Best way to de-worm quail?

[PineconeQuail]

Hi!

I suspect that my 3ish month old coturnix quail might have worms. After about a weekish of stress (she was being bullied - its been fixed now) I noticed her poops started to get watery and a little lighter. Hoping it was just a reaction to stress I decided to wait it out. That was some time ago and there are still runny poops so I'm suspecting worms. Her behavior hasn't changed - still runs around with her sisters, dust bathes, fights for first dibs on those tasty tasty dried mealworms, eats and drinks as normal, and is still laying, so I don't think she's sick-sick. She also was vomiting every now and then during the stress-week but that seems to have fixed itself, too (this poor girl has had a hard month).

So, with that said: what does everyone use for de-worming quail? How does one go about de-worming them, and is there any danger of letting them all take whatever gets given so that I know all 3 are worm-free?

Thanks!

 

[le_bwah]

I've used Safeguard Goat Dewormer successfully. Obviously not dosed for quail, but there are chicken charts out there (don't have them handy, sorry) that you can extrapolate for quail based on their body weight. Same method of administration (in the water) and duration (based on whether you're preventing an infestation or treating for one).

If you can't visualize worms or their eggs, you don't need to dose them for an infestation. I had a simple microscope on hand and was able to float some feces to check. If you're unsure and the birds aren't showing signs of acute illness, you might bring a sample to your veterinarian before moving forward with wormer.

One thing I'd recommend trying first is CORID. It treats coccidiosis, which is a much more common intestinal parasite. CORID is also hugely safer to use, and the effective range is more forgiving. If your birds' droppings are runny, off-color, or show signs of blood, I'd try a few days of CORID—if they show improvement, you're probably dealing with coccidiosis.

Best of luck with your birds!

 

[PineconeQuail]

I've used Safeguard Goat Dewormer successfully. Obviously not dosed for quail, but there are chicken charts out there (don't have ....

Thank you! I will look up CORID and start with that!

 

[TERMINATORATIS]

I've used Safeguard Goat Dewormer successfully. Obviously not dosed for quail, but there are chicken charts out there (don't have them handy, sorry) that you can extrapolate for quail based on their body weight. Same method of administration (in the water) and duration (based on whether you're preventing an infestation or treating for one).

If you can't visualize worms or their eggs, you don't need to dose them for an infestation. I had a simple microscope on hand and was able to float some feces to check. If you're unsure and the birds aren't showing signs of acute illness, you might bring a sample to your veterinarian before moving forward with wormer.

One thing I'd recommend trying first is CORID. It treats coccidiosis, which is a much more common intestinal parasite. CORID is also hugely safer to use, and the effective range is more forgiving. If your birds' droppings are runny, off-color, or show signs of blood, I'd try a few days of CORID—if they show improvement, you're probably dealing with coccidiosis.

Best of luck with your birds!

Medicated chicken starter with Amprolium already premixed in it, can avoid possible overdose !!!.Try to feed them for one or two weeks with and then slowly switch to 21% turkey feed from Nutrena for the rest of their life Adding greens(lettuce, spinach, dandelion leaves) finely chopped mixed with meal worms will make their diet richer and more nutritious. Normally quails are not so prone to coccidiosis, such as chickens are. Let me know about outcome. Thank you
Good luck

 

[Doriss]

Hi!

I suspect that my 3ish month old coturnix quail might have worms. After about a weekish of stress (she was being bullied - its been fixed now) I noticed her poops started to get watery and a little lighter. Hoping it was just a reaction to stress I decided to wait it out. That was some time ago and there are still runny poops so I'm suspecting worms. Her behavior hasn't changed - still runs around with her sisters, dust bathes, fights for first dibs on those tasty tasty dried mealworms, eats and drinks as normal, and is still laying, so I don't think she's sick-sick. She also was vomiting every now and then during the stress-week but that seems to have fixed itself, too (this poor girl has had a hard month).

So, with that said: what does everyone use for de-worming quail? How does one go about de-worming them, and is there any danger of letting them all take whatever gets given so that I know all 3 are worm-free?

Thanks!

Hi I thought apple cider vinegar was a vermicide and anti-parasitic thing. I don't know from experience, however. The dose is a quarter-teaspoon per waterer. If it really is worms, might be safer than anything else.

 

[Nabiki]

Hi I thought apple cider vinegar was a vermicide and anti-parasitic thing. I don't know from experience, however. The dose is a quarter-teaspoon per waterer. If it really is worms, might be safer than anything else.

There is no scientific evidence that this works as any type of anti-parasitic. This is one of the many medical myths out there. Diatomaceous earth, garlic, pumpkin seeds are a few more that are not "natural dewormers".

 

[Canina]

There is no scientific evidence that this works as any type of anti-parasitic. This is one of the many medical myths out there. Diatomaceous earth, garlic, pumpkin seeds are a few more that are not "natural dewormers".

With respect, I have to argue that's a strong statement. To say they are as effective as a traditional dewormer would not be correct, but to say there is no basis for their efficacy whatsoever would also be incorrect. I appreciate trying to be scientifically minded, but to totally dismiss theories with some clear validity in totality as 'myths' is also unscientific. I am autistic but this strikes me as black and white thinking.

https://bitchinchickens.com/2021/01/11/myth-buster-pumpkin-as-chicken-dewormer/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800893 pumpkin seeds
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21673156/ diatomaceous earth
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209050681100128X garlic

These beliefs do not fall out of the sky and are not totally unsubstantiated; they are attributed to key compounds in the raw materials. Pharmaceutical products and veterinary medicines are not magic, nor sacred because they come from a laboratory nor are not developed from nothing; they are developed and refined through isolating the useful elements in the correct and standardised quantities after testing. They are largely synthesised from- or to replicate- naturally occurring substances. There are a few wormers on the market that contain cucurbitacin as an active ingredient which is probably far more effective than cackhandedly guessing how many pumpkin seeds and of what type to feed. This anecdotal evidence of farmers using these things for thousand of years piqued the interest of the scientific community and from their studies we are developing viable alternatives to the wormers populations are becoming increasingly resistant to.

People think coconut oil is a fad or snake oil, but they're genuinely looking into coconut oil based surface cleaners to combat the spread of MRSA.

Using mould grown from a cantaloupe to control a bacterial infection also sounds like poppycock to anyone who forgot that's what it was before we put it into a nice neat looking pill. Granted, I'd much rather have the mould that was grown under incredibly specific lab conditions....