# HELP: Quail injury ***Graphic***



## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

I have what I was sold and believed to be 1.2 Japanese Quail, they live quite harmoniously and never had an issue per say.

A while back I noticed blood around the cage and found one of the quail to have an injury to the top of its head, not sure if from fighting / attempts to breed or from boinging on the roof? I removed the injured 'female' and it cleared up and I reintroduced them once again after a few weeks of isolation.

I wasn't sure if it had a minor injury and the others started to peck at it as they see 'blood' making it worse? However, I found this today:















It gets worse














Trying to clean it up with a swab I noticed that in fact it wasn't just a 'wound', it had been scalped and skin retracted










Its not showing any distress, eating, drinking and shitting all over the place?

When I first see this I thought I'd have to ring its neck and cull it but have some antiseptic powder, isolated and keeping in doors for now. I will review in a few days and if no better or unwell then it may get culled anyways.

Some pictures of the others:

Female:










Male:










Quite a cool pic in the bath when I was cleaning them out.


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

Whoa Jeebus! That's heavy! Really hope the little thing recovers!


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

We used to get this often.

I would smother it with Vaseline and leave it alone for a while, it should heal back up no probs.

The Vaseline should also discourage the others from pecking it more.

Lloyd


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## Evilshiddenclaws (May 25, 2010)

y'ouch! looks very painful... hope it recovers quickly, is it possible that the other two ganged up on it for some reason?? any way to keep it isolated from them once it's healed?.. if it heals..


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

ljb107 said:


> We used to get this often.
> 
> I would smother it with Vaseline and leave it alone for a while, it should heal back up no probs.
> 
> ...


In laws keep poultry of various types and have given me some anti pecking powder / spray and suggested the vasoline trick too.

I'll let it heal and then start from there as its quite an open wound at the moment.

Strange thing I've never seen or heard any fighting between them?


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Whosthedaddy said:


> In laws keep poultry of various types and have given me some anti pecking powder / spray and suggested the vasoline trick too.
> 
> I'll let it heal and then start from there as its quite an open wound at the moment.
> 
> Strange thing I've never seen or heard any fighting between them?


Quail can be quite strange. You can sometimes come home and find them with no feathers down their backs, some scalped and others missing their top mandibles, missing toes or having the tops of their feet pecked. Also all the eggs missing.

Its just something you have to deal with when raising quail. You learn very quickly when breeding a good few hundred rare and not so rare quail and partridge every year.

If you are able to find out which one is doing it then you could possibly get hold of a bit that goes in its beak (keeps the beak open slightly and stops them closing it to grip on things) or lighty scorch the end of its beak with a hot knife. Seems brutal but it works.

Lloyd


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

it will heal but i would get somemore females in there i have 10 females to 2 males


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## bully99200 (Nov 3, 2008)

you can also get some cotton and needle and sow the skin back together so the cut is sealed and then put so cream on it and if you find out it the cock that's doing it put the hen in little cage in the pen with the cock so they can fond to each with out the risk of it happening again


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

take it out and keep it seperate till its 100% healed, or they`ll just keep pecking at the scabs till they kill it.

i put wound powder on them and leave them alone other than to add food and water, i`ve had them with their skulls exposed and they`ve healed up fine.

it does look to me that the bashed one could be male - it has no speckles on its chest and a fair few reddish feathers in the close up pic.


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

It does look like an inbetweener, have you vent sexed it?


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

and is it doing foam balls?


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

How'd you check its vent? it does appear a little close to call looking at feathers compared to other 2 as a comparison.


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Whosthedaddy said:


> How'd you check its vent? it does appear a little close to call looking at feathers compared to other 2 as a comparison.


If the females are laying they will have a long line across the vent and the pelvic bones will have a fair gap inbetween them.

The males will have a ball (or sack) and when gently squeezed, white foam will come out.

Lloyd


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

ljb107 said:


> If the females are laying they will have a long line across the vent and the pelvic bones will have a fair gap inbetween them.
> 
> The males will have a ball (or sack) and when gently squeezed, white foam will come out.
> 
> Lloyd


I'll let it letter a little begger before groping it.

Thanks for that, I'll take some gloves home from work


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## biomass (Dec 9, 2007)

Looks to me that the bird hit the top of it's cage, not from pecking by other quail. I am sure it will be fine but might be worth putting some protection on the top of the cage


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

It has been pecked. I've seen my birds hit the top of their cage before and they didn't sustain any kind of injury.

It also looks like a male to me too. 

As has already been said, remove it until it is 100% recovered and get 8 to 10 more females. Or rehome the male and add another 3 or 4 females to the other male etc.


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

i


Mynki said:


> It has been pecked. I've seen my birds hit the top of their cage before and they didn't sustain any kind of injury.
> 
> It also looks like a male to me too.
> 
> As has already been said, remove it until it is 100% recovered and get 8 to 10 more females. Or rehome the male and add another 3 or 4 females to the other male etc.


Its drying nicely with some powder every day and seems happy enough living in a cage in the bathroom at the moment. I'll have a quick squeeze of said manly parts and if male and I'll make a choice about its future.


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Whosthedaddy said:


> I'll let it letter a little begger before groping it.
> 
> Thanks for that, I'll take some gloves home from work


Gloves? Hahaha. We never messed around with gloves when having a couple of hundred to sex. Just wash your hands after it haha.

To be honest you don't even need to touch it. Its a huge difference. Just take a look at the definite male and female first to compare.

Lloyd :2thumb:


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## Ferret Guy (Aug 1, 2011)

Happened to one of the quails i look after and I applied teramycin spray and isolated it. 3 weeks later couldnt tell the difference. i thought I might have to neck it aswell...


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## Buriram (Jul 17, 2006)

Definite male. Definite pecking. Please don't put them back together unless they have a whole garden to hide from each other! You have 2 cock birds and a girl.


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

Buriram said:


> Definite male. Definite pecking. Please don't put them back together unless they have a whole garden to hide from each other! You have 2 cock birds and a girl.


 
dont know where you get the info from i breed mine for eggs and meat and have 2 males to 8 females in some of my pens that are 5 by 2by 2 and no problems unless one has a slight cut then they start pecking away 

also i dont think thats a defo male looks female to me reason i say that is i have females that look the same and am getting 7 to 8 eggs a day so must be 8 females in these pens also all vent sexed 

op did you ever check the vent for foam


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

Had a squeeze a poke and prod and nothing?

Its in a small cage on its own on the garden again, all healed up nicely.


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

adamntitch said:


> dont know where you get the info from i breed mine for eggs and meat and have 2 males to 8 females in some of my pens that are 5 by 2by 2 and no problems unless one has a slight cut then they start pecking away
> 
> also i dont think thats a defo male looks female to me reason i say that is i have females that look the same and am getting 7 to 8 eggs a day so must be 8 females in these pens also all vent sexed
> 
> op did you ever check the vent for foam


You wouldn't get that problem though, as you have 4 hens to each cockbird


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