Sick quail hen? Crusty vent, lost weight/weak.

[Celeste Cannon]

I noticed my 2.5 year old Coturnix girl Jeffrey is a bit skinnier/weaker than usual, I did a full body checkup and noticed her vent looked kinda gross and crusty (pic attached). She's not very obviously sick, but I have a feeling it'll get worse. I didn't find any injuries, nothing that looked like Bumblefoot. I keep their (3 other hens) cage relatively clean, changing the bedding when it gets stinky/dirty, dust bath provided etc. Their food has been the same for around a year. I'm 99% sure she's still laying eggs.

Is an epson salt bath a good idea? Does it sound/look like an infection to anyone? Should I buy antibiotics?

one thing i've wanted to fix is their water situation, they are constantly pooping in it, getting food in it or their bedding and I was wondering if anyone knows of a hanging water container? I tried placing it on a platform but they knocked it over a few times.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

I noticed my 2.5 year old Coturnix girl Jeffrey is a bit skinnier/weaker than usual, I did a full body checkup and noticed her vent looked kinda gross and crusty (pic attached). She's not very obviously sick, but I have a feeling it'll get worse. I didn't find any injuries, nothing that looked like Bumblefoot. I keep their (3 other hens) cage relatively clean, changing the bedding when it gets stinky/dirty, dust bath provided etc. Their food has been the same for around a year. I'm 99% sure she's still laying eggs.

Is an epson salt bath a good idea? Does it sound/look like an infection to anyone? Should I buy antibiotics?

one thing i've wanted to fix is their water situation, they are constantly pooping in it, getting food in it or their bedding and I was wondering if anyone knows of a hanging water container? I tried placing it on a platform but they knocked it over a few times.

To me it just looks like some poop that is just stuck there so definitely clean it up. As for the waterer I use the rent scoop hanging waterer it works great somehow they still get dirt in it but not very much and zero poop in it.

 

[Nabiki]

I would definitely start by getting her clean. An epsom salt bath won't hurt her unless she's particularly stressed by it. Some quail find the warm water to be soothing, though.

As for her water, they do poop in it. You could try nipple waterers, but she's old enough that she may not be able to learn to use one. If you don't have a lot of quail, you may just consider changing the water frequently.

 

[Celeste Cannon]

I would definitely start by getting her clean. An epsom salt bath won't hurt her unless she's particularly stressed by it. Some quail find the warm water to be soothing, though.

As for her water, they do poop in it. You could try nipple waterers, but she's old enough that she may not be able to learn to use one. If you don't have a lot of quail, you may just consider changing the water frequently.

Thanks for the advice! Are any Epsom salts ok for them? Are there ingredients I should worry about?

 

[Nabiki]

Thanks for the advice! Are any Epsom salts ok for them? Are there ingredients I should worry about?

I would go with plain Epsom salts. I have used lavender Epsom salts because that's what I had, but lavender is an antiseptic and not likely to cause harm.

 

[CliftonQuail]

I would go with plain Epsom salts. I have used lavender Epsom salts because that's what I had, but lavender is an antiseptic and not likely to cause harm.

Thanks for that tidbit. I inadvertently bought a bag of Epsom salts with lavender and was just wondering if it would be OK for my birds. I'll be buying a bag of plain soon, but it's good to know what I have is probably safe.