Food stuck in throat / bent neck

[pipobs]

Today I noticed my quail chick has a bent neck. I got worried thinking it broke a bone which is now sticking out, but I think it might be a piece of food. I've been giving them ground adult pellet feed, maybe one piece was too big.
Three days ago it was fine (chick would've been around 5 days old). And it just seems to have got bigger and bigger, causing it to walk with a crooked neck.

Here are some photos. Dont mind my nails, I've just been doing gardening work

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XAiQqn2xnACxfQQHgYayrbLOUp2IDH3z/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XEpIJ2EpQeDTdO0eSHraBqnumd4lvuat/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XA2ZSlhEhiAG5NjcorCvZtKV-oJflPl1/view?usp=sharing

And a video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X69eunmjIGxz0HBqeH2bhzD9aU-F8QMp/view?usp=sharing

 

[sourland]

Do an onsite search on 'wry neck'. Just in case I would recommend vitamin supplementation.

 

[RDchicken99]

Today I noticed my quail chick has a bent neck. I got worried thinking it broke a bone which is now sticking out, but I think it might be a piece of food. I've been giving them ground adult pellet feed, maybe one piece was too big.
Three days ago it was fine (chick would've been around 5 days old). And it just seems to have got bigger and bigger, causing it to walk with a crooked neck.

Here are some photos. Dont mind my nails, I've just been doing gardening work

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XAiQqn2xnACxfQQHgYayrbLOUp2IDH3z/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XEpIJ2EpQeDTdO0eSHraBqnumd4lvuat/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XA2ZSlhEhiAG5NjcorCvZtKV-oJflPl1/view?usp=sharing

And a video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X69eunmjIGxz0HBqeH2bhzD9aU-F8QMp/view?usp=sharing

Looks like wry neck. If you happen to have any molasses in your kitchen I would give it to the chick immediately. I helped my wry neck pullet, Hazel, by feeding her chick crumbles mixed with molasses a few times a day. It works in a pinch if you don’t have any supplements.
What are you feeding the chick?

*Also,

 

[pipobs]

Thanks for all the advice! I had come across wry neck on google before making this post, but I wasn't convinced it was that (mainly because it was cocked to the side, not "stargazing".

I've given it massages here and there and he/she seems to enjoy it, but it doesn't seem to help fix it.
I've cooked up some eggs, mashed them, and served them, but they didn't much like it. I'm thinking because of the texture. So I'm letting it dry and leaving it on the plate.

The food is the same as the adult food but crushed. I'll have a look at the ingredients + composition later and upload it. I'm also feeding them the ocasional insect like fly/moth that I catch for them.


I don't have molasses, except this organic fertilizer which is made of them. Here is the link + composition: https://www.planetahuerto.es/venta-fertilizante-organic--recycled-compo_198190
Type of Product: Liquid Organic FERTILIZER NK (3 + 5) of plant origin.

Composition:

• 3% N Organic Nitrogen
• 5% K 2 O Water Soluble Potassium Oxide
• 14.5% C Organic Carbon
• Low in chloride.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Where are you located in the world?

Do you have a pet shop, feed store or pharmacy?
I'd look for a bird or poultry vitamin that contains B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin) and Vitamin E. Give your chick some mushed up egg to eat along with their chick starter.
If you can't find bird vitamins, then you can use human vitamins. Get Vitamin E softgels and B-Complex. Dissolve 1/4 tablet B-Complex and 200IU Vitamin E in a little bit of water and syringe it into your quail chick. If you can't syringe it, then mix the vitamins with a little bit of wet feed.

Never give fertilizer to birds or other animals. It's meant for plants only.

Good luck with you quail.

 

[pipobs]

Welcome To BYC

Where are you located in the world?

Do you have a pet shop, feed store or pharmacy?
I'd look for a bird or poultry vitamin that contains B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin) and Vitamin E. Give your chick some mushed up egg to eat along with their chick starter.
If you can't find bird vitamins, then you can use human vitamins. Get Vitamin E softgels and B-Complex. Dissolve 1/4 tablet B-Complex and 200IU Vitamin E in a little bit of water and syringe it into your quail chick. If you can't syringe it, then mix the vitamins with a little bit of wet feed.

Never give fertilizer to birds or other animals. It's meant for plants only.

Good luck with you quail.

Don't worry, I wasn't planning on giving them fertilizer I'm located in Spain and finally got a chance to go to the local pet store. The clerk was pretty useless, so I had to look around myself, and the best I could find was this Omni-Vit supplement.
https://www.versele-laga.com/en/fr/oropharma/products/oropharma-omnivit

I tried looking for better feed specifically for chicks but there wasn't any that had 25%+ protein. These are the ones I've been feeding the adults: https://avicoladeseleccion.es/perdices-faisanes-codornices/7332-pienso-perdices-granulado-5-kg.html
https://avicoladeseleccion.es/perdi...enso-perdices-celo-y-caza-granulado-5-kg.html

One is for breeding season, one is maintenance. I also give the chicks bits of fresh organic lettuce, crushed egg shells + mashed eggs (dried) with mortar + pestle. Today I added 1g of that supplement, split between some water and ground up food.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The vitamins looks pretty good.

I am don't know a lot about Quail, but I do know the chicks usually need the highest protein you can get.
@Shadrach can you translate the feed or are you familiar with what they have linked to?

For the Quail chicks, I would leave out the lettuce and supplement protein with the eggs and a bit of fish or meat. They probably don't need the egg shells.

When they come into lay, then you can give them a treat of lettuce. Give them crushed egg shell free choice.

Again, that's my thoughts about the Quail. Hopefully the vitamins will help with the neck though.

 

[pipobs]

The vitamins looks pretty good.

I am don't know a lot about Quail, but I do know the chicks usually need the highest protein you can get.
@Shadrach can you translate the feed or are you familiar with what they have linked to?

For the Quail chicks, I would leave out the lettuce and supplement protein with the eggs and a bit of fish or meat. They probably don't need the egg shells.

When they come into lay, then you can give them a treat of lettuce. Give them crushed egg shell free choice.

Again, that's my thoughts about the Quail. Hopefully the vitamins will help with the neck though.

thanks for the quick response! Yes I figured the egg shells is more of a calcium supplement for the adults when they lay, but it was leftover and thought it couldnt hurt to add a bit with the mashed eggs
Will follow your advice, but now I have another small problem to address... sifting through 40+ hours of footage to see at what point my favourite hen escaped. So far I've narrowed it down to the last 1-2 days, and rats might be a key suspect. I made a post about it in a different thread. But now I just finished clipping the wings of 3/4 that are left and I turned the cage where I keep my only male in order to get him to call more often. When he can see his ladies he gets distressed so I face him to them to avoid the excess noise. I guess now it could come in handy if she's around the house/neighbourhood.

EDIT: After sifting through many hours of footage, I found the culprit. It was a rat. The quail wasn't bothered enough by the presence of the rat, and it seems the rat got defensive over the feeder and leaped like 50-100cm at the quail. They tussled for a bit before the rat dragged her under the palet of the compost pile I went to see what was there and hopefully kill all the rats in the nest, but I only found her half eaten body I have declared war on these bastards, and will find a way to permanently put an end to them coming back. Until then, I have moved the 4 remaining quail into a large dog crate, and put the male in the original, smaller, but animal proof coop.

 

[Shadrach]

Hello pipobs.
Welcome to BYC.
Where in Spain are you?
I don't know anything about quail.
The high protein feed, 20 .9% would seem pretty good for what I understand quail need.
The vitamin supplement seems okay as well.
Not sure I can help much more until I know where you are and then I may be able to point you in the direction of alternative feed suppliers.

 

[pipobs]

Hello pipobs.
Welcome to BYC.
Where in Spain are you?
I don't know anything about quail.
The high protein feed, 20 .9% would seem pretty good for what I understand quail need.
The vitamin supplement seems okay as well.
Not sure I can help much more until I know where you are and then I may be able to point you in the direction of alternative feed suppliers.

I live in Andalucia, in the south.