What is this?! Button quail

[TheBirdLady2001]

I bought some young button quails today, was checking them over for bugs and they all have giant scabs on their backs. It raw skin underneath, but it has hole in the top of the scab. I have them in quarantine away from the rest of my birds. Can anyone offer any help?

 

[The Phantom]

They could have been picked on. The others may have picked really deep and it is healing.

 

[007Sean]

Looks like over crowding, to me.

 

[DK newbie]

I agree, it's been plucked. And when the feathers were gone, the culprit kept pecking, causing the scabbing.
Observe them closely - if one pecks the back of another, it needs to be separated or they will keep looking like that. And be prepared for anyone you separate to make a lot of noise - they really don't like being alone. If you can keep it in the same cage as the others, just separated by a layer of wire, it might not be too bad.
Now, as for the future, once they have regrown their feathers you might be able to pair them up and put each pair their own cage and the ones that were pecking might not do it again. But pecking can very quickly become a habit and in my experience the peckers usually end up pecking again.
It might be days, weeks or even months and often some kind of frustration triggers it - if they run out of food or water, if their girlfriend goes broody and doesn't keep them entertained as she used to, if they hatch chicks and the chicks grow up causing the cage to be over crowded, if there are just too many birds kept together (they live in pairs in the wild), if spring hormones hit them hard.. But sometimes I can't find a trigger, it just happens.
Third time a bird in my care pecks its cage mate, it becomes snake food.

 

[TheBirdLady2001]

They could have been picked on. The others may have picked really deep and it is healing.

Looks like over crowding, to me.

I agree, it's been plucked. And when the feathers were gone, the culprit kept pecking, causing the scabbing.
Observe them closely - if one pecks the back of another, it needs to be separated or they will keep looking like that. And be prepared for anyone you separate to make a lot of noise - they really don't like being alone. If you can keep it in the same cage as the others, just separated by a layer of wire, it might not be too bad.
Now, as for the future, once they have regrown their feathers you might be able to pair them up and put each pair their own cage and the ones that were pecking might not do it again. But pecking can very quickly become a habit and in my experience the peckers usually end up pecking again.
It might be days, weeks or even months and often some kind of frustration triggers it - if they run out of food or water, if their girlfriend goes broody and doesn't keep them entertained as she used to, if they hatch chicks and the chicks grow up causing the cage to be over crowded, if there are just too many birds kept together (they live in pairs in the wild), if spring hormones hit them hard.. But sometimes I can't find a trigger, it just happens.
Third time a bird in my care pecks its cage mate, it becomes snake food.

Thank you so much for your reply’s! I was wondering - should I give them a lice/tick bath anyway, just to make sure they don’t have any bugs?

 

[007Sean]

Thank you so much for your reply’s! I was wondering - should I give them a lice/tick bath anyway, just to make sure they don’t have any bugs?

Wouldn't hurt!