Lethargic, limping quail chick

[HutchButch]

I got two chicks about two weeks ago - Artemis and Venus. When they were sold to me, Artemis had some feathers missing from her hindquarters which have started to grow in but slowly. Venus had a similar issue one day after I let them loose in the aviary with the adults. Assuming it was a harassment issue for both of them, I decided to keep them separated from the adults via a divider in the hutch.

Today, I noticed that the usually more vivacious (and sometimes aggressive) Athena was very lethargic and limping everywhere. She even tried to eat from the feeder but couldn't.

Long story short, she has a bit of bumblefoot and a swollen toe at the nail, both of which I treated with a bit of soap, water, and off-brand neosporin. However, her lethargy is what concerns me most. I'm keeping her in solitary overnight in the bathroom with food and water, but she hasn't touched it yet. She felt very skinny and doesn't seem to have an appetite. Could she be dying? What's the best course of action short of a vet visit?

On a separate but possibly related note, one of my cats recently coughed up a hookworm. Could that be passed from a bird to a mammal? If so, could Artemis have hookworm? She's not pooping blood, but her poop is a bit watery.

 

[Nabiki]

Can you post pictures of the bird, birds, and their home?
What are you feeding them?
What is their setup like?
How old are they?

Worms can be passed around, usually through feces. Worms and other parasites usually come from less than clean conditions.

 

[HutchButch]

Can you post pictures of the bird, birds, and their home?
What are you feeding them?
What is their setup like?
How old are they?

Worms can be passed around, usually through feces. Worms and other parasites usually come from less than clean conditions.

I don't have a current pic of the bird in question, but here are recent pics I took of my setup.

 

[Nabiki]

For bumblefoot, I would start with a warm (quail body temp or a bit warmer) epsom salt bath. Let her sit in the bath for 15-20 minutes. Once the foot is completely clean, get some pictures, please.

Is she eating and drinking? What does her poop look like?

What are you feeding them? If Artemis' (Athena's?) feathers are growing back slowly, you might try giving them some more protein. You want to give them more protein when they're coming out of their moult.

 

[HutchButch]

For bumblefoot, I would start with a warm (quail body temp or a bit warmer) epsom salt bath. Let her sit in the bath for 15-20 minutes. Once the foot is completely clean, get some pictures, please.

Is she eating and drinking? What does her poop look like?

What are you feeding them? If Artemis' (Athena's?) feathers are growing back slowly, you might try giving them some more protein. You want to give them more protein when they're coming out of their moult.

She doesn't seem to have an appetite to eat on her own. I fed her coconut water from a needleless syringe last night before bed just to get something in her.

The poop is very watery, kinda yellow-ish.

I feed all of them a game bird feed which is iirc 32% protein. The others have done fine on it so far, and it's the only feed I can find locally which has a high enough protein content for them.

 

[Nabiki]

Your feed sounds good, but if you have the nutrition label, could you post that? It has plenty of protein but might be missing some other necessary nutrients.

The poop shows that she hasn't been eating for a while.

Do you have access to Nutri-Drench? That will give her a better energy boost than coconut water. If she's not eating and drinking on her own, her chances aren't good.

 

[HutchButch]

Your feed sounds good, but if you have the nutrition label, could you post that? It has plenty of protein but might be missing some other necessary nutrients.

The poop shows that she hasn't been eating for a while.

Do you have access to Nutri-Drench? That will give her a better energy boost than coconut water. If she's not eating and drinking on her own, her chances aren't good.

The feed I'm giving them is Syfrett game bird starter crumble. I always throw out the bag when I empty it into the silos, so I don't have the nutrition facts handy. Not sure if my local feed store carries nutri-drench, but I know they have electrolyte packs. Should I keep giving her the coco water plus electrolytes?

 

[Nabiki]

The feed I'm giving them is Syfrett game bird starter crumble. I always throw out the bag when I empty it into the silos, so I don't have the nutrition facts handy. Not sure if my local feed store carries nutri-drench, but I know they have electrolyte packs. Should I keep giving her the coco water plus electrolytes?

I would give regular water with electrolytes for just a day or two. Hopefully she'll be eating again by then, but if not, it may be kinder to cull.