4 out of 7 Georgia Bobwhite Quail DEAD~!!!! :( PLEASE REPLY!!

[DivaChick]

Okay, so we bought 7 Georiga bobwhite quail at a swap meet a few months ago-
When we brought them home we put them in the chicken coop (pretty open, and on the ground) where our old barnyard chickens used to be.. (they came from all over)---
We didnt clean the nesting boxes or coop out before putting our quail in there--- so last week we found one of our quail, dead... No apparent reason--- then two days later, two more were dead..... and then last night, one more was dead---- Leaving us with 4 quail left.......
They dont act sick or anything, but i did some research on here and found that cross contaminating chickens/quail could be the reason---

Can someone give me insight on to what the problem might be!??? we are new to quail, so I really have idea.......
thanks in advance!

 

[DivaChick]

Ooops, correction, should been, i have NO idea! HELP!

 

[RunningRabbit]

Sounds like they caught something from the chickens. Granted, there wasn't any chickens there, but cleaning the nesting boxes and coop definitely should have been done. Chickens can have illnesses that are lethal to quail, even when they are completely benign to the chickens themselves.

A vet check is a priority to see what is going on, and to possibly get medication (if communicable illness is the case) into the remaining quail.

 

[bonnie in indiana]

Every thing that I have read when googling quail says DO NOT PUT ON GROUND. They can get parasites and there was something else also that I cannot remember.. My quail are in the barn with my chickens, but they are in my old rabbit cages off the ground. I have healthy birds.

You may have to start over and put new birds off the ground.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quail can be safely kept on the ground if you keep dry, clean facilities. Quail kept on the ground need to be wormed at least once a year and the area needs to be kept very dry. So all this being said, I doubt the ground had anything to do with your quail dying in this short period of time.

Poultry bought at swap meets can be unhealthy birds to begin with, unless you are getting them from a reputable dealer. These quail could have been carrying any number of diseases from the start.

The area in which you were going to house them needed to be completely fumigated before allowing the quail to reside there. Chickens do in fact, carry diseases that can kill quail. Bacteria and virus's can last for years in the dirt and bedding.

However the fact that these dead quail didn't show any outward sign of illness, I am going to say that your quail died from worm infestation. They needed to be wormed, badly. You might not know they ever had worms and the quail basically starved to death.

Always immediately worm quail that are purchased at swap meets, quail farms and other places from where you do not know the dealer or how these quail have been kept.

 

[Tony K T]

I had this problem back a few years when I raised quial.I contacted the guy I bought them from and he said it may be a sulfa deficency,and advised me to give them sulmet.I gave it to them 1 time per week and I lost no more birds.It should be available at your feed store.
As to raising them on the ground,it can be done using masonry sand for the base of your pen.It is very clean sand,and it also serves as a dusting place.
In N.H.,Tony.