Quail has diarrhea and droopy flight feathers!

[BudgiesQuailsChickens]

My quail is 16 days old. She has had droopy flight feathers for a while, which I just ignored. I have been gone for a few days, but my quail chick has developed diarrhea, and while I was holding her she kind of flung her head from side to side and threw a couple drops of wet stuff around, and a bit of food. Could anyone tell me what is wrong with her? I will include pic of droopy flight feathers.

 

[BudgiesQuailsChickens]

Update she is gasping when sleeping kind of and my other two keep opening their beaks and vibrating their chins up and down? This is my first time having quails is this normal?!

 

[Halfpasthen]

What temp is their brooder at? Are you sure they aren’t overheating?

 

[Ebony Rose]

Antibiotics for respiratory infection, Enrofloxacin (generic name) is good for a broad range of respiratory ailments. Give her half of the tablet (they sell these for chickens, so for quail, they don't need as much), seven days. Don't eat or hatch her eggs for a week or two after her last day of medicine. If it's hot where you are, add electrolytes to the water, as diarrhea is one way that birds get rid of excess heat, since they poop and pee at the same time. I'm concerned about dehydration as she's not been feeling well for some time, so trying to help you 'cover the bases'. Is she on wire bottom cage or do you use litter, if you use litter, make sure it doesn't have cedar in it (respiratory irritant). If it has litter, how long since it's been deep cleaned? The ammonia from their urates can also cause respiratory distress.

 

[Ebony Rose]

What temp is there brooder at? Are you sure they aren’t overheating?

Gah! I totally missed that these could still be juveniles! If they're in a brooder, make sure their heat source doesn't use a coated bulb, teflon coatings when heated are toxic to birds.

 

[BudgiesQuailsChickens]

Update: she has been sneezing also. Shes the only one with these symptoms and the other two are fine. The brooders a little hot, so I will take care of that. They keep kicking their bedding into their water so I'm going to lift it up a bit. They are on pine bedding and ots changed daily. They keep spilling their water somehow so the bedding sometimes changed twice a day. I have apple cider vinegar in their water, 1/4 cup to a quart of water.

 

[BudgiesQuailsChickens]

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[Ebony Rose]

Apple cider vinegar tastes like satan in a jug and basically only keeps the water cleaner (from fungal growth, not poop), so I'd recommend using PLAIN water, or water with vitamins, minerals and/or electrolytes instead. This will greatly encourage your chicks to drink keeping them properly hydrated, without too much inconvenience to you, since you sound as if you'd clean their water if it were dirty... you really don't need the vinegar in it. You know those short, wire type cookie sheet coolers, the kind made of wire that is elevated an inch or two... those make perfect waterer elevators. I have also had great success putting their waterer on top of an upside down dinner plate. I use a heavy, shallow pyrex type dish filled with marbles in it to serve their water (I use the custard type dish)... marbles to keep the poor little squirts from drowning themselves, pyrex because it's so heavy that it's nearly impossible to tip over (and the plate underneath to keep them from kicking in their bedding but easy to clean the poop off of). I'd still give antibiotics, sneezing can mean respiratory infection or disease... and if not treated could lead to long term and down the road issues.

 

[Halfpasthen]

Update: she has been sneezing also. Shes the only one with these symptoms and the other two are fine. The brooders a little hot, so I will take care of that. They keep kicking their bedding into their water so I'm going to lift it up a bit. They are on pine bedding and ots changed daily. They keep spilling their water somehow so the bedding sometimes changed twice a day. I have apple cider vinegar in their water, 1/4 cup to a quart of water.

Yeah once they are fully feathered they really don’t need added heat.
I’d be willing to bet they aren’t drinking much of that vinegar water. I doubt you could bring yourself to drink it at that ratio lol.
Seriously though, you’ve been give. Really good advice. Good luck to you and your birdies.

 

[BudgiesQuailsChickens]

Thank you guys so much she is definently improving.