JB quail hen going in circles

[emvickrey]

I have a JB hen that when she moves she goes in circles. If she's not moving she just sits there with her head down as if she's resting. I have to put her beak to the water bottle end so she can get a drink. When she tries it on her own her head keeps turning and then her body follows. Her feet appear to be bruised. I had a predator get into a pen and pulled a quail to the side of the cage and ate what it could get to. After that I moved all the quail around into safer cages. I suspect she was in the pen that had the predator attack and injured herself. Does anybody have any idea if I should cull or wait to see if she gets better?

 

[TwoCrows]

Sounds like she may have suffered a head injury. She may or may not survive. I have had a few cases of quail with neurological issues and have found that high doses of vitamin/mineral/amino acids/omega's/probitiotics, etc... have done wonders for cases involving the brain.

 

[De Wet]

i also agree its a head injury, that only one side of the brain function. I have a dog long time ago with the same problem which going in circles, i taking him to the vet and it was his diagnose. It was later put down

 

[emvickrey]

I raise the quail to put in our freezer for our winter food. I was going to make a few more breeding pens but looks like I may not. I had a couple succomb to the heat and there is 1 that none of the other quail like. They all pick on it so i'm waiting for this next batch to get big enough to process and those other 2 will just be included. Providing the hen that is going in circles survives.

I suspected she had a brain injury but wanted to check with those that know more than I do.

Thanks for the help

 

[emvickrey]

I culled the poor girl yesterday. She had gotten much worse and wasn't able to eat or drink without her head going in circles. I held her for a long time and petted her and rubbed under her chin. She seemed to like that. I wanted her last hours to be in peace and comforted after her ordeal. Sounds crazy but I hate it when my animals suffer and I can't do anything for them but put them out of their misery. She may have been a breeding hen but she was still loved. I go around and do pedicures regularly and check for foot problems or any sores. Give them some petting then i'm off to the next pen or cage..

The rooster that died a few weeks ago did so in my arms. I felt his time was close but I was waiting for the vet to arrive but just as he got there it was too late. It was probably too late by the time I called the vet to come in on a sunday. He was a loved pet and I couldn't bear to have him be sick and possibly dying without having loving arms around him. When I had to have my dog put to sleep, that was the worst day of my life. It had to be done for her sake. She was suffering and I refused to make her suffer just so I could spend more time with her. That's selfish. I had her for 13 years and she was the most loyal and loving dog that ever lived in my book. I insisted the vet wait till I got to the hospital before he put her down. I held her and talked to her the entire time till it was over. Some people may think I"m nuts but we had a telekenetic thing where I could talk to her from another room and not say a word. I explained to her what was wrong and what was about to happen. She told me she was ready to go and for me not to be so sad. When they brought her in the room she greeted me like she always did but slower because she was in pain. She came to me and sat at my feet with her head on my knee. When it was time she cooperated fully. Normally she would have fought and been terrified to be o that cold metal table. But she knew because I told her. I told her she would just go to sleep then she would be in heaven with her friends that had gone there before her. And one day i'll be there too and we would be together again. The vet techs left me alone with her for a while before they took her away. It'll be 2 years next month on the 13th and I still can't talk about it without crying. I loved that dog and she loved me. She had cancer in her intestines. A few years before she had gotten artheritis in her hips. Before she was showing a different pain which was the cancer that we didn't know about she was going blind and deaf. A few times she had accidents in the house. She would be so embarrased but I never scolded her. I knew it was an accident. She was lain g in her favorite spot in the hall way and by the time she managed to get up she had peed in the floor and on herself. She just hung her head in shame. I cleaned up the floor then gave her a bath and a treat afterwards. I knew she couldn't help it.

I can only guess i'm not alone in the crying department. I know many of you BYC'ers have had similar situations. I don't ever want to forget Sissy. I keep her picture and coller on my PC near me and she's my wallpaper on my puter and phone.

Now go dry your eyes.

 

[TwoCrows]

So sorry about your little hen, along with all the others you have had put down over the years. It is never easy to say good bye to our beloved friends. But you gave them a good life, and that is the most important thing. And did the right thing in the end.

 

[emvickrey]

Thats all part of owning animals or have our animals own us. We have to do whats right by them no matter how much we love them. I always knew the day would come when I would have to put my best friend Sissy down. I know I wouldn't out live her and I made the decision long ago when the time did come I would do it no matter how hard it was. She was a great dog and most of all my best friend. If it where the other way I wouldn't want her to let me suffer and die just so she could spend every second she could with me. I would rather go than suffer so I did for her how I would want done. Same with my birds. Before I'll let them suffer I'll put them down.

 

[Ntsees]

Reminds me of when I had a young quail that also went in circles due to some neurological problem when it hatched. I still kept it hoping it would get better but it never did. When others pecked at it, it tried to run but still went in circles and so it ended up going no where only to be pecked again. It grew up half way and then a cat got it.

 

[emvickrey]

This one had to injure itself because there was nothing wrong with it before and it just slowly got worse. The others didn't seem to bother it from what I ever saw. I had to hold it's beak to the water nipple so it could get a drink. It couldn't drink unless I held it's head still and up to the nipple. I couldn't get it to eat though in the last days. When I culled it I was going to just process it and put it in the freezer but it was dehydrated and it's meat was darker than normal. I didn't keep it. I don't feed my family something I wouldn't eat so it went to waste. It's in quail heaven now.