sick quail

[tommy]

I bought 40 pharoah quial 2 mounths ago all but 10 has died. somtimes 3 a day the man i got them from has not had any trouble with his stock. Some of them looked like there backside had been pecked out.

[tweezy50]

Sometimes over crowding can cause this.  What size pen do you have them in?

[tweezy50]

And 

[wildergamebirds]

Would your supplier admit he had problems?  Some won't.

  Do a search for pecking, picking, fighting, overcrowding, and anything else you think might be related.  That will give you a detailed overview of likely causes.

  My first thought is always protein level.  The first, quickest cure is to add 1 scoop soybean meal to 3 or 4 scoops of your current feed.  Because labels are designed, printed, and attached by different people, and testing can be hit and miss, do this regardless of the protein level your feed "should" have.

  Second is cage area.  If you have other cages available, spread them out, immediately.  With most quail, space is at least as likely a cause as feed.  With Coturnix, not as much so.  Also, if water has ran out, or froze, the resulting stress can cause picking.

  "Sudden onset puberty" is another possibility, also curable treatable by space.  If you had them on wire, with one square foot, or more for the 40 birds, space is probably not the cause.

[Marspoint]

Thanks for a great article that was posted for us to know