Quail Worming and Coccidia mantainance dose

Okay! Here it is spring and I have not heard a peep about anyone worming their quail as if it is a seasonal thing.

My point is.....Even though egg season is about to hit full swing, I think it would be best to do a maintenance dose before people start pushing eggs and DOC chicks out the door. Also, coccidia is a major concern in many areas and treatment comes "most times" only after the signs appear. However, warmer weather also changes their void/poo somewhat as they start drinking in more water which in turn makes it a little harder to identify early due to similar poop signs. Speaking of water and coccidia, lets not forget coccidia's friend Geardia which shows similar signs and can be found in waters.

So here I go with a just in case maintenance dose of albon generic followed by a shot of wazine just as a precaution and maintenance dose. Actually I started last weekend.

Why? Most of my doses are mixed with their water, Wazine, Albon generic (medications) and such passes into their eggs. There is a 7 day wait after stopping treatment before eggs can be considered editable and maybe viable for hatching without ill effects. Since mine are just starting to show spring like behavior (mating but no eggs), for me now is the perfect time to pump them up so to speak with maintenance doses as to avoid interrupting their laying season.


Yes, it may seem ineffective and a waste to some, and yes I would treat the whole flock if I suspected a onset during egg season, but why wait? Besides, I give my dogs maintenance doses rather than waiting until I know they have worms, why not my birds.

Am I the only one getting ahead of the game or are there others doing this?

I do the same with chickens chukar and quail..... No its not organic... Yes it may be over kill... Yes It saves birds and viable eggs... It only seems like overkill until coccidia runs thru a group of young birds you really like! Seems like it jumps on Gamebirds, really expensive birds, really pretty birds and young chicks first!!

I guess that is 1 vote for staying on top of the game. Lol
I was beginning to think I was the only one doing this as the boards were silent. Then again, the silence could mean that people are doing this and not discussing or advising it.

Usually, or so I have noticed....it is usually newcomers to raising a flock of whatevers that start asking questions. I know I did when I started.

You're right! I think it is a unique strain of coccidia tied to Murphy's Law in which it always hits the good birds and young first. Kind of an attempt to stop a specific outcome of fine breed. It should be called Coccidia Murphy Law Major Extinct-iee-iodious or something.


So far so good in my pens.

I dose all my birds when I first get them. I honestly never thought of redoing doses because most of my birds are inside. What are peoples thought about giving quail the Marek's disease vaccine? I know it is deadly in chickens (I have friends who lost all their chickens to it once) but what about quail?

Quail are not all that susceptible to Mareks and it is extremely rare they contract it. If you have no poultry on your premises with it, I wouldn't give them a Mareks vaccine. Just my humble opinion.

Hi there, I am newbie as you mentioned and I appreciate your post. I gave my quails Wazine about a week ago myself. But after all the research I've done, I knew nothing or heard nothing about coccidia. I do want to raise my quail as organic as possible, but this coccidia sounds serious. What do you give your quails for coccidia?

Again, thank you so much for your post, it really helps a newbie like me

This is straight out of the Mercks manual ....

Game Birds


"The Chinese ringneck pheasant, the chukar partridge, and the bobwhite quail, extremely popular as game birds, are reared in large numbers under conditions similar to those of chickens. Losses in these birds from coccidiosis often exceed 50% of a flock. In pheasants, the common species are E phasiani,E colchici, E duodenalis, E tetartooimia, and E pacifica. Chukars are infected by two species: E kofoidi and E legionensis. Bobwhite quail are infected mainly by E lettyae, E dispersa, and E coloni. Treatment and control of these coccidia are similar to that in poultry; however, amprolium appears to be of little use. Monensin and salinomycin are the approved drugs for quail, and lasalocid and sulfadimethoxine/ormetoprim are the approved drugs for chukars."
I use Corrid myself, It is a powder used for cattle mostly. It is amprolium and seems to work for my chickens, chukar and quail. The Merck says amprolium is "of little use" with quail. But I have never had a out break in my quail and treat them as a prophylactic measure. I have had it run thru a young group of albino chukar and my losses were great before I could get a handle on it..... it seems to be more active in the rainy wet times. So I treat in spring and the fall as the seasons change. I also watch for bloody or dark brown or extremely off colored feces. This is a good indicator of trouble. Birds kept on the ground are more prone to outbreak but my chukar were in a wire pen so wire does not make them immune....

Great info Fat Daddy! Thank you so much.

Thanks FD I doubt I could have typed it any better and you know more about the strains than I do...kudos.

Bob just like you, when they puff up and start drop'n dead I do my best to figure why. A guy tends to remember after it happens to his birds. Have you noticed it more likely to happen in the rainy periods when your birds are stressed? It seems like my young chickens, LF cornish, seem to show symptoms mostly based on the weather. They however dont take it nearly as hard unless they are very young. The chukar however are painfully prone to die'n from it. Im sure its the chickens have a longer history of dealing with it and immune systems are better geared to fend it off.