Updated: bloody beaks....why??...Now...chicks just dying! 6/3

[yotetrapper]

I hatched out 3 pheasants the same day as my baby quail. I have them in the same brooder. I just noticed both of my pheasants have blood on their beaks. Did the quail do this to them? Why?

Also, my quail are slowly dying. I started yestterday morning, when I found one dead pheasant. Then last night, I found a dead quail. This morning hubby found 2 dead quail. They are 3 days old. They have a heat lamp and seem neither hot nor cold. They dont seem to drink near as much as chicks do, although I have seen the quail drinking, I have no way of knowing if ALL of the quail are drinking. Any suggestions?

 

[shawnkfl]

weird. i would think the pheasants are more agressive. they like to peck at shiny things. shiny black eyes fit the bill perfectly! check your quails' eyes. maybe that's where the blood on the pheasants' beak came from?

 

[KellyHM]

I think the blood on the pheasants' beaks most likely came from them picking at something (each other or the quail) and making it bleed. For some reason quail like to die at that age...I don't think there's a good consensus as to why, but I've heard a lot of people on here have problems with them. As long as they're warm and have fresh food and water there's not a lot you can do. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

[yotetrapper]

No, the pheasants are bleeding. I guess I wasn't clear, there's not blood on the beak like that, the blood is at the base of the beak, where it connects to the head, and it's not just a smear of blood, it's like a drop of blooding welling up and forming. They could of done it to each other though.

 

[KellyHM]

Quote:
Oh, I see. You probably need to separate them b/c the others will keep picking at them if it's red.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I've had quail destroy their beaks by cramming their heads through the wire, or trying to. Perhaps try putting them in something solid like a deep Rubbermaid tote. They trap the heat a little more, too. I keep mine in the totes for the first week or two, or until I can't keep up with the pooping (I hatch a lot at a time). Then they go on wire. by then they're old enough not to be so inquisitive and always poking their noses through the wire.

 

[randyandmegs]

I had the exact same problem this week and it has never happend before in the last 4 years of raising quail. My dad wanted pheasants so I hatched them off with the quail. I normally lose 10 out of about 500 but this go round I have lost 75 out of 600 already. Either the agressive pheasants are pecking them and injuring them to point of killing them or something related to the pheasants. My pheasant appear to have also pecked each other pretty bad. I seperated the 2 breeds yesterday and clipped the tip of the pheasants top beak with toe nail clippers. Hopefully this will fix my problem. It is weird that we had the exact same problem so I think the pheasants have something to do with it. I have another 700 due to hatch in 3 weeks so that will tell me if that was what was causing the problems.

 

[yotetrapper]

No, it's not the pheasants, at least not for me. Yesterday I took the pheasants out of the box. This morning I had one dead quail with a bloody beak, and two live quails with bloody beaks. I put the bloody beaked live quail in with the bloody beaked live pheasants and they're all doing fine so far. So just now I got home from work, and I have 2 more quail with bloody beaks....

I wonder if it's the wire, as Mrs. Ak bird brain said.... or maybe because I have a white light instead of red? I've never found the need for a red one with chickens, so just continued using my regular lights for the pheasant and quail.

I dont know whats causing the bloody beaks... any other suggestions??

 

[tumra]

have you thought of taking the birds off the wire and putting them on newspaper? if they are more than a few days old they shouldnt slip on the newspaper and splay their legs. You can then find out if it is the wire floor thats causing the problems.

 

[KellyHM]

I use a white light for my quail and have never had that problem. Are the ones with bloody beaks recovering? Although I hate to bring this up, there are some pretty nasty diseases out there that can cause these things.