Jumbo Coturnix. Five hens dead. Lameness followed by death

[mosca]

I have had some generous advice on this subject, which I have taken, but the problem persists and |I may not have described it properly so I'm trying again. I have lost five hens, about one every 10 days. They go off lay, then they lose the use of their legs. They don't hobble, they simply can't stand. I remove them to a hospital cage with food and water. They look perfectly fit except that they can't stand. Three days later they die. I lost another hen this morning. There were faeces around the vent but I think that was because she could hardly move. There are no predator problems or bullying problems and the bird's feet are clean. They are on 80mm wire and the lady who sold them to me blamed the floor. I have covered the floor with green perforated plastic matting until I can replace it, but the problem feels to me like disease. However the birds seem to have no temperature nor localised infection/swelling. Please help if you can. Any comments on my floor the wire is thin. I have asked the blacksmith if he can provide a substantial perforated metal floor but this seems ridiculously over the top. I live in Spain. Its 80F as I write.

 

[Sycamore27]

Do you have roos as well that have been unaffected or do you only have hens? Are your quail getting access to some form of calcium supplement, like oyster shell?

Have you noticed any unusual colored droppings, especially those you mentioned on the vent of the birds that died?

Are there any visible problems with the feet or legs of the birds?

Hopefully these questions will help us try to tell you some possiblities.
Also, is there some form of agriculture or veterinary department that might be able to provide you with a necropsy of one of the birds? In the US these services are often free or very inexpensive but I have no idea what you might have available to you.

Good luck getting to the bottom of this.
Cheers,
Jessie

 

[mosca]

Thanks Jessie
I'm an ex pat here and don't know how to access post mortem facilities in Spain.
They birds have a closed box with a solid floor covered with dry river gravel that they scratch in, I don't give oyster shell but each cage has a cuttlefish bone. Would that do?
The droppings are healthy - black and white. I feed a little lettuce daily but thery are used to it and it doesn't loosen the droppings.
The legs and feet are absolutely clean except for a small mark in the centre of the right foot on two of the dead birds. However the birds never hobble nor do they show discomfort or irritation in either leg. They simply cannot use their legs, they cannot even attempt to stand. In fact its difficult to supply food and water to them because they can only move by scrabbling with their wings.
Only hens are affected. The roos are sleek and fit, as are the remaining hens! This thing is sudden, fatal and invisible.