Gamble Quails WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???

[Lacrystol]

I started out with 19 Gambel quails, looking really good, fed them 27% protein with some cat food stopped that once they reached 1 month old.... Once they reached 1 1/2 to 2 months and slowly started diying off. I would loose a Gambel each week, they would be very skinning, puffy and die off.

I have 6 left, Here's what I am doing right now I don't want to lose anymore, this coming Wednesday will be a week from the last one I lost.

OH btw, they are 3 1/2 months old right now

Every other day I give them scrambeled eggs and crushed up eggs shells.
Wax Worms twice a week
Apples and Brocollie for the opposite days they don't get the Eggs
Gambebird Feed all the Time 24% protein
Water is cleaned and scrubbed each day and sprayed with oxine.

Things I have done: I have given them Wazine in case they had a case of worms, I have sprinkled 7 dust in case they had mites or lice.

They are losing there feathers and the Red top is dull looking.

What am I doing WRONG? What Should I be doing??? HELP PLEASE>>.

 

[TwoCrows]

Could be a number of things really. Do you keep them in pens or in an aviary? Solid floors or wire?

It is highly unlikely that at their age worms would be an issue. Being skinny and puffed up can be a few things. What is the color and consistancy of their poop? Is it hard and dry, wet but full, runny, complete liquid. Is the color green, brown, red or black, ashy grey?

Cocci can be an issue for young birds as well as enteritis. Many bacterial infections can cause birds to lose weight, fluff up and die.

Rule out the cocci with a poop inspection. The poop should be solid and in brownish in color. Rule out Ulcerative Enteritis by NOT seeing ashy grey poop.

Check them over thoroughly for bugs. If they are losing feathers, mites can be a big concern. Check around the vent and behind the neck for red skin, eggs or bugs. Usually bugs don't hide on birds during the day, but some can. The skin should look smooth and elastic. Not red, dry or irritated. Look for lice or fleas as well. Check the heads really closely.

Do an over all inspection of vents, nostrils, eyes, breathing, skin, feet, look for runny noses, rattles in the lungs, swollen faces or eyes etc.

Losing feathers sends up a red flag to me and could be bugs. There are specific diseases that do cause feather loss however. If you think they have bugs, you will need to dust them every other day with either DE or Sevin. Dust them good all the way down to the skin. Do this for 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Lacrystol]

OMG thank you for the reply, OK, Well I 7 dusted them once, but I will look them over tonight and see if I see anything. I can't say for sure on the poop but will check that out tonight as well.. They are soooo wild and hard to catch.... They are in a pen right now OH is building them a coop that is going to be 8 by 4. This way they can fly about. Right now they could fly but not very high..

They don't seem to drink very much. and I'm not sure if they are eating I think they may be taken dirt baths in the food. I put the scrambled eggs in a Plastic opened container and it's always gone but I'm wondering if they are just taken dirt baths in it. I can't see them eat or drink because the minute I look in there cage BOOM they all stop. So I have never even seen them eat or drink. They act as though I'm the devil who's come to kill them. LOL...

 

[TwoCrows]

Gambels Quail are very nervous and skittish birds. And handling them can send them nearly into shock. LOL Try putting in some branches with leaves or other types of hidy places so they feel more secure and relaxed. It might help them think a bit more highly of you. They think everything is out to eat them. Gambels are the most high strung of the quail world.

Check these things out and see if you can't get down to the bottom of the deaths. If they are not eating, then they may have some bacterial thing going on or even cocci. Both of these lead to starve outs. They stop eating. It may be coinciding with them molting into their adult feathers as well. And being sick, they will molt quicker and look rougher.

You may need to offer up some antibiotics if they have some respiratory or enteritis bacteria's. Duramycin is a good broad spectrum drug that works on most gram negative and gram positive bacteria.

Keep us posted on how things look in the poop department and body physicals.

 

[Lacrystol]

OK, I plan on cleaning out there cage tonight, so that means I will have no choice but to catch each of them, when I do I will examine them as I put them back in..I will also collect some leaves, branches etc for there nesting. DO you know what age they usually start laying??

 

[TwoCrows]

They mature at 6 months. They should start laying then.

Good luck with your babies.

 

[ylly]

Give them some tetracycline once a month 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water. The build up bacteria in there intestines which need to be reduced.
Hope this helps. Also raise them on wire for healthier birds

 

[ylly]

Oh ya feed them a gamebird flight conditioner from the time they are off the startena. Something like 22% protein

 

[ylly]

Gambles, Valley start laying the next spring the year after they hatch!

 

[Lacrystol]

Ok poop is brown and semi hard. Didn't see any bugs the six that I have felt pretty healthy not skinny but that could change. I measured the food, I have them on game bird feed 24% it doesn't look like they touched it I have it in a chicken feeder do they like it more in a bowl?? They are pecking on the side of the cage right now. Lol I made them a box and put leaves, sticks and more out door type materials. I'm gonna go grab some larger branches so they can have something to stand on. They are in a 3 foot high by 4 foot wide by 4 4 1/2 foot long box. No wire on the bottom. I have them in the garage. I do have a heating lamp but been keeping it off because its been pretty warm. Anything I should do. I think they are molting with the losing the feathers because when I examined them I could see new growth coming in. Skin looks really good not dry pink in color not dull or red. Two of them had dirty vents looks like there poop may have smeared on them since I put them in a pillow case so that I could clean out the cage. They are starting to get red heads where before they were dull and gray. There breathing seems to be ok. There they go again pecking at the box lol what does that mean?? No talking just pecking. OMG all of them are in the box of leaves branches etc. OMG they even took out some if the leaves lol. That's so funny ok off to get some branches.