Quail with bloody noses

[soniadaniel]

Hello,
We're raising about 70 - 80 quail at the moment.  They are 2 weeks old and in a 10 x 4 feet pen.  They have a 2 heat lamps (one red and one white) and plenty of food and water.  I've lost a few in the beginning, but the rest seem to be doing well except that a lot of them have bloody noses.  At first I thought the others might just be pecking at some of them, but they all seem to have dried blood (some not dried) around their nose holes in their beak.  Seem peculiar, and I can't find anything else on it.  Any ideas?  Many thanks :)

[wildergamebirds]

I've seen the same thing on mine, but only 5-6 out of a couple of hundred, at any one time.

  Are they in a chicken wire pen?  They sometimes poke and peck wire, and get cuts.  Same thing can happen with hardware cloth.  I would go to red lights only.  Too much light will encourage pecking, and fighting.

  Also, check the feeders and waterers for sharp edges.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

Hello,
We're raising about 70 - 80 quail at the moment.  They are 2 weeks old and in a 10 x 4 feet pen.  They have a 2 heat lamps (one red and one white) and plenty of food and water.  I've lost a few in the beginning, but the rest seem to be doing well except that a lot of them have bloody noses.  At first I thought the others might just be pecking at some of them, but they all seem to have dried blood (some not dried) around their nose holes in their beak.  Seem peculiar, and I can't find anything else on it.  Any ideas?  Many thanks :)

soniadaniel,

wildergamebirds hit it right on the head. Get ride of the white lights. Keep the brooder as dark as possible and use red 250 watt heat lamps. If you see bloody toes add straw or hay in the brooder.

The main reason of using red lights, is that the color of blood which is red, will show as black and not red. All birds tend to pick at colors that are red.

I've seen the same thing on mine, but only 5-6 out of a couple of hundred, at any one time.

  Are they in a chicken wire pen?  They sometimes poke and peck wire, and get cuts.  Same thing can happen with hardware cloth.  I would go to red lights only.  Too much light will encourage pecking, and fighting.

  Also, check the feeders and waterers for sharp edges.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[soniadaniel]

I should add that there are no wounds around their noses (nose holes) to indicate pecking.  The blood actually seems to be coming from within their little nose holes.  Like a bloody nose.  They do have hay for bedding, and there is no wire in the pen, (it's all wood).  Any new suggestions?

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

I should add that there are no wounds around their noses (nose holes) to indicate pecking.  The blood actually seems to be coming from within their little nose holes.  Like a bloody nose.  They do have hay for bedding, and there is no wire in the pen, (it's all wood).  Any new suggestions?

Not off hand. Post a picture of your brooder, and one with of bird, with the bloody nose.

Have any of the birds died lately? How do they feel, do the seem plump?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[soniadaniel]

I don't have any pictuers, and my camera isn't working at the moment.  All the birds seem plump-ish (they're still pretty tiny at 3 weeks old) and none have died in over a week and a half.  There is not a lot of blood. 

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

Has there been any increase in birds with bloody noses?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[wildergamebirds]

  This may not be relative.  We recently had a duck out around the "barnyard"  with the chickens.  He injured his bill by eating the greener grass on the other side of chicken wire.  It wasn't bad, but in a few days, the chickens had peeled most of the top layer off his bill.  If possible, I'd suggest separating the bloody noses from the others, and observe them, closely.  

  The Quail I had with this problem also did not appear to be outwardly injured, but the blood can encourage pecking, and cause serious damage.  Have you seen, or heard them pecking on the walls of the brooder?  I thought that might have been the cause, with my birds.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

 This may not be relative.  We recently had a duck out around the "barnyard"  with the chickens.  He injured his bill by eating the greener grass on the other side of chicken wire.  It wasn't bad, but in a few days, the chickens had peeled most of the top layer off his bill.  If possible, I'd suggest separating the bloody noses from the others, and observe them, closely.  

  The Quail I had with this problem also did not appear to be outwardly injured, but the blood can encourage pecking, and cause serious damage.  Have you seen, or heard them pecking on the walls of the brooder?  I thought that might have been the cause, with my birds.

wildergamebirds,

soniadaniel  is concerned about,

I should add that there are no wounds around their noses (nose holes) to indicate pecking.  The blood actually seems to be coming from within their little nose holes.  Like a bloody nose. They do have hay for bedding, and there is no wire in the pen, (it's all wood).  Any new suggestions?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[wildergamebirds]

wildergamebirds,

soniadaniel  is concerned about,

I should add that there are no wounds around their noses (nose holes) to indicate pecking.  The blood actually seems to be coming from within their little nose holes.  Like a bloody nose. They do have hay for bedding, and there is no wire in the pen, (it's all wood).  Any new suggestions?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

  I shouldn't have posted that, until I had enough time to be clear.  My brain is pretty cluttered, and convoluted, and I write the same way, if I'm not careful.

  With my bloody-nosed Quail, there were no signs of injury.  I thought they probably caused their nose bleeds when they pecked on the plywood wall of the brooder area, which I noticed a day, or two before I noticed the blood on the noses.  The red lights also make it hard for humans to see the blood.

  I mentioned the duck, as an example of a source of blood inciting other birds to peck relentlessly.  I don't think Quail are as bad about this, as chickens, but they will do it.  Perhaps others know whether, or not, an open wound is more likely to cause pecking than this type of bleeding.  I would suspect it would.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

wildergamebirds,

soniadaniel  is concerned about,

I should add that there are no wounds around their noses (nose holes) to indicate pecking.  The blood actually seems to be coming from within their little nose holes.  Like a bloody nose. They do have hay for bedding, and there is no wire in the pen, (it's all wood).  Any new suggestions?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

  I shouldn't have posted that, until I had enough time to be clear.  My brain is pretty cluttered, and convoluted, and I write the same way, if I'm not careful.

  With my bloody-nosed Quail, there were no signs of injury.  I thought they probably caused their nose bleeds when they pecked on the plywood wall of the brooder area, which I noticed a day, or two before I noticed the blood on the noses.  The red lights also make it hard for humans to see the blood.

  I mentioned the duck, as an example of a source of blood inciting other birds to peck relentlessly.  I don't think Quail are as bad about this, as chickens, but they will do it.  Perhaps others know whether, or not, an open wound is more likely to cause pecking than this type of bleeding.  I would suspect it would.

Pheasants and quail are notorious for picking on the first site of blood. that is the main reason for a dark environment and the use of red heat lamps. Most breeder have in their brooder section either propane/natural gas heaters or they will use the read heat lamps.

I prefer the 250watt heat lamps. I heat with 6 heat lamps adjusted to a height of 16 inches for the first week. Then I will readjust per following week as needed. I have a barn brooder that is 6'x16'x7high. The side are planking and the upper is wire with dark heavy duty poly screen for ventlitation. The ceiling area is 1 inch top-flight netting.

Please don't get the wrong impression, I was not trying to get down on your case for your post.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[wildergamebirds]

[/quote]
Please don't get the wrong impression, I was not trying to get down on your case for your post.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm
[/quote]

  I didn't think you were.  When I re-read it, it seemed a little confusing and dis-jointed, especially the duck part.

Jack

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

I still haven't come up with any suggestion.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[soniadaniel]

Hello all,
Thank you everyone for your responses.  The first thing I'm doing is removing the white light, and leaving just the red heat light.  It is bright in their pen, and that may very well be the issue.  I'll start with that and see if their condition improves. Many thanks, Sonia

[ivanvivian]

I noticed the quail with bloody noses after I removed half of them from a red light to a white light.  It is within the white light container, that quail began to show red/bloody beaks. 

They do peck at one another. Hence, fisrt thing, I'll be heading out to purchase a red heat lamp.