Quail--7 weeks old. Today can't stand up...

[BrownChickenBrownCow]

I found one of my golden or maybe Italian quail flopping around in the pen/cage this morning. His wings have a raw spot on the underside and his belly is pretty much featherless due to him flopping around on the wire all night I suppose. Anyway, he's got plenty of spunk and seems fine other than its like his legs are partially paralyzed.
Anything I can do?
Thanks.

 

[Stellar]

It seems like encephalomalacia, which is a vitamin E lacking in diet causing a muscular dystrophy related nervous system phenomena. I have found that Gamebird starter alone can cause this from personal experience and talking to other gamebird breeders.

Here is a link to it:

http://www.thatquailplace.com/quail/coturnix/coturn5.htm

 

[BrownChickenBrownCow]

Thanks! It mentioned whole grains and alphapha to boost vit E. What's the best way to boost their Vit E or overall supplement to their gamebird starter diet?
Thanks!

 

[TedJan92_in_Idaho]

I use wheat germ oil. You can just stir it into the feed. And once in a while I use Red Cell

 

[BrownChickenBrownCow]

Thanks! I will try to track something down today. I just got to my shop and checked on the birds...he is still just sitting there. No improvement, but not worse either. Still spunky! And I do feed them solely gamebird feed...and I think it is medicated feed. Brand is Nature Wise. I get all my feed from a local little feed and tack shop...all the chicken feeds are from a mill just up the road...but the gamebird feed is from one of the big national mills. Is there anything I should be adding to augment their diet regularly?

Thanks!

 

[Stellar]

Some people may argue with this but I do think there is something lacking in feed. Birds weren't as strong on it just given. A breeder friend once mentioned finch seeds added to the diet since it provided amino acids and omegas. The birds flourished when I started mixing my feed. My first coturnix are still with me and laying like no tomorrow.

 

[millebantam]

There are probably 1500 other reasons with more substance, than blaming a good quality GBS diet for what ails this particular bird. Thousands of quail breeders raise thousands of quail with little or no supplemental feed, yet these same breeders aren't stacking up thousands of paralyzed birds. Just sayin' something, or throwin' out a wild guess, doesn't always make it true.

 

[TwoCrows]

I agree with the Quail Lady with possibilities on the feed. And yes, it could be 1500 other things, however feed does play a huge part in the growth of birds and have direct effects on health and can even lead to death.

I recently had an issue with one of my chickens that had a chronic sour crop which was going to lead her to her death if I did not figure out how to cure her. After vet meds, home remedies, 7 weeks and nearly dying, I finally changed her feed to another brand. INSTANT healing. And the culprit feed was a big name brand...Purina Layena.

So just because millions and millions of birds are being raised on a good diet of GBS, that does not mean that a few birds are not affected by that particular feed. Some birds just can not digest all the nutrients out of feed and may have health issues because of it, and not all feed is created equal. Some feeds are not all they claim to be and do lack in certain things. If the feed is not digestable enough, then nutrients are lost in the waste.

So if all else fails and you have tried every other avenue, try changing feeds. It could save a birds life.

And I do agree on the Vitamin E addition. Babies often get balance and neurological issues because of a lack of Vit E. Add selenium with the Vit E, helps the E become more usable in the body. They also boost the immune system. Good luck with your baby!

 

[The Critter Place]

Quote:
BrownChickenBrownCow I'm sorry to hear your having troublel. I hope you see improvement in your Quail soon!
As far as Vit. E oil., I used to get it at one of our local feed store. I would use it a few times a week and coat the seed for all my birds and always had beautiful healthy birds. I hope you can find it and get your bird back on track.

TwoCrows
X2 !

I have 3 dogs. One seemed to be having problems with the food we were using. Upset stomach all the time and itchy ears. We switched to a new brand and not one problem in several months. Compared to daily.
I agreee Name brand does not guarantee one size fit s all ! No one brand does.

 

[Mek]

I wouldn't know the exact reason why your bird wont stand up.

But here is my opinion on this:
If you are keeping animals for a longer time frame you should put in something green for them to nibble on.

My aunty's lovebirds got cancer of the bottom from eating the same bird seed all time without any greens.

If you think about the life span of a corturnix to that of a human... imagine this scenario... teenage kids eating bread only; for up to eighteen years of their life ... but the bread is elvan bread with all the stuff that a person needs... your system would get pretty clogged up same thing day in day out... even sam and frodo got sick of eating elvan bread... so to ensure your birds can make to the gates of Mordor give them some spinach as a treat.