well, that would be coturnix quail cannibalism, not to be confused with picking, or a rat that could slip weaselly through 1" mesh the way you walk through a door.
If a rats head can fit, the rest of it's body can fit.
Ever heard of 1/2" hardware cloth? It's all the rage for keeping quail safe from nasty evil rats! It won't save them from cannibalism, but they are generally safe from RATS!
OK then. What micro-weasel or rat went through the 1" mesh of a cage that was inside of a closed garage? Most quail are opportunists, and will attack any open wound, not just the head. It has never happened to me, but I have heard of breeders havin' problems with certain birds "vent pecking" other birds. If the victim was havin' any sort of problem around the vent, such as a prolapse, you can bet that the party would start in that area.
If the housing information provided by the OP is accurate, you can almost certainly eliminate a predator from the equasion, unless of course you want to include killer mice.
Well, that would be coturnix quail cannibalism, not to be confused with picking, or a rat that could slip weaselly through 1" mesh the way you walk through a door.
If a rats head can fit, the rest of it's body can fit.
Ever heard of 1/2" hardware cloth? It's all the rage for keeping quail safe from nasty evil rats! It won't save them from cannibalism, but they are generally safe from RATS!
Quote:
OK then. What micro-weasel or rat went through the 1" mesh of a cage that was inside of a closed garage? Most quail are opportunists, and will attack any open wound, not just the head. It has never happened to me, but I have heard of breeders havin' problems with certain birds "vent pecking" other birds. If the victim was havin' any sort of problem around the vent, such as a prolapse, you can bet that the party would start in that area.
If the housing information provided by the OP is accurate, you can almost certainly eliminate a predator from the equasion, unless of course you want to include killer mice.
Well, that would be coturnix quail cannibalism, not to be confused with picking, or a rat that could slip weaselly through 1" mesh the way you walk through a door.
If a rats head can fit, the rest of it's body can fit.
Ever heard of 1/2" hardware cloth? It's all the rage for keeping quail safe from nasty evil rats! It won't save them from cannibalism, but they are generally safe from RATS!
I have to agree with Joe. If a Rat or Mouse can fit it's head through an opening, the rest will follow. They have soft bones.
Yeas ago, I had a large snake get in my Aviary of 1/2" by 1" wire, and eat a parakeet. 1/2" or 1/4" inch mesh is the best way to go.
OK then. What micro-weasel or rat went through the 1" mesh of a cage that was inside of a closed garage? Most quail are opportunists, and will attack any open wound, not just the head. It has never happened to me, but I have heard of breeders havin' problems with certain birds "vent pecking" other birds. If the victim was havin' any sort of problem around the vent, such as a prolapse, you can bet that the party would start in that area.
If the housing information provided by the OP is accurate, you can almost certainly eliminate a predator from the equasion, unless of course you want to include killer mice.
Well, that would be coturnix quail cannibalism, not to be confused with picking, or a rat that could slip weaselly through 1" mesh the way you walk through a door.
If a rats head can fit, the rest of it's body can fit.
Ever heard of 1/2" hardware cloth? It's all the rage for keeping quail safe from nasty evil rats! It won't save them from cannibalism, but they are generally safe from RATS!
I have to agree with Joe. If a Rat or Mouse can fit it's head through an opening, the rest will follow. They have soft bones.
Yeas ago, I had a large snake get in my Aviary of 1/2" by 1" wire, and eat a parakeet. 1/2" or 1/4" inch mesh is the best way to go.
Once again. Please read ALL of the info provided before drawin' a conclusion. The OP stated that he/she has never seen any sign of rats on the property, let alone a closed garage. And I don't care what anybody says about rats and small openings. It would take a pretty small rat to slither through a 1" opening. And as a rule, it's the larger rats that are a bigger threat to livestock than the juveniles.
So according to you guys, a single juvenile rogue rat, that's never been on the property before, found it's way into a locked garage, then once there, squeezed itself through a 1" hole, ate it's fill, while never harming any other birds, then left the propery without leavin' a trace, like turds, or chewed wood.
Ok, it's either that fairy tale, or the chance that a few birds were involved in over aggressive picking behavior on a possibly injured bird. Gee, I wonder what makes more sense?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot the other option of a 1" weasel that can open garage doors.
So according to you guys, a single juvenile rogue rat, that's never been on the property before, found it's way into a locked garage, then once there, squeezed itself through a 1" hole, ate it's fill, while never harming any other birds, then left the propery without leavin' a trace, like turds, or chewed wood.
Ok, it's either that fairy tale, or the chance that a few birds were involved in over aggressive picking behavior on a possibly injured bird. Gee, I wonder what makes more sense?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot the other option of a 1" weasel that can open garage doors.
- Sep 20, 2010
- 1,163
- 24
- 131
Quote:
Well, a closed garage can not possibly contain a rat....it's closed right?....not sure how all the spiders and pillbugs get into mine, because the door is always closed.
Never under estimate a vectors ability to get into a supposedly closed space. For the record, I never said anything about a "single juvenile" anything. They may have a whole pack of adult rats for all I know.
It could be cannibalism for all I know. Now let's convince our selves of that, and pay no attention to that rat behind the curtain! I'm just a bean counter. I look for vectors based on averages according to what ever scientific data that is available, as well as anecdotal data. It's MHO, that a coturnix just suddenly wanted to eat the butt of another coturnix is about a 0.34% chance. The other 99.66% chance goes to the other.
Well, a closed garage can not possibly contain a rat....it's closed right?....not sure how all the spiders and pillbugs get into mine, because the door is always closed.
Never under estimate a vectors ability to get into a supposedly closed space. For the record, I never said anything about a "single juvenile" anything. They may have a whole pack of adult rats for all I know.
It could be cannibalism for all I know. Now let's convince our selves of that, and pay no attention to that rat behind the curtain! I'm just a bean counter. I look for vectors based on averages according to what ever scientific data that is available, as well as anecdotal data. It's MHO, that a coturnix just suddenly wanted to eat the butt of another coturnix is about a 0.34% chance. The other 99.66% chance goes to the other.
Well, lets just say we agree to disagree, however, if you would like to continue the conversation, including your pseudo-clever snappy remarks , in a venue where there will be no moderation, you know where to meet me. I'll be waiting. Maybe I could use the education that a gentleman of your caliber can provide, lol.
Quote:
I would say a mouse or rat got into your pen somehow. They can chew these birds up real bad. I had one bird found dead not long ago and found a family of mice in a closed facility.
Now I do have a butt eating rooster but he has been disposed of today for causing havoc on the other birds. This isn't quail related but birds can be cannibalistic but I don't think it would happen over night....mine was a behavior problem that was several weeks of observation of finding out what the issue was.
Still on the suspicion it was a vermin of some sort. A little bit of blood does attract a lot of critters, rats especially. Hmmm...I am very sorry for the loss of your quail though!
I would say a mouse or rat got into your pen somehow. They can chew these birds up real bad. I had one bird found dead not long ago and found a family of mice in a closed facility.
Now I do have a butt eating rooster but he has been disposed of today for causing havoc on the other birds. This isn't quail related but birds can be cannibalistic but I don't think it would happen over night....mine was a behavior problem that was several weeks of observation of finding out what the issue was.
Still on the suspicion it was a vermin of some sort. A little bit of blood does attract a lot of critters, rats especially. Hmmm...I am very sorry for the loss of your quail though!
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