Abnormal quail poop, suspect mites as well

[Vegetable Gardener]

I have the birds for the first time. They are six weeks old and I have only four (left). The others died with my inexperience.

I know they never had an issue with coccidiosis until I gave them sav-a-chick probiotic because I was so desperate that I got the electrolytes and thought, "Why not use the probiotics too?" at about three weeks old.

I don't have names, but the two eldest used to love me very much. The second born is very energetic and observative and I felt he knew I killed his friends, even though I tried to save them. He's been scared of me since (they watched 10 of their friends slowly die) and runs away every time I grab him but I know he still appreciates me. I still remember the day he hatched, how he ran to me, thinking I was his mother. He fell a few times from my hand over time but seems to be well (phew!), but yesterday I observed he had ashy gray/ black poop. Not sure what to do about that.

First born adored me longer and didn't struggle as much for me to hold her. She I think she probably started doing it a lot since I started giving them baths after seeing a mite in their sand bowl. Day before yesterday she fell from my hands and hurt her leg. I know from experience that even though it hurts, it is better to try to work that leg as normal as possible rather than just drag it. She gets the hang of it when I adjust her leg, but she keeps limping and dragging her other foot, sole face-down. This once-loving hen is now so terrified of me that she tries to run away quickly with her limping leg every time I try to grab her (to take care of her). How can I help her and mend our relationship?

Third born, who seems to love sleeping, seems to have brown or yellow poop for the past few days. I tried giving them garlic and apple cider vinegar in their water and she only drinks when I put her in front of the water. Otherwise, she dehydrates herself. I don't mind helping her, but I think she needs to be independent soon, especially since I am no farmer, just a student with interest in nature, and we have to travel a few times a year for family trips or important matters (we have to go somewhere soon for a few days). I do not want to burden my family friends with taking too much care of them since changing their bedding, food, and water is a lot already.

Fourth born, the always sick one, who has very slow development and usually is bald (seems to have some feather development now, better than second born, who is mostly just hairy), has always been sick. He/she always got coryza and I had to treat it with the garlic-ACV water. He/she always has difficulty walking from time to time, and has been vibrating sometimes when I check on them outside for the past few days (Is he/she cold?). He/she seems to have gotten mites a few times, I think also scaly leg mites, because the foot is so dry and scaly. I saw dryness on his/her whole body just a few days ago, so after washing with just water, I put petroleum jelly on him her and it seems to have reduced the itchiness.

I do know they had some type of bug in their cage and brooder, especially since I was introducing them to the cage and keeping their brooder outside sometimes in the day just to get used to being outdoors. I did see fleas hopping, and I think I did see mites or lice crawling. I know for a fact I did see a red mite in their sand and a yellow mite crawling on me one day. I did spray their cage multiple times, a few times with garlic water. It worked more when it wasn't so rainy, but it's raining so much now that it is so hard to keep them and the birds mite free. I have been giving them a shower in dawn dish soap once or twice a week since two weeks ago.

 

[casportpony]

For mites and lice you need to treat the birds and their cage with permethrin.
Can you post a picture of the abnormal poop?

 

[Vegetable Gardener]

For mites and lice you need to treat the birds and their cage with permethrin.
Can you post a picture of the abnormal poop?

 

[Vegetable Gardener]

Right now, the problem is mostly yellow/ yellowish brown and kind of slimy (I touched it by accident. Yuck!) Yesterday and a few days ago I saw they had brown poop. Once I even saw white stringy stuff in their poop. Sometimes it's just liquid. I feel like they probably got coccidiosis from the sav-a-chick probiotics that I gave for only one day two or three weeks ago, so I am not sure what to do about that, and should I even continue doing that?

The electrolyte supplement water kind of looks icky after two or three days. I don't mind making a fresh batch daily, but I don't want to waste so much supplement water. The smaller I make the water batches, harder it is to get proper measurements.

I am giving them a feed I made by myself of dried corn, peas, rice (sometimes replaced with oatmeal), and sesame seeds (sometimes replaced with almonds).

I do let them free range whenever the weather is good (almost daily in summer). They end up eating dirt and bugs. Some times I catch them eating my hair from the cracks of the floor and I have to carefully take it out of the mouth of who ate it (usually the curious second born). They do have their own sand bath that I sometimes put beach sand, construction sand, or play sand in.

Is everything I am giving them okay? Is there a possibility of internal parasites, and how can I treat that?

 

[casportpony]

I feel like they probably got coccidiosis from the sav-a-chick probiotics that I gave for only one day two or three weeks ago

That did not give them coccidiosis.

so I am not sure what to do about that, and should I even continue doing that?

Plain, fresh water daily is best.

The electrolyte supplement water kind of looks icky after two or three days. I don't mind making a fresh batch daily,

It needs to be made daily.

I am giving them a feed I made by myself of dried corn, peas, rice (sometimes replaced with oatmeal), and sesame seeds (sometimes replaced with almonds).

They really need a feed formulated for quail.

 

[Vegetable Gardener]

Thank you for your help. I just want to also ask how I know if lice is involved in the mites problem? Especially since they have black feathers, it is almost impossible to see.