Quail with paralyzed, green leg

[<3MyChix]

We had a quail that had a paralyzed leg. We weren't sure what it was, so we decided to cull her to avoid risk of getting the other quails sick. When butchering her, my husband found that the meat of the legs had spots of green. Any idea what this might be?

I read that a paralyzed leg could be a result of calcium deficiency, but I haven't found any mention green muscle. One idea we had is gangrene. It did not seem like her leg was broken. I felt up and down her leg and didn't feel a break, and she didn't move it at all when I touched it. The other leg still moved, but my husband saw green in the meat of both legs.

 

[le_bwah]

I found this link (http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/3142/deep-pectoral-myopathy-green-muscle-disease-in-broilers/) which talks about muscle damage in broiler chickens leading to greening of the muscles. Your case of green might be from a muscle bruise. Is there anything in their enclosure that could have squeezed the bird's legs? Was anybody pecking at her? Could even have been something medical like a bleeding disorder. Sorry about your quail.

 

[<3MyChix]

Hmm that could be. We have water pail in there that the quail occasionally get themselves stuck behind (they're not the smartest...). So she could have gotten bruised if she got stuck back there, and squeezed herself through a small space to get out.

She didn't look especially pecked at. The ones that are picked on are usually pretty bald and she was not. I'm sure the males have been mounting her, but I doubt they'd be heavy enough to bruise her.