Help! 6-week old quail vomiting clear liquid, ruffles feathers often, rests while standing/wings slightly dropped instead of lying down.

[avanderkolk]

Seeking help with one of my quail! The past few days I have noticed sometimes it will start excessively chirping and then spits up clear liquid. Then it goes back to normal, more or less. It seems to be eating and drinking regularly, and poop has looked normal too (until the most recent one I saw seemed a bit more runny than usual). I think it’s ruffling its feathers more often than usual, and sometimes is resting standing up like this with its wings dropped a bit, instead of lying all the way down. Is it likely a crop issue? Or what else could it be? I don’t smell an odor (does that rule out sour crop?), and I am not exactly sure where I’m supposed to check and how it should feel…but when trying to compare its crop with the other quail I don’t notice a difference between any of them. Any ideas much appreciated, I hope to catch whatever it is asap, before it’s too late!

 

[Susan Skylark]

You could offer some grit. Make sure has good access to clean water. Could definitely be some sort of infection or irritation of the crop or upper gi tract. The picture looks like a sick or ill feeling bird, something is wrong but pretty nonspecific. Maybe also have someone restrain the bird and do an oral exam, gently pry open the beak and get a good look down the throat and mouth, any string or gunk or other oddities? If you have access, a broad spectrum antibiotic might not be a bad idea either. Be careful using antifungals in quail! I know people use topical creams orally in chickens but quail are small and fairly sensitive birds, the side effects might be worse than the disease. If you have access to a bird vet ask if ketoconazole might be an option, you can get it on chewy in liquid form just make sure the dose is appropriate and verify it isn’t toxic in quail, definitely avoid griseofulvin (not sure it is still on the market but some old cow vet might still have it on the shelf).

 

[Nabiki]

She doesn't look well. The more liquid poop sounds like she's not eating well.

How old is she?
What are you feeding them?

I would start by separating her from the others, keep her warm and in a dim area to let her rest. Is a vet an option?