sick quail

[quailmann]

Hi everyone

I have 2 batches of quail together on deep litter. They were on wire before. One set is about 3 months older than the other. I have noticed in the last few days that the older set of quail were less active. So I picked up one girl and her eyes seems starry. Not clear. More white mixed in her black eyes compared to the new set in there. The area above both eyes also seem a bit swollen

Any ideas?
Thanks in advance

 

[Sill]

Do you have chickens?

 

[quailmann]

No chickens. Just quail only

 

[Sill]

Then it can't be coryza. Maybe a sinus infection? If you are using deep litter make sure it doesn't have mold in it or too much dust. Are their droppings normal? On deep litter I would worry about enteritis which would come from eating their own droppings.

 

[quailmann]

Maybe its dusty a bit. There isn't mold, feed is ad lib too. Its just the ones from the older set. Some have lost a few feathers as well. I was watching the one I isolated, looked like her vision is a bit impaired. She was pecking away unable to see the food in front of her

 

[JaeG]

I have my quail on deep litter and they are absolutely fine - never had a problem. I use wood ash in their dust baths so it can get quite dusty but my quail have never been any the worse for it or had any eye problems.

Are the ones with eye problems getting picked on? It could be an eye injury. If they don't seem 'sick' in any other way then it's more than likely an injury, especially if some are missing feathers. They can be stroppy little things when it comes to getting along. I had two females that took forever to get used to a male I wanted to put them with. They would've killed him if I'd just put all three together.

They are amazingly tough little things. I had one that I was sure was never going to walk again (he looked like he was at death's door). The first night I put him and his brothers in an outside cage I'm pretty sure a rat tried to grab him through the wire. My daughter was devastated as he was one of five we had hatched and raised ourselves. We syringe fed and watered him and within a week he was back on his feet. There must be some residual nerve damage as sometimes he falls over and gets a bit stranded on his back, but he can right himself with a bit of effort. He lives outside now with a friend and he's happy as can be.

Good luck and I hope you figure out what's going on.

 

[quailmann]

Hi JaeG

Yes it's not so dusty. As in it can't be noticed. I've been observing them and can't see any fights going on. They seem less active and egg production has dropped. The ones I doubt

That are having issues don't seem to be laying either. I've added some probiotocs in their drinking water now

 

[Dustystrail]

I've been lurking around the quail forums for a couple weeks now since I decided to try hatching a few. I saw this and am wondering if quail are susceptible to mites and lice. We had a horrible animal hoarding problem across the road from us a few years ago and have had occasional problems with fowl mites ever since. I think the wild birds bring it back in when they are nesting above the pens. I'm by no means claiming to know anything about quail that I haven't read but with my experience with mites in the chickens and peas,that would be the first thing I would look for.

 

[dc3085]

They do get mites and lice but it's not the hardest thing to solve. Mites are usually species specific, the ones reptiles get aren't the same one birds get, etc. so you might not have any problems. If so, Sevin dust sprinkled in their dust bowls will eliminate mites and lice.