My quail is under the weather..help

[Lisah7]

My little guy has been acting blah for two days I have him separated from the rest but he’s just not himself he doesn’t crow he doesn’t run around he’s just kind of sitting there... he is drinking not sure if he’s eating much if I put meal worms in with the food and tap my finger in the food he appears to try and eat them he is about eight weeks old ... I put scrambled eggs in there but he doesn’t seem to want them ...Any help would be greatly appreciated I don’t want to lose this little guy

 

[le_bwah]

My little guy has been acting blah for two days I have him separated from the rest but he’s just not himself he doesn’t crow he doesn’t run around he’s just kind of sitting there... he is drinking not sure if he’s eating much if I put meal worms in with the food and tap my finger in the food he appears to try and eat them he is about eight weeks old ... I put scrambled eggs in there but he doesn’t seem to want them ...Any help would be greatly appreciated I don’t want to lose this little guy

Sorry your bird isn't doing well . Can you post pictures of his posture? Or describe him—like, is he puffed up, head drooping, eyes closed, etc.? My first instinct would be to provide bird-safe electrolytes to keep him hydrated and then observe for a short while. Someone more experienced would need to tell you what else to try.

 

[Lisah7]

Sorry your bird isn't doing well . Can you post pictures of his posture? Or describe him—like, is he puffed up, head drooping, eyes closed, etc.? My first instinct would be to provide bird-safe electrolytes to keep him hydrated and then observe for a short while. Someone more experienced would need to tell you what else to try.

He does

 

[Lisah7]

Here he is and a pic of his droppings

 

[le_bwah]

That's not too bad—he doesn't have that "given up" look that some sick birds get. The poop is watery, but no blood or critters. Hmm. Hope someone else can take a look soon.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Feel his crop to see if something hard is stuck in it, what do you use for bedding?
What is his entire environment like?
How many, bedding, food, etc.
Also what is the roof situation, my first thought is he his his head... they are very prone to popcorning upwards and getting themselves injured that way.
Sorry he's not feeling well!

 

[Lisah7]

Feel his crop to see if something hard is stuck in it, what do you use for bedding?
What is his entire environment like?
How many, bedding, food, etc.
Also what is the roof situation, my first thought is he his his head... they are very prone to popcorning upwards and getting themselves injured that way.
Sorry he's not feeling well!

HI He is indoors on a cage on timothy hay right now but was on a 1/2 inch wire cage until yesterday with his hatch mates... they rest are outside in the hutch now with only him being inside. Water is in a rabbit bottle ..food is game bird starter ... i dont feel anything hard that i can tell( not sure i know what it should feel like)... the other birds seem fine.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Probably not a stone then if he doesnt have access to the ground or unfiltered sand, that was one thoughy I had as i have had birds eat stones too big for them before!

You say hatch mates, does this mean more than one male? Because at his age gis hormones have started raging and they will start killing each other. They can be perfectly fine seeming and then a few hours later one can be missing an eye or scalped!
So what are your plans for the extra males? It is not good to keep them with less than 3 hens per male, 5 to 6 hens per male is the reccomended ratio actually.

Also all the chasing of the hens hes surely been doing. He could easily have rushed upward and hit his head, even hit the wall.
Do you have a dropped screen or something for when they jump upwards or what is your roof situation?
Even if the roof is perfect he could have hit his head on the wall like I said.
Its a good sign that he is drinking, he is likely eating too, they barely eat much so its hard to tell.
He may have just hit his head and already be ok, but he will likely act depressed til he is back with the flock. As soon as you are sure he isnt sick with anything, you could bring him a couple hens in for company until you are ready to put him back outside.

 

[Lisah7]

I meant The other birds that hatched along with him I only had three roosters and nine hens ... but I move them all outside now that the weathers good and kept him inside because he doesn’t feel well ...

 

[DK newbie]

Actually, I'm a bit worried that he looks as healthy as he does, yet seems too uncoordinated to eat a meal worm.
You could be lucky that it's just a boinking injury affecting his balance, but usually the birds look less healthy somehow when that's the case.. The fact that he looks as good as he does, kind of makes me think the issue could come from the inside rather than from the outside and that could be more serious. Healing an injury is not a big deal, but if it's some kind of disease it could be a completely different case.. Anyway, it seems you are doing the right thing keeping him inside and separated for now. But definitely keep an eye on his condition so you'll know if it gets better or worse.