Sick Button Quail

[aSliceOfLife]

Hi Everyone! I typically come to this site for help with my chickens but I couldn't find what I needed online so I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me. I have a six month old female button quail who has been showing signs of being sick for a couple of weeks now. She sometimes seems listless, her wings are drooping and she keeps her head down and eyes closed. But if you talk to her she perks up. She is eating and her poop looks fine. What is troubling is that her eggs are patchy blue (like they are discoloring) and are soft in areas. Yes, I do feel them oyster shell along with turkey feed, seed, dried mealworms and grit. I know exactly how to feed my quails. I recently put vitamins in their water but haven't seen much change. My other button quail are outside and fine, but I have her and her boyfriend inside the house where it is warmer. I live in San Diego so it doesn't get that cold out here.

Since her eggs are looking funny, I know it must have something to do with that. Any ideas?

 

[katrinag]

She might be an internal layer, just a quess.

 

[ButtonQuailHeaven]

Sounds to me like she is not getting enough calcium. They need a lot since they lay daily. I use a calcium supplement for birds in their water 4 days a week. The blue and being soft means she is laying prematurely. You need to give her some extra calcium. I also only feed seed as a treat since it is so fatty which can cause laying issues too. I mainly give the high protein non-medicated turkey/gamebird feed. Plus there is some calcium in the food.