Very unhappy/sick quail...advice please ...

[feetrus]

Hi there,

Proud "mum" of 5 quail ladies since July, egg production usually 4 [one regularly not earning keep] ...

They're outside, in a smallish coop with wood shavings, coop is on slabs, however with all the rain in the last 4 weeks the bedding has got very wet, as they have too! Regularly cleaned out and replaced, more so with dampness...

But in last 7 days down to 1 to 3 maximum. Last 2 weeks "the runt Questran" has had symptoms of droopy wings, eyes closed, very lethargic, ruffled appearance, weight loss, some staggering/tripping, unsure of poo as I am trying to not mess with them much. But today came out to Questran on her side, still alive, now have her in a basket on a warm towel with water etc to beak. Have managed to check her vent and it's full of poo! Massaged some oil into area.

Also another one Queenie, has been showing similar symptoms, eyes closed and ruffled appearance...but not as bad as Questran!

Is this coccidiosis or ??? ADVICE PLEASE but I'm actually going to take them both to vets this afternoon, as cant see them in discomfort....

 

[feetrus]

...update .... Questran just passed away ......

 

[Marigold]

So sorry to hear about this, feetrus. Did you get any of them to the vet? It's hard to say what was wrong, except that I know quail are not able to tolerate damp living conditions so maybe Questran and Queenie were affected by some kind of bronchial or other infection. If you could bring the others in under cover, listen to their breathing, and provide drier living conditions, they might pull through, although it might be that a vet visit for antibiotics will also be a good idea.

 

[feetrus]

Hi Marigold, must admit I blubbed when Questran passed ! Saw vet, he gave Queenie oral antibiotics & an anti?? injection, took Questran away for me too. Have oral antibiotics for the rest plus Queenie for the next 7 days .... see what happens! Coop is now off the ground and they will be running out on concrete rather than grass for the next few months if they make it! ..... SORRY an update to this message, I cant move them under cover, but Queenie is in the kitchen [!] in a cat basket, has had some food, water, lettuce ...... and is quite vocal!!!!!!

 

[Marigold]

She sounds a lot better, glad to hear that. It sounds as if you might need some ideas on how to adapt their housing so they stay drier this winter - they can stand dry cold, but damp is very bad for them, eg if rain or drizzle blows into the coop. What sort of coop is it? People on here love a challenge when it comes to building and adapting so if you could post a picture or two of their cage, maybe we could help with some ideas on how to give them more shelter. If you're not sure how to do this there's a thread on the Pictures of Chickens section at the top of the Index page which explains the process.
Ideally, Queenie needs to be back with the others before very long as otherwise they will forget her and may bully her when she does return, so you will either have to bring them all in temporarily, or put her out with them in dry conditions.

 

[feetrus]

Morning !

Queenie survived night, has eaten this morning, dozing a lot and eyes closed when walking/standing, but does open them if you tap her gently. Have been out to feed the others and they seem ok! Aim to get her back in by tomorrow, or Friday at the latest!

Will post piccy later on, the coop is an ebay special [Henly M] it's now on slabs on a pallet on my patio, all sides [with the exception of 2] are enclosed with clear plastic, the 2 open ones are the door areas, and are blocked off at night or when a "known shower" is due !!!! Since the move, only slight dampness, not as before, when shavings soaked [that was the main problem eh]. The little darlins' have cat litter trays to sleep in or corner bedspiles of wood shavings. To confirm not possible to bring them indoors

 

[Marigold]

That sounds OK for them. Glad the others are doing well. They should be all right if the inside of the coop stays dry and they have enough insulation. I provide mine with shelters to sleep in if they want to, and they use these to lay their eggs in as well. At first I just used small cardboard boxes with open fronts, but then I got those plastic dome thingys you can buy in Pets at Home or similar shop, intended for small mammal cages. I put a good handful of hay in there and they do seem to take refuge inside quite a lot, easy to keep clean and last for ever.