Coturnix Quail prone to seizure? dead quail chick advice?

[wbruder17]

About a week ago we had to cull a coturniix quail who was having seizures. We hatched it here and it was fine at first and got pprogressively worse as it got older. It could eat, drink (with help holding it up) and scuttled itself where it wanted to go, but couldn't walk or stand up, and was visiibly haviing seizures, or something like seizures.

Now I have another chick, about a week old, from a completely different source, that is doing very poorly. This JUST happened, as they were all fine and running around an our or two ago. The chick does not. Look long for this world, but was doing similar things as the other chick. Looks like seizures again. It will roll its head up and arouund over its back, then convulse a little, then lay back down and rest. Its going to die, I can tell.....bbut what is wrong with it?

All of the others are fine, so far as I can tell at this moment....but they turn soo FAST. One minute ok, the next close to death.

 

[wbruder17]

Ok. That quail is dead. It took less than an hour from onset (that I noticed) to death. It has some brownish liquid seeping from its mouth. Its (obviously) been removed. The rest are ok, so far. They have been and are being fed medicated starter feed.

What's going on?

 

[JJMR794]

Encephalitis In Quail Is Highly Contagious, Your Symptoms Sound Like A Good Description Of It. Its Lethal And Fast About It Too

 

[aprophet]

do you keep the quail with your chickens?

 

[rittert3]

I've always been told unmedicated only for quail I'm by no meens a pro. but just thought I'd point it out just in case theres a slight chance that could be causing your problem.

 

[wbruder17]

The quail are not with the chickens. I did not know that about the medicated feed. I will get a bag of the oother stuff for them tomorrow. So far, the other 11 are not showing any symptoms. Thanks and I willll keep updated if anything else happens.

 

[JJMR794]

Really The Only Quail That Have Problems With Medicated Feeds Are The Buttons... They Are So Small The Medication Dose Levels In The Feed May Overdose Them. A Great Part Of The Usa It Is Rather Difficult To Find Unmedicated Feed If At All~ Folks In These Parts Use Medicated From Hatch To Dispatch With Little To No Adverse Effects. Now If Said Feed Has Gotten Damp And Mildewed There There's The Whole Mycotoxin Thing, That Could Also Mimic Encephalitis Symptoms, But It Should Have Efffected All Birds Consuming The Contaminated Feed??

Medications Added To Gbs Are Added For Cocci. They Are Medicated With A Subtheraputic (low) Dose. The Iea Being That Its Enough To Help Keep Cocci Levels In Check Until The Babies Can Develope A Resistance To The Disease And Thereby Limit Chick Mortality From Cocci. These Subtheraputic Doses Will Not Stop Other Illnesses From Occuring, The Amount Of Medication Is Not Sufficient For Acute Infections, As Well The Illness May Not Respond To That Particular Drug, Or May Not Even Be Bacterial In Nature (viral Illnesses Do Not Respond To Antibiotics)

What Sort Of Biosecurity Efforts Do You Use?

 

[wbruder17]

Thank you, JJMR. I did know about the medicated food for other birds, but hadn't heard anything about quail. I've always fed them medicated feed and there wasn't a problem, but I just wasn't sure. The other birds are ok, so it most likely isn't the food.

Well, the first batch of quail that I have are from eggs that I hatched. They now live wiith 2 chukers and everyone is happy and healthy. I got this new batch of day olds, and they are in a dog crate far from my other birds. When I was newer to bbird raising, I did not realize there were biosecurity issues. Since I have become a bird nerd, I know now many things not to do. I no longer introduce grown birds to any of my flocks. I either buy chicks and keep them quaranteened until they grow up, or hatch my own birds, butt I don't always know the origin of the eggs. The chicksI will now only buy from my local feed stores (which are very reputable and take good care of their birds)

We have a lot of wildlife, so there is no way to 100% keep them safeguarded from alll avian excrement, but I do my best to keep them safe. The quail in question have not been in contact with any other birds since I've had them. All of my birds have huge enclosures and very airy coops. Since a falcon attack almost took my favorite banty, they are no longer allowed to "free range" iin the yard, but as I said, I don't feel too badly about it because of the pallace and grounds they have to live in. I clean weekly and they always have fresh water. My food is kept in containers in the shed where they cannot get wet, but the birds do eat off the ground.... obviously.

I rarely visit othher farms where birds are kept and do not go to poultry shows (yet).

All of my birds are given medicated starter for about 2 months.

Did I miss any important info?

 

[rittert3]

Sorry for the wrong advice I was just always told not to use it with quail. I would try contacting whoever or where ever you bought these chicks and start asking questions about if they or any other customers are having these issues and if so what is it and what is being done about it. I will keep watching but so far you have me stumped.

ETA: maybe JJ will have more to add aftwer your last post, also you might clarify... do you have your birds on the ground or on wire? Alot of birds don't do well on the ground, I've never heard of bobs having these problems but had a guy tell me as soon as chukar touch the ground they go down hill fast.

 

[wbruder17]

No worries. All advice is taken and processed. I'm a bit newer to quail and chukers, so I'm still learning. My chukers are on the ground, seperated by aviary wire, but ii have dirt and sand dumped over it and they are very happy and healthy, so far.

The guy I got them from is not a breeder or anything. His friend gave him a bunch of quail eggs and he hatched them, had a rat problem and sold them until he could rat proof his setup better. There are 2 older quail (! Few weeks old) that were left from the rat attack wiith the babies. Those quail are also fiine, so far. So its not like I can call him to complain.. the quail are probably not "high bred" as you could say. They are just backyard products, so that may be ppart of the issue.

Just hoping the rest stay healthy.