More and more farmers and amateur poultry farmers are raising quails. This confirms the existing opinion that such an activity is profitable and quite easy to master. Quails are less susceptible to disease than other poultry. However, there are cases when a quail’s legs move apart immediately after birth, what to do in such a situation? Can foot diseases in birds be cured?
Why do quails fall on their feet?
The hatching of quails is often accompanied by unpleasant events. Approximately 1-2% of newborns cannot walk due to spreading feet.Poultry farmers even came up with names for such quails: “splits” or “helicopters”. The same symptoms can be caused by different reasons.
Paw injuries
Walking function is impaired by hip dislocation. Newly born quails should not be placed in a box covered with oilcloth. There is no need to place a plastic plate on the floor on which the paws move apart. A quail can slip and knock out a bone from a fragile joint. The best bedding is cardboard, newspaper or a piece of fabric. It is convenient to change them every day, keeping the brooder clean.
This usually happens when quails are kept in an enclosure, where some object with sharp corners is carelessly left. Such an injury most likely signals a lack of calcium, protein and other beneficial components in the feed.
Gout
Unbalanced nutrition and poor heredity lead to metabolic disorders. As a result, quails develop various diseases, including gout. Deposition of uric acid salts in tissues causes pain in the limbs. The bird's appetite weakens and it is pushed away from the feeder. A sick quail stays apart and moves little. Growths and compactions form in the joint area. Over time, the paws become bent and may move apart.
Other reasons
Some infectious diseases affect the bones, joints, skin and nervous system of quails. An unsteady gait, falls, loose legs, and convulsions can be signs of fatal illnesses.
| Disease | Symptoms |
| Pullorosis | Trembling, closed eyes, inactivity, continuous squeaking, frequent falls, dried droppings near the anus. Young quails are not resistant to infection. |
| Newcastle disease | Diarrhea, lack of appetite, heavy breathing, cloudy eyes. Damage to the nervous system manifests itself in uncoordinated movements (legs move apart, the quail often falls on its side), drooping wings, a crooked neck, a thrown back head, and paralysis. |
| Bird flu (ornithosis) | Ruffled feathers, unkempt appearance, convulsions. |
A lack of microelements in the body causes curling of the toes in quails. From time to time their limbs become distorted, their paws can even move apart. A systematic lack of vitamin D leads to a disease such as rickets. Quails get sick more often. The quail is noticeably delayed in development and thin. The beak and claws soften.
The limbs and chest are bent, the paws weaken and move apart. The chicken is wasting away and does not show cheerfulness.
Treatment methods
Beginning poultry farmers try to get quails with spreading legs back on their feet. To do this, the baby’s lower limbs above the shins are tied with thread. A distance of no more than 1 cm is left between the loops on the legs. This allows the quail to move. The paws cannot move apart.
There is a possibility that after 2-3 days the quail's femur will spring back into place. First, the baby needs to be encouraged to move with his hand. When he gets used to the food, a bowl of food and drink is placed at a short distance so that the quail has an incentive to approach them. If the dressing is done immediately after removal from the incubator, then the bird has a chance to survive.True, a quail whose legs have separated will be slightly behind its peers in gaining weight.
Experienced poultry farmers do not waste time on this and immediately reject babies with loose legs. Some owners throw away the last couple of quail eggs if they lag behind others in hatching. Experience shows that they will produce quails with spreading legs.
However, since the problem exists, new ideas for fixing it are born. It does not require any time to place newborn cripples in a watering can inserted into a glass. The quail's legs are tightly pressed together, and he constantly reaches up from the trap, moving his hip joint with a small range of motion. This is the most effective method. The average duration of the procedure is 5 hours.
Pullorosis and Newcastle disease are incurable. To avoid an epidemic, at the first suspicion of such an infection, quails with similar symptoms are isolated and tested at a veterinary laboratory. When the causative agents of these diseases are identified, the birds are burned. The place where quails are kept is cleaned of droppings and disinfected.
To treat bird flu, contact a veterinarian. Novatophan, Urotropin, and sodium bicarbonate are used against gout.
If a quail breaks its leg, then it is best to consult a doctor. Even in this case, the owner needs to provide the bird with first aid as soon as possible. If the quail twitches and moves on spreading legs, the situation will worsen sharply and may reach a hopeless stage. If there is damage to the skin, the area around the quail wound is cut with scissors and treated with furacelin. Take out the small bones, wash off the dirt and lubricate with iodine.Then the quail's paw is securely fixed with a bandage, tying it to a level peg.
How to prevent a problem from occurring
In order to reduce the percentage of quails with moving legs, eggs from quails that have been laying for more than 3 weeks are taken to hatch chicks. Medium-sized specimens are selected and examined with an ovoscope to discard defective ones. Strictly follow the rules of incubation.
The young animals are carefully monitored so that the breeding herd is formed from quails without hereditary diseases.
The most important factor for strengthening the immunity of birds is a balanced diet. Cleanliness of keeping and maintaining the temperature within 20 °C have a beneficial effect on the health of quails. Under such conditions, livestock losses are minimized.
