Sick quail

[joannas11]

My quail Violet is just over 3 years old now. Overnight, she has become lethargic and slow and she looks really scruffy. One eye is quite swollen. She has been hiding away and I have separated her from the others who have been harassing her this morning. Is there anything that I could do to help her get better? Is there something I could buy that would give her a boost?
I am hesitant to take her to the vet because it is far away and I think this would be very stressful for her but if there is a way of having a better idea of what is wrong with her and it is something that requires medication from a vet, I will do it.
Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[scyllarus]

3 is a pretty good age for a quail. I'll go ahead and ask the usual questions, it'll help us figure out what's going on:

What's their enclosure like?
What are you feeding them?
Any recent changes?
What does her poop look like?
Has she been laying?
Any respiratory issues, like weird sounds or bubbles in her eyes/nostrils?
Any pictures of her?

For now, keeping her warm and making sure she has nutrients and hydration is probably for the best. Most of the posters here recommend Nutridrench for vitamins/minerals + sugar for energy, though you might need to find something similar if you don't have it available.

 

[joannas11]

Thank you for your reply. I have 7 quail in a 7ft x 3ft shed. They're on deep litter - mainly top soil and hemp chippings with some little shelters around. They have an outside run which is soil / grass.
I feed them Heygates quail breeder pellets.
I got 4 new quail in July last year and I wormed them all then. There haven't been any recent changes and the others all seem fine.
I haven't noticed any unusual poos in the shed. I'll keep an eye on her poos now she's separated and the same with eggs.
I'll upload a photo a bit later and have a closer look/listen to her breathing. There are some older pics on some of my other posts here and here
I can get Nutridrench but it will take a couple weeks to get here so in the meantime, I've ordered this - hopefully similar? When you say sugar, do you just sprinkle it on the food or another method? And how much?
Thank you so much!

 

[Nabiki]

Can you post pics of the sick bird?

3 years old is rather old for a quail, but this doesn't sound age related. It also doesn't sound feed related, but her feed may be keeping her from being as healthy as she might be. Every time I've looked up Heygates feed, I find that it does not provide proper nutrition for quail.

Have you rinsed the eye with saline solution? That will clean the eye and give you a better look at what's going on with it. If there's something in the eye, it will wash it out as well.

 

[joannas11]

Oh that's good to know about Heygates. Is there a different feed you'd recommend? (I'm in the UK)
I've attached some pics. It's just one of her eyes that she seems to prefer keeping closed, although she is opening it (pic of both open and closed attached and also the other side).
Thank you for your help.

 

[joannas11]

Also to add that she has laid an egg in the last few hours and has done a poo which looks smaller and darker than usual.

 

[Nabiki]

It looks like she may have gotten pecked. I don't see any swelling or discharge that would indicate disease, but I'm not an expert on that. I would definitely rinse with saline.

The smaller, darker poop sounds like she may not be drinking enough. Make sure she has plenty of fresh clean water available to her.

I don't have any brand recommendations on feed, but here is an article that will give you an idea of what to look for in your feed. It's not a long read.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/what-to-feed-your-quail.79205/

 

[joannas11]

Thank you @Nabiki for the feed info. I've had a look and can't really find a feed that obviously meets those requirements so am thinking about mixing some high protein starter feed with the Heygates going forward.

Things are not looking good this morning for my quail... Having spent more time watching her, I am wondering if she has had a stroke as she is leaning to one side with her head tilting as well (and that eye closed). She has also started shaking this morning which may mean something neurological? I did a bit of research and it seems possible for birds to have strokes. I now think a trip to the vets would be too much for her and not sure anything can be done? I'm just keeping her separate from the others with everything she needs.

 

[scyllarus]

What do you mean by shaking? Like - is she visibly trembling, does it come and go, is it worse at certain times?

It's possible she might have been startled or attacked and flushed, bonking her head. The swollen eye makes me feel this is more likely an injury vs a vascular event. Either way, treatment is the same - keep her warm and try to make sure she's eating and drinking. If it is neurological, there's not much else you can do except support her and wait for her to recover.

 

[Nabiki]

She may have flushed and hit her head, or it is possible that she had a stroke, especially at her age. I have heard of coturnix living up to 5 years or so, but 3 years is pretty old. I do have a pen of "retirees" that are all about 3 years old and I am beginning to lose them one by one.