Quail Problem

[Eggs on Toast]

I just got a new female quail and she has a crooked beak, she's always sleepy and never running around with the other quail and I was wondering if this is from old age? I've had to separate her in the shed from the others because the male keeps on pecking her in the head and she actually has a small cut. Should I wait until she heals and then put her back in with the rest or should I do something else? She's very friendly but she's always sleepy, she does eat and drink though.

 

[Jrose]

I know cross-beak in chickens can be harmless or fatal, depending on the severity. Has it always been crooked? Sometimes chicks hatch with crooked beaks from genetics, incubation problems, nutritional issues with the egg, or any number of reasons. If it affects how well they can eat and drink it could kill them. Is she thin? Is she eating and drinking okay? Also, if a chick had development issues resulting in a distorted beak, there's a chance other things in the bird's body hasn't formed properly. You may never notice it, or the bird may suffer or drop dead from an internal complication. Her 'sleepiness' is her not feeling well. Birds puff up and hunch without moving much when they don't feel well, are injured, in pain, weak, or sick.

I'd say if she has quality of life and can keep herself going, let her. That's what I would do at least

 

[Eggs on Toast]

I know cross-beak in chickens can be harmless or fatal, depending on the severity. Has it always been crooked? Sometimes chicks hatch with crooked beaks from genetics, incubation problems, nutritional issues with the egg, or any number of reasons. If it affects how well they can eat and drink it could kill them. Is she thin? Is she eating and drinking okay? Also, if a chick had development issues resulting in a distorted beak, there's a chance other things in the bird's body hasn't formed properly. You may never notice it, or the bird may suffer or drop dead from an internal complication. Her 'sleepiness' is her not feeling well. Birds puff up and hunch without moving much when they don't feel well, are injured, in pain, weak, or sick.

I'd say if she has quality of life and can keep herself going, let her. That's what I would do at least

I only got her about a week ago so I'm not sure whether it has always been crooked and she doesn't seem any thinner than the other two quail so I'm assuming her weight is fine. And she does eat every day when I put food down for her and I sometimes see her drinking and she's active sometimes when I let her down on the floor, she'll wonder about, look at her reflection in the mirror, peck at odd things, etc but she will move quite slowly and take a rest now and then. Also, I found out that she is breathing loudly or is she wheezing? She 'peeps' when I pick her up and when the other male chases her she'll fly upwards to avoid him. Is there any way to know for sure if she's sick or not and what's wrong with her?

 

[Jrose]

I'm a chicken person, very new to quail. If it were a chicken, yes, I'd say she's ill. But symptoms of pain and illness in birds are kind of universal- breathing problems and lethargy at the main signs of just about any problem. She could have a problem related to development, or completely independent of it. If this were a chicken I had just purchased I'd think about where she came from- was she well cared for, or was she in a cramped, filthy environment? It could be worms, an injury, an internal malformity, an internal infection, or ay number of things. Most people would probably recommend de-worming (if it were a chicken, not sure if folks deworm quail), boosted protein, separate with a small group of non-agressive birds (2 other hens maybe), and electrolytes, just for starters. I don't think it's an age issue causing her to wheeze and feel down. She likely hatched with that beak and if she's eating and drinking it shouldn't affect her.

 

[Jrose]

Just trying to brainstorm and help Hopefully some experienced quail people pitch in!