Blood in droppings

[sawblade]

I have 65 Coturnix quail that are 7 weeks old and just started laying. I have noticed blood spots in the droppings since they started laying eggs and it seems to be getting worce. Is this caused by the egg laying or do I have a health problem with my birds? I also have a couple of birds that look tired and drag their wing tips on the wire floor like they dont have the energy to hold them up. They dont even try to escape when you catch them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[faro]

Sounds like  Coccidiosis. You can try Sulmet or Corid in the drinking water for treatment. Get it at the feed store. Coccidiosis is highly contagious, as the birds get it from the droppings of infected birds. You will need to treat them quickly. It can spread pretty fast through a young flock, with a high mortality rate. Good Luck!

[stewaw]

Just wanted to jump in and concur 100% with Faro's comments.  Sounds like coccidiosis and you do need to treat quickly to avoid a very large mortality loss. Bad news is the HIGH mortality associated with an outbreak, good news is the birds will respond QUICKLY to treatment. Wings dragging, puffed up and sluggish are all signs of fever. At this stage in the game, I would expect some birds will begin dying within 24hrs of your post. Odd to be popping up this time of year as I've only had one outbreak and it hit during the hottest time of the year. Corrid (sp) knocked it out in 48 hours but my vet had trouble locating any and I lost a few hundred birds waiting to get some shipped in.

Good luck,
David

[carrotcritters4h]

I totally agree Coccidiosis...

[sawblade]

Thanks for the replys. I started my birds on a broad spectrum antibiotic in their water and after 1 day no more blood in droppings and they appear to be feeling better with more energy and no wing dragging. I think this might head off whatever was ailing them. So far I have not lost any birds, I'm keeping my eyes open and fingers crossed. Thanks again for your help.

[carrotcritters4h]

Great...i am quite surprised that you haven't lost any birds thats awesome! ^_^