HELP! Quail Chick with Foot Problem

[TheChickenFanatic]

I have one about two-week-old Jumbo Brown Coturnix quail chick that has a leg/foot injury. I'm not sure what's wrong with him/her. S/he is really, really strong. S/he walks (hobbles) around to get food, water, and gets where it is warm, but s/he isn't walking like the other ones. We bought him/her from a quail breeder on Tuesday, and we've had him/her since then. S/he was about a week old/week and a half when we got him/her, and s/he's lasted this long! Other than his/her foot issue s/he seems perfectly fine and healthy---s/he eats, drinks, etc. All help would be extremely appreciated!

Please see the pictures below for reference.

 

[Anime2lover]

I have one about two-week-old Jumbo Brown Coturnix quail chick that has a leg/foot injury. I'm not sure what's wrong with him/her. S/he is really, really strong. S/he walks (hobbles) around to get food, water, and gets where it is warm, but s/he isn't walking like the other ones. We bought him/her from a quail breeder on Tuesday, and we've had him/her since then. S/he was about a week old/week and a half when we got him/her, and s/he's lasted this long! Other than his/her foot issue s/he seems perfectly fine and healthy---s/he eats, drinks, etc. All help would be extremely appreciated!

Please see the pictures below for reference.

That looks like it could be an older injury if it was. It could be a bone broken right at the ankle, or dislocation. What does the leg it's self feel like. If you compared the healthy leg with that one you should be at least able to tell 8f it's broken or not.

It would also be a deformity. Not much you can do about that.

 

[TheChickenFanatic]

That looks like it could be an older injury if it was. It could be a bone broken right at the ankle, or dislocation. What does the leg it's self feel like. If you compared the healthy leg with that one you should be at least able to tell 8f it's broken or not.

It would also be a deformity. Not much you can do about that.

Thank you for responding! I appreciate it.

It might be a dislocation or even a deformity--I don't really know. The leg itself doesn't feel any different from some of my other baby quail legs. For clarity, both of the chicks' legs are like this. Not just one, both legs.

 

[Anime2lover]

Thank you for responding! I appreciate it.

It might be a dislocation or even a deformity--I don't really know. The leg itself doesn't feel any different from some of my other baby quail legs. For clarity, both of the chicks' legs are like this. Not just one, both legs.

Then it is likely a deformity. Nothing can really be done about it except to wait and see if it continues to thrive or not.

 

[TheChickenFanatic]

Not really the response I was hoping to get, but I guess it is what it is.

I'll try to keep you updated on what happens with him/her.

 

[Anime2lover]

Not really the response I was hoping to get, but I guess it is what it is.

I'll try to keep you updated on what happens with him/her.

With young chickens, it isn't impossible to have correctional surgery depending on the deformity, but I've never heard of that being done with a quail. If you have a bird savy vet near you, you could try bringing it there and see what they say.

Or maybe someone else has some idea

@Eggcessive

@Shadrach

@Horsecrazy2

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If both feet/legs are like that, then likely it is a deformity.
At that age, it would be painful to try to correct the feet.
Over time, with her walking on the top of her feet, there's going to be abrasions that she will suffer from.

What are your Quail keeping goals? Meat, eggs, pet?
If for meat then you can try growing her out to around 6-8 weeks, then processing her.
If as a pet, then you can try babying her along but she will need to be on dry bedding and you'll have to check her feet often. You'll want to probably need to keep her separated, especially as she gets a bit older and it's time to be mated, if she's with males. Males can be quite bold and females need to be able to move well to avoid them. If it's all females, she may be o.k. but you'll have to just watch, the females can be aggressive at times too.
She may do o.k. with laying eggs, it just depends on if there's any other developmental issues. She may not live as long as the others, but hard to know.

I must say, it's disappointing that a breeder would sell a chick with issues like this. I believe I would not buy any more from them. Perhaps you have enough females and a male where you can hatch your own in the future or you may want to source some hatching eggs from a reputable breeder.

 

[TheChickenFanatic]

If both feet/legs are like that, then likely it is a deformity.
At that age, it would be painful to try to correct the feet.
Over time, with her walking on the top of her feet, there's going to be abrasions that she will suffer from.

What are your Quail keeping goals? Meat, eggs, pet?
If for meat then you can try growing her out to around 6-8 weeks, then processing her.
If as a pet, then you can try babying her along but she will need to be on dry bedding and you'll have to check her feet often. You'll want to probably need to keep her separated, especially as she gets a bit older and it's time to be mated, if she's with males. Males can be quite bold and females need to be able to move well to avoid them. If it's all females, she may be o.k. but you'll have to just watch, the females can be aggressive at times too.
She may do o.k. with laying eggs, it just depends on if there's any other developmental issues. She may not live as long as the others, but hard to know.

I must say, it's disappointing that a breeder would sell a chick with issues like this. I believe I would not buy any more from them. Perhaps you have enough females and a male where you can hatch your own in the future or you may want to source some hatching eggs from a reputable breeder.

First of all, thank you so much for your input! I really do appreciate your help.

If it's a female, I'll keep her for eggs. But if it's a male, I'll keep him as a pet. I don't think I would ever process it.

Right now, s/he is in a roomy brooder with 11 other quail chicks. None of them are bullying him/her or picking on him/her. They give him/her room and are actually quite nice to him/her. I'm constantly keeping an eye on them just to make sure that they are behaving. I got all of my quail chicks from the same breeder, but none of the other ones have this issue.

It is a little disappointing. I sure hope that this little chick makes it---it would be so sad if it died. I initially wanted to just purchase some hatching eggs and hatch my own, but I went with these instead. I don't plan on purchasing any more chicks from this man. In the near future (when these cuties start laying), I'm going to hatch my own.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would not keep Quail with chickens. There are diseases that chickens have and can carry that Quail cannot not adapt to.

Hopefully she will continue to thrive.