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?

 

[avanderkolk]

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).

Thank you! They have access to chick grit, and I switch out their water daily so it’s always fresh. I checked in its mouth like you suggested, and did not see anything out of the ordinary! It’s poop is beginning to be less volume and more runny. And it has continued to throw up the clear liquid, but I think maybe less often. I do have some Amoxicillin leftover from a sick duck. Do you think it might help to administer that? It is in a capsule, so I could mix with water and try to syringe. But it might just throw it back up

 

[avanderkolk]

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?

Thank you for your reply! She is 6 weeks old. On a game bird starter/grower. Constant access to clean water (now with added apple cider vinegar and a probiotic/electrolyte supplement), and chick grit. Unfortunately vet is not an option. I’ve massaged her to try an alleviate impacted crop if that’s what it is. But don’t feel anything different when I compare with the others. Still throwing up clear liquid, but I think less often. And continuing to have more runny poops, but still eating and drinking regularly. I’m stumped

 

[007Sean]

1 of 2 things can be causing her to throw up! 1st is she's drinking too much water and is throwing it up. 2nd, is she could have Infectious Laryngotracheitis also called ILT. There is no cure and it is highly contagious, she should be separated from the rest of your birds. Although no cure, antibiotics can help relieve symptoms of any secondary infections.

I'm no vet, so if you can, get her to one for a diagnosis.