Going Light and Dying Slowly.

[!BigHogLeg!]

Hello,
   I have had a few breeder jumbo brown coturnix go real light(breast bone like a knife) on me and die sitting at the feed trough. I need to know why only a few do this and the others don't have any problems at all. My birds are four feet off the ground in a well ventilated, clean and dry building. Could this be isolated cases of worm infestation somehow transmitted through the feed? It's not a huge problem but I just hate to loose one single bird to illness without knowing what it is. I feed purina show chow medicated turkey feed to em and they get the freshest city water at all times. Any ideas as to what's going on? Thanks in advance!

[stewaw]

Sounds like a case of "quail enteritis". This is a disease most often caused by eating feed that has become moldy. A post mortem exam will reveal a series of round ulcers in the small intestine (the first section of intestine leaving the stomach).  The impact is that a bird can eat all of the food it can handle but due to the ulcers interferring with nutrient absorption, it will literally starve to death with a full crop and stomach.  It can only be positively diagnosed by a vet familiar with game birds/fowl.  If you've got a strong stomach, give it a look on the next one.  In the mean time, do an internet search for that disease and read up on it.  I've run in to it one time and lost quite a few birds before I got it stopped.  Sadly, from my experience- losses may go as high as 75-80% especially on young grow out age birds.  The key factor will be if the feed got moldy only after being placed in the breeder cages (where fewer birds came in contact with it) or if it became moldy in the storage bin where all the birds became exposed to it.  

David

[deadeye1]

Sounds like a case of "quail enteritis". This is a disease most often caused by eating feed that has become moldy. A post mortem exam will reveal a series of round ulcers in the small intestine (the first section of intestine leaving the stomach).  The impact is that a bird can eat all of the food it can handle but due to the ulcers interferring with nutrient absorption, it will literally starve to death with a full crop and stomach.  It can only be positively diagnosed by a vet familiar with game birds/fowl.  If you've got a strong stomach, give it a look on the next one.  In the mean time, do an internet search for that disease and read up on it.  I've run in to it one time and lost quite a few birds before I got it stopped.  Sadly, from my experience- losses may go as high as 75-80% especially on young grow out age birds.  The key factor will be if the feed got moldy only after being placed in the breeder cages (where fewer birds came in contact with it) or if it became moldy in the storage bin where all the birds became exposed to it.  Sharp breast bone is a sign of interitus and is caused from ingesting bird droppings in the feed or water or if on the ground from saturated bird droppings and wet weather speeding up the disease.Bacitracin is the medicine you need to stop it as it has happen to me.Our feed was fresh so it could not have been caused by moldy food and our quail were raised on the ground.This year we are raising on wire except for the flight pen.Hope this helps .Deadeye

David

[!BigHogLeg!]

David and David,
  It kinda looks like my birds were eating droppings. On bird would expel and his buddy would gobble it up soon after. I'm inclined to believe it's exactly what you said because they are raised on wire and only have occasional contact with fresh droppings. My wire is 1/2" x 1" and only occasionally will a dropping linger long enough to be eaten. Thank You!

[deadeye1]

I believe the main source of enteritus since your quail are on wire could be droppings in the drinking water.This year we are using a plastic bucket with about 5 watering nipples atrtached to the bottom about seven or eight inches(hang it) above the wire floor and using water that is not to hard(too much iron) so as not to plug the nipples up.Keep a cover on top so dirt does not get in.Just found out to use this reply button,I hit the quote button on my last message and could find no place to type and that is why my message was mixed with David's message.You can get those nipples from www.FarmTek.com Deadeye