Quail has a large blister/sack on knee

[DAERose]

Hi,
We've had quail here in the UK for nearly 2 years and have just started hatching out our own. We have 10 adult birds and 5 that we hatched out 5 weeks ago.
The only other pet that we have is a cat Sammy who is mainly a house cat and doesn't seem interested in our quail, but there are plenty of other cats around, so we keep them pretty secure in an aviary.

We recently noticed that one of our adult females was limping, on checking I couldn't see anything obvious so decided to keep a close eye on her for improvement. It didn't seem to be getting any better so I caught her to check again and saw a large blister/sack on her knee.

We have separated her from the aviary. After a couple of days she seems quite relaxed and has even started laying again.

I've attached a couple of pictures, does anyone know what it is and if there is anything that we can do to help relieve her problem.

She can stand on both legs and walk slowly but limps or trips if tries to move quickly.

Any help/advise will be greatly appreciated.

 

[N F C]

Hi, sorry your quail is having a problem. This is a link to the ER forum, hopefully someone there can assist you: Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. Good luck with your quail.

 

[Isaac 0]

Hello, and welcome to BYC!

 

[Xouie]

Abcess maybe? In one pic it looks like the bump is kind of clear. Is it warm to the touch, soft/hard? Does she show a pain reaction if you touch it or apply pressure? I'm looking at the closeup pic and also wondering -- is there any sign of broken skin? Since you discovered the bird was limping, have you seen a rapid increase in the size of the bump?

My first reaction is wait and watch. If she's able to put weight on it, it is probably best to leave her alone and observe. If you see rapid changes to the lesion, or if she can no longer stand, then you may have to consider further action.

@Nabiki knows quail ouchies and issues well.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Do you keep them on wire? These hock swellings can come from being on wire too long, roo mating, wire that needs a good scrubbing, etc.... Definitely post in our Emergency or Quail forums for more help. I would not puncture that, if it's an infection you can do more harm than good.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!

 

[Nabiki]

@Xouie Thanks for the vote of confidence, but all I really know is basic first aid type of stuff.

I agree with others in that it looks like fluid, but I can't tell without touching it. If it is fluid, a pinprick would let it drain. Make sure it's clean and put on an antibiotic ointment if you do this. Keep her clean and isolated for a day or two to make sure she's healing. If it's hard, you might try an epsom salt soak and antibiotic ointment. The epsom salt bath may help you see if there's a would there as well as soften and soothe the skin.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Good luck with your quail.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to BYC. Hope your quail will have the best possible outcome.