shivering quail?

[quailswiss]

My quail are hunkered down and shiver when I open the pen, what does this mean? I have treated them for mites.

 

[pigeons in ak]

it probably means that you let cold air in the pen when you open it and they puff up and shiver to get warm.
mine do the same when i open the barn to feed them i give them some warm water for them to warm up

some of my quails

 

[qlicer49]

Exactly what Pigeons in ak said.

 

[TwoCrows]

Quail should not shiver unless they are sick, or it is getting below zero and you have not winterized. Where are you located?

If you are going into winter, and you keep quail in wire cages, you need to do some winterizing. Cover the roof and sides with something to keep out the cold. (you can leave the front side open during the day) Put down bedding on the floor so that their feet stay warm. NEVER let quail stand on a cold wire floor with no bedding in the winter. Quail lose heat thru their feet and the cold coming up thru the floor can kill them if their feet loose too much heat as the wire becomes freezing. Keep the cages out of all wind, rain and snow.

Are these birds up to proper weight? The breast bone should not be protruding with breast meat sunken in. If they are underweight, it is possible they have worms. So you might want to worm them.

Offer them up some cracked corn and hulled sunflower seeds for the added fat and calories. These seeds will also help them stay warm.

Finally if they are sick with any respiratory ailments, you might want to use some antibacterial meds on them to rid them of any bacterial infections that is weakening them enough to cause them to shiver.

 

[quailswiss]

I have winterized the cage and we just had our first frost tonight. They are on deep litter so I think they are warm enough.

The birds are nice and plump and have grown considerably since I got them at 8 weeks old. I give them a handful of mixed bird seed to scratch on top of as much quail feed they want.

How can I tell if they are not feeling well?

 

[TwoCrows]

It is possible that you are mistaking the shivering for just their re-positioning of their feathers and snuggling in. To keep in the heat, birds fluff their feathers to keep a layer of warm air between their skin and feathers, thus keeping in the heat. And if you open the door on a cold day and the cold air rushes in, they may be just adjusting themselves against the cool air.

During this time of year. quail are much less active. They will stand around and do nothing, where as in the summer they tend to always be moving. In the summer, this lack of activity might be a clue to whether or not they are feeling well. But this time of year, this "doing nothing" is normal.

So you have to look at other areas of their lives. You say they are nice and plump. So they probably don't have worms. If their noses are dry, they are not gasping for air or have any rattling noises in their lungs, their vents are clean, the skin looks nice and clean, the feathers are either growing in or have already done so, they are eating and drinking...then as far as you can tell, you have a healthy flock of birds.

Get to know your birds well and eventually even at a glance, you will be able to spot a bird that is a little off. Treat it accordingly before it gets out of control.

Enjoy your quail!