1 yr. old Pet Quail Not Feeling Well - PLEASE READ!

ilovegumdrop

In the Brooder
Nov 12, 2021
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Gumdrop is a California Valley Quail rooster who is a few months over a year old. I have other outside poultry but he lives separately from them inside. For the last two weeks he has been not his vibrant self. I had a similar scare when he was 3. mo. old (Nov. '21) and became was unwell and had diarrhea. At that time, I had put him on Corrid which he was on for several days and didn't seem to be improving so the vet in this area (who is not very familiar with treating birds) prescribed the antibiotic, Baytril and not long after that he made a full recovery! Fast forward to this winter, he started having a few days of intermittent brown runny diarrhea but he wasn't acting all that different in his behavior. After those three days, I started seeing signs that he didn't feel good as well like huddled up with ruffled feathers and closing of his eyes in addition to the diarrhea getting worse and very mucusy and bubbly. I then got him on Rooster Booster electrolyte, vitamins, & probiotic mix and within a couple days he seemed to be not completely back to normal but greatly improved. His poops were starting to be mostly formed and much more normal-looking, he also was acting pretty much himself. Then after a few days of that I noticed he back-tracked a bit and he was getting more diarrhea and was sometimes closing his eye again. It has been two weeks since he's started not feeling good and is not recovered so yesterday I decided to give him Baytril again to see if it would clear it up. This morning he seems like he feels the worst he's felt through this whole episode. This time it has not progressed as quickly as when he was unwell when he was younger and not been quite as bad, however, he has been acting similarly and he got very weak last time so it has been upsetting to me. I have also been feeding him dandelion greens and clover through this period. As well as bringing in dirt for him to peck through. His appetite is not the same - he is not as into his dry crumble. He normally eats Purina Game Bird Starter 30% protein as well as dried meal worms and occasionally hard boiled egg and greens mix from the store. In the summer he gets outside and eats wild greens, etc. I also recently started offering chick grit. The vet can send off a poultry fecal test for cryptosporidium and avian giardia which I haven't opted for yet. Does anyone have any thoughts on what could be happening to him and what to do?? It would be most appreciated!
 
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I don't know nearly as much as 007Sean does, but two things stand out to me as problems.

One, his diet. The game bird starter is good for growing quail, but not so good for an adult. See if you can find him a game bird maintenance or all flock feed. Something around 20% protein. Cut the treats, especially the meal worms. With the high protein and high fat from the mealworms, his liver may be suffering.

Two, quail are social, and his being alone isn't ideal for his health.

Good luck, and hopefully Sean will be along soon with more and better advice.
 
@Wyorp Rock Thanks

@Nabiki
Thanks so much for your input. I will look into getting a feed with less protein and no meal worms until this clears up and then sparingly.
It would be ideal for him to have a playmate but he gets a lot of attention and social interaction with humans who I think he considers to be a part of his covey.
 
Here are two pictures, one of Gumdrop this morning and one of his recent poops. Many of them are so liquidy that they go into his straw but I was able to get a pic of this one. I do try and remove any I see from his bedding. He had his third dose of Baytril last night. He is not getting any other medications at this time and I removed the Rooster Booster mix from his water. I was wondering if maybe I should give him Corid but I don't want to give any unnecessary medicines.

Anyone who has experience or knowledge of quails, I would love to hear from!
 

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@Wyorp Rock I think his crop is emptying but I will check for sure in the morning.

@Nabiki His appetite has definitely been affected and he is not eating like he normally does. He doesn't like his dry crumble much unless it is put in water, then he likes to peck it out. I am not giving him any mealworms and I give him the Baytril on a piece of hard-boiled egg. The only food he has on continuous offer in his pen is regular crumble. One of the main things he has an appetite for is fresh greens. He also would like to eat earthworms and other live insects but I have been trying to be careful about what he has.
Another thing I've noticed is he seems to get chilled easily like if he drinks really cold water.
 
You can offer him a wet mash made of his food if he doesn't like dry crumbles.
Just mix a small amount of crumbles with water, add more or less water to get to a consistency he seems to like.

Cold water may be shocking, so offer it at room temperature and see if he likes that better.
 
@007Sean
@Nabiki

His crop is emptying. I think he has coccidiosis. I am not prone to thinking it's worms because he was such a healthy, stable weight leading up to this. I have some Corid but I read that it is not as effective for some strains that quail can get. I started him on Corid (amprolium) last night but am concerned as he is getting very weak and losing weight. Is there another drug I could get that would be better?? I could also do Apple Cider Vinegar/garlic mix or oregano in his water. What do you do for your quail if they get coccidiosis?

I was reading this on Merck Manual:
"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."
 
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