WOW...worst scalping ever by coturnix roo...

[monarc23]

My favorite coturnix roo obviously wasnt taking avoidance as an answer to leave these two hens alone.

Starling and Big Bertha who I had in with him for my one color project are scalped and scalped severely.

Poor Big Bertha no longer has an eye...but other than that she just looks in severe pain. I cannot get syringes tonight but I will get some for her tomorrow... so I can put her on some antibiotics. Poor baby

. I know birds can survive without an eye but this is just disturbing. I havent looked her over yet completely, all I know is for sure hte eye is no longer solid because her eyelid is sunken in some... makes me want to puke. I am debating on taking her out of her hospital pen and cleaning her head off and assesing the injuries but i dont want to cause her more stress.

Starlings head....is just a skull. Both of her eyes are still intact but barely... Im biting my lip because i don't know if I should cull her OR if it's possible for skin to regrow over her head. She is truely scalped... I am not going to post pictures.... I havent taken pictures... i dont want to...atleast not yet..im stil in shock.

This just goes to show that no matter the number of ratio....if the roo wants to breed and the hens don't you can STILL deal with these sorts of issues. He had 4 hens...I just added Big Bertha to the pen yesterday...I assume this torcher happened sometime this morning when I was in here with new born chicken chicks. I feel so horrible but i knwo there was nothing I could do. When I put her in i sat back and watched and if anything Big Bertha was hte one being aggressive she was running around doing her mean growl at the other hens but they all settled down soon after and I sat out here for an hour watching my cuties... ive come out to scalped quail before, but never to the point i was debating culling them...never to the point that I'd look at a quail and be SURE It was dead.....butyet it's standing and breathing... with only a skull...

I just dont know what to do I really adore Starling but i dont hold much hope for her. Do I cull her....or do I try to see if she heals?

Big Bertha as long as she doesnt die from shock should be fine....I've been around and seen several one eyed birds, horses and dogs and cats...Big Bertha can get through this...but Starling...wow.... it was so sad...Big Bertha was in one corner protecting her good eye, and Starling was in the other corner trying despirately to keep her head low... Ike was alraedy done torchering themby thte time i got up there...

No matter what i dont blame it on the roo... he was ready to breed and they aren't too smart... but stil it really sucks.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Sorry about your quail, Niki. I dont really have any advice for you.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
No worries, im still not sure what i want to do

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Always makes it worse, when its birds you actually like a lot .

 

[mrsengeseth]

Ack! I hope you get some good advise, or that what needs to be done becomes clear. What a freaky thing to find!

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

I had a female button quail get scalped pretty good by a male.. She bleed pretty bad.. I thought she was done for.. I didnt have any thing to stop the bleeding except for flour.. I kept putting it on until she stopped bleeding. Later in the day I put an antibiotic cream on her.. She did heal and she lived.. But most of the feathers in that spot never came back.. At least some of the surrounding areas feathers sort of hid the bald spot..

 

[AHappychick]

oh I am so sorry that is horrible i did not even know they could do that. You will know what to do.

 

[monarc23]

thanks guys, yeah it does make it harder whenit's ones you're fondest of. I have other favorites but these two are a part of that lol.

Thankfully both weren't bleeding anymore when I found them, poor Big Berthas eye is seeping though... she's drinking like crazy now....and Starling is trying to but I think she fell asleep with her beak on the bowl. I'm hopig they both start eating, because it means they'r eout of shock....least to me it does lol. For as disgusting as Big Bertha looks she's doing well its' Starling that's sitll concerning me

thanks again

 

[Lophura]

I've had over anxious breeding pheasants and quail do this in the past and even pitty-purchased a scalped Kalij that I saw at an auction that some moron put in a wire top cage. I've had mixed results.

When it happens, I move the birds to a small "hospital" pen with a heat lamp. Add vitamins to the water and treat the wound with an antibotic to prevent infection - hope for the best. In the worst cases (down to the exposed skull), I take to a vet to get treatment.

I had a Horsfield's hen whose male ripped her to her skull, she survived, but never grew any skin or feathers back. She lived out her days with the top of her skull exposed, but I kept her with gentle companions and away from breeders that could cause her more harm. I also had my favorite Brown Eared hen scalped and she lived only a few hours after the attack.

Best of luck and welcome to the dark side of galliforme aviculture!!

Dan

 

[Cetawin]

Breeding or not my gosh that is ridiculous to blind the hen. that roo would be soup so fast he would never see it coming. $ 25 - $50 and I can replace his color, perfection and get a better attitude.

Good luck with those girls.