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

[monarc23]

Quote:
That is a perfectly good idea for feeding the only reason i personally dont do it is because im afraid of the feed fermenting. I've actually killed birds before with fermented grains

(not quails).

 

[yotetrapper]

Its not their nostrils. It's where the beaks connect to the head...more the head than the actual beak. I put them on newspapers last night, and this morning didnt have any dead chicks, but this afternoon one was dead. It wasn't bloody though. These quail are frustrating me because I dont know how to help them.

 

[silentrunning]

Quote:
That is a perfectly good idea for feeding the only reason i personally dont do it is because im afraid of the feed fermenting. I've actually killed birds before with fermented grains

(not quails).

This is why the Quail Boss (wife) feeds them out of little pill bottle tops. She puts the food about the thickness of a quarter so they can't jam their beeks into the food and drown. As you know, they are not real dainty feeders.

Doug

 

[Friend of Feathers]

I am also having a problem with the baby quail pecking each other. About half of them have bloody beaks and a couple have bloody vents. They are in a deep plastic tote with no wire. Any ideas on how to get them to stop? I tried to separate the two with bloody vents, but the pecking continued. I'm going crazy trying to help them.

What if I put a red light on them? Maybe the bloody areas wouldn't be so noticable.

 

[luvarabhorses]

I'm having a lot of problems this year. It has helped to feed them small crickets and mealworms. I really think they have this overwhelming drive to move and search for food. Mine started hurting themselves running into the rubbermaid walls. Probably isn't feasible but thought I'd throw it out.

 

[yotetrapper]

I put a red light on mine tonight, too early to say if it will help, but they sure seem a lot more mellow now.

 

[Mrs MIA]

A red light will help, or get a little "Rooster Booster", which is a nasty tasting/smelling anti-pick lotion. Dab it on their vents - acts as an antiseptic, too.

 

[Friend of Feathers]

I separated the one with the really bad vent last night. I took a chance and put some neosporin on it. This morning is looked much better. I put him back in with the others. I'll reevaluate when I get home from work. I also put a red light on them before I went to bed. It seemed to help some. Their little beaks don't seem so bloody today. I tried to put the white light back on them this morning, but as soon as I did a few of them started running around pecking at every beak. I'm going to look for the crickets and mealworms tonight. I would also like to try the Rooster Booster, if I can find it.

 

[Bettacreek]

As far as feeding goes, mine all get Dumor 24%. It's a regular crumble, and I never moisten or grind the food. Even the day old button chicks eat it without a problem. There's no way I would ever sit and grind food up, or moisten it and have to change it every few hours. I've raised a few small "flocks" of buttons, coturnix and of course chooks, and have never ground or moistened the crumbles (catfood is another story), and I have yet to have a problem...

As for the rest of it, good luck...

 

[Friend of Feathers]

Does anyone know where to get the "Rooster Booster"? When I googled it, all that came up was the energy drink.