Look for changes in your quails’ behaviour, such as a decrease in appetite, isolation from the flock, or irritation.
Panting can also be due to dehydration. Ensure your quail have easy access to fresh cold water at all times during the day and night.
Feather plucking is also provoked by birds that suffer from malnutrition or mites. For more information, visit our article How to Treat Feather Loss in Quail
Visit our wikiHow article How to Care for a Wounded Quail for more instructions on how to look after your quail.
Quail fluff up feathers naturally when they are asleep. This does not mean they are ill. Fluffed up feathers is generally a response to a variety of health problems.
If your quail hangs back during feeding time, they could be ill. Refusal to eat or drink is a common symptom of disease.
If your quail’s weight suddenly drops by 10%, you should immediately organize a check up with your veterinarian. Use a scale that measures in grams, not kilograms, such as a kitchen scale.
Diarrhea is a common digestive issue involving coccidiosis, or malnutrition. Blood and mucous may be present in droppings of quail that have a bacterial infection. It’s important to take your quail to a veterinarian as soon as possible if you spot such symptoms.
A typical veterinarian consult or check up will cost around $30 US dollars, depending on where you are located. However, prices can range up to $60 US dollars, so it is important to have a vet fund available for such cases of an emergency.
You can purchase emergency food for quail or baby chicks from pet stores, livestock feed stores, or from a vet clinic. Quail require around 20% of protein in their regular game-bird feed. Do not be afraid to increase their protein intake when they are ill or struggling to consume food.
A small cardboard box or shoe box lined with newspaper and an old white towel will be adequate. Their home does not need to be spacious, as your quail will only be staying there shortly. Ensure that the box has a lid to keep their home dark and quiet to lower stress levels in the environment. Place your quails’ home in a quiet, yet warm, space in the house, such as your bedroom. Place a heating pad set to a low temperature inside of the box to keep your quail warm. Otherwise you can use a hot water bottled wrapped around a towel.
Most farmers keep their quail in cages hung above-ground with wire flooring to allow waste to drop to the bottom and keep the base of the cage clean. While this saves you time and effort, you will have to keep the spacings in the wire quite small to ensure the comfort of your quail.
