Showing posts with label vitamins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vitamins. Show all posts

Identifying & Troubleshooting Common Nutritional Deficiencies in Quail & Other Poultry/Game Birds

Many nutritional deficiencies in chicks are in fact due to gaps in parental diet, which impact directly upon the quality of the embryo's nutrition and do therefore start within the shell. It is of tantamount importance therefore when raising quail to remember that the food quality, stress levels and general well-being of your adult quail impact directly on that of any potential chicks. 

Optimum nutrition for laying quail

See Above: One of my favourite options for quail and so easy to obtain, because they are so prolific, is a nest of ants, if possible complete with eggs. Here is one of my quail enjoying a feast of the same, including the much prized flying-ant eggs.

optimum nutrition for quail chicks
In order to fill in any gaps afforded by seasonal lack of wild invertebrates, I also find that raising mealworms is an excellent option. 

What, Why & When?


In my experience, problems can occur with purchased hatching eggs, where I have no knowledge of what the adults have been fed. For example, chronic deficiency, particularly of the water-soluble B Complex Vitamins, selenium and L-methionine has often been my experience in quail chicks, where due to lack of available eggs, I have been forced to buy from large industrial hatcheries. One of the major problems with deficiency in quail however, as with humans, is that the body is such a superb machine that it can carry on functioning even with insufficient 'fuel'. Thus the effects of deficiency can build up in the body without symptoms until the final and catastrophic failure. My position is that if we know what to look for and/or what to expect then we can avoid arriving at this point and having to subject both ourselves and our quail to the stress and often the trauma that accompanies it. No one enjoys being ill and a previously happy and active quail suddenly disabled by paralysis, lack of vision, unable to eat or drink etc.,. is no exception.

optimum nutrition for organic quail chicks






What I learned about deficiency by raising quail

It is sadly a reflection of human appreciation of the critical importance of their own food intake that makes it difficult for them to recognise how important food is in the diet of their poultry and how speedily debilitating and in fact fatal such deficiencies can become. As an aside, everything I learned by observing quail chicks aided me in the resolution of an undiagnosed and almost fatal condition in my father, which turned out to be (among other nutritional and toxicity issues) mainly chronic B12 (cobalamin) deficiency.

optimum quail nutrition free-ranging
At the crux of the problem for quail  is that most commercial quail eggs are usually destined to become sedentary, cage-confined birds, fed on pelleted food with the required but often synthetic trace elements. Once hatched with me or similar non-cage raisers, these chicks find themselves with plenty of room to expend energy and are allowed to forage and find their own food. Whilst expending initial energy at this rate they are subject to deficiency because their intake of essential nutrient is not just covering usual necessity but also trying to fill the gaps left by the content of the egg. The trick is to know what to look for and catch the condition quickly with additional individual hand-feeding of these key nutrients. Quail are precocial and incredible speedy and energetic birds almost from day one of hatch. It is an absolute joy to see them both as adults and chicks come out every morning with a hop, skip and a jump and often have a vertical take off flutter, seeming for the sheer joy of living. It is thus very important to identify any problems which are causing them to be unusually lethargic and sedentary.

Riboflavin deficiency in quail chicks

optimum foraged diet for quail chicks
Such was the case above, wherein this little quail seemed to be spending too much time sitting whereas his brothers and sisters (pictured above him) were busy foraging. The day after this picture was taken this little chick developed a slight limp which sounded the alarm bells for me as the onset of curled toe paralysis (Vitamin B₂ Riboflavin deficiency live link to my article). A nutritional supplement of organic yeast flakes, Brazil nut and wild invertebrates and he was quickly back on his feet. In recent years I have also been able to obtain organic beef liver, which is an excellent source of so many essential nutrients that can be deficient in quail. Liver is one of nature's most concentrated sources of Vitamin A and although this vitamin can be obtained from plant sources, its precursor being beta-carotene from brightly coloured fruit and vegetables, the conversion process is dependent on the body already containing sufficient fat. On a grain diet one of the major vitamin deficiencies can be that of Vitamin E. Furthermore as not every human is genetically able to convert beta-carotene to Vitamin A, I'm one of them, there is no reason for me to think that every bird can either. Vitamin A is also responsible for the assimilation of proteins, minerals and water soluble vitamins. As liver contains a whole panoply of these, you are getting a great all in one package deal when you feed it including, apart from Vitamin A:
  • Vitamins D, E, K₂, and the B complex vitamins (including the big DNA hitters B₁₂ Cobalamin  and Vitamin B₉ Folate)
  • Omega-3 fats 
  • Trace minerals like copper, zinc, iron and chromium 
  • Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) which is an antioxidant with the ability to protect the cells from the damage of oxidative stress, which is one of the major risk factors for neurogenerative conditions.
  • Purines - needed for cell function; to produce energy and molecular  synthesis 
Having a supply of raw organic beef liver is something I have in stock, we eat it and I buy it and freeze it. We and our poultry are on a 100% organic diet but if you are not, then at least the liver you feed must be organic because this organ is both a big storage unit and an integral part of the waste system. Thus, the panoply of pesticides, antibiotic residues et al, which are the stock-in-trade of the conventional farmer, pass through it and are stored there, making non-organic offal a nightmare. Organic beef liver is not expensive, the taste is strong and most of my friends here turn their noses up at. For my quail I often serve it up in water or mixed with some scrambled egg.


Treatment riboflavin deficiency in quail chicks




Even if you have to pay more than my 3 Euros a kilo, to my mind it is a very cheap cure-all. If you do not have access to organic liver then use one of your own organic eggs, hard boiled, which is also a fantastic medicinal though less nutrient-rich per serving than liver!

With quail, because of their high basal metabolism, certain nutritional deficiencies, such as those associated with curled toe paralysis are quick to manifest themselves, thus easy to spot if you know what to look for and curable often within less than 24 hours! Another nervous system condition, however, this time known as 'Star Gazing'  is caused by a deficiency primarily in thiamine (B₁) has a slower onset but to avoid this, a simple inclusion of sunflower seeds, which are rich in this vitamin, can be included in the diet. Remember all these foods should be organically grown, otherwise you risk the inclusion of pesticide residues, which in turn as toxins will inhibit the uptake of mineral and vitamins, apart from causing harm in themselves! There will be an article on B₁ deficiency and 'Star Gazing' coming shortly to this site!

treatment for star gazing (thiamine deficiency)  in quail




Here's a sobering thought that can be applied to human health too and although I've already outlined this in my article on Torticollis but it's worth repeating deficiency in any of the 13 vitamins listed below can induce neurological illness.  The full list is as follows:
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B₁ Thiamine 
  • Vitamin B₂ Riboflavin 
  • Vitamin B₃ Niacin 
  • Vitamin B₅ Pantothenic Acid 
  • Vitamin B₆ Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate 
  • Vitamin B₇ Biotin 
  • Vitamin B₉ Folate 
  • Vitamin B₁₂ Cobalamin 
  • Vitamin C 
  • Choline (mineral/vitamin often grouped with the B complex vitamins)
  • Vitamin D₃ 
  • Vitamin E 
These particular vitamins are only part of the story,  minerals which are are not only useful in themselves act as transporters for the vitamins. This function of an individual or group of minerals assures that the vitamin is driven to the correct location where it can be assimilated and put to use. Similarly the mineral intake of a bird can be rendered useless or even worse actually dangerous, I'm thinking of calcium here in particular, which can cause heart conditions in hens, if not accompanied by certain vitamins and taken in in the correct balance with other minerals. In the case of Vitamin A, for example, zinc is necessary to get it moved to where it can do most good. It is also only part of the deficiency story too, as many vitamins, minerals and other foodstuffs must work in synergy and we will look at this incredibly important issue in the next article.

optimum diet for organic quail chicks



The bottom line however, is that your bird when given a choice of foodstuffs or even better left to forage in a large space or supervised free-ranging, knows more about its optimum diet than we humans ever will. Certain elements that the bird consumes to maintain a healthy gut are not even edible, so not something we may even be familiar with even as a concept. However, the above article will serve hopefully to aid you to remedy conditions caused by insufficient diets in the past life of your quail or that of its parent.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my YoutubeOdysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!


Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

Treating Eye Problems & Facial Swelling - Homeopathy, Herbalism and Hens Part 1 Assessment, Observation & Techniques of Delivery.

This is my little Sebright/Polish/Sicilian Buttercup cross Clementina, she has a problem with swelling around both eyes and also an inflammation  of the third eyelid. In the case of any eye problems and I've had a few over the year, particularly with Sebrights, I have followed a combination of foodstuffs and homeopathic and herbal medicines which have proved a most effective combination.


Here she is again after a few of days of treatment.



As you can see her whole demeanor has changed. Apart from the swelling around the eyes, which had almost completely gone after the first 48 hours of treatment, her comb, always a good indication of health, had also returned to normal. She still has inflammation, particularly of the left eyelid, but I am now going on to treat this with compresses.

Assessment and observation


As with all health problems with my flock, the first thing I do is to have a look at the bird as a whole and see what is going on in her surroundings. I must say with Clementina because she is such a vivacious creature, it took me a fair few days before I noticed anything was wrong. We have a lot of nettles in our garden both to eat and as a food plant for caterpillars, so at first, I presumed she had been stung and that this was just a passing problem. She had no obvious other symptoms but I did notice she was being chased by one of my young cockerels, Pip, so presumed stress was part of the equation. I know this from my own experience, as the only time I contracted conjunctivitis, was during my exam finals and I treated it successfully with the same herb I always use on the poultry, viz., Euphrasia officinalis, common name, Eyebright. I also presumed if she was being pursued that she was spending a good time up trees and less time foraging and eating and she would already have been in the vicious circle of stress induced nutrient depletion, which would cause her more stress. So the first thing was to remove her from the flock momentarily and up her quota of the A and E vitamins, which have a direct influence on the health of the eyes. I also gave her some virgin organic coconut oil, which is a great support for the immune system.

Homeopathy 


In France, where we live, homeopathy (and herbal medicine) co-exist alongside allopathic treatments and are often available in high street chemist's shops. However, they are also readily available online and some laboratories also have them as certified organic. I have found the 'pillule' the easiest form of euphrasia to give to poultry. The required dose of 3 pellets or pillules is fed into the top of the container and then these can be poured directly into the beak.This process is important as homeopathy has very specific rules about its delivery to the patient as handling the pillules contaminates them with oils from the skin and renders them ineffective. This is because homeopathic pills do not have a protective covering and thus even a slight contact with the fingers can cause the pills to begin to dissolve onto the skin thus altering the dosage. For the same reason if you drop the pills onto the floor or table, for example, they will be compromised, so throw them away Similarly you should not be giving any strong additional medicine, such as essential oils, at the same time.

The same company I use, Boiron, sells Euphrasia Officinalis 6c (USA) which I have also used here in 6ch (European).  Boiron also sells Euphrasia Officinalis 5ch in the UK too. These suggested potencies for poultry and the dosage of 3 pillules 3 times per day, were suggested to me by a friend who is an organic farmer and also shadowed an organic vet as part of her training. In the case of a really bad infection, I have followed my sister's advice (also an organic farmer) and given 6 doses of 3 pillules in one day. The reason being, that within 48 hours i.e. six treatments, the patient should be responding well to treatment and looking much better. Therefore by the sixth dose you will know if you are on the right track, something really important in an advanced case. Also in advanced cases you can ignore the usual advice to give homeopathy outside mealtimes, the usual protocol is half an hour before or after food.



If you are giving treatment on your own, then my tip is to clamp the bird firmly but gently with your knees, this gives you both hands free to open the beak and pour in the pillules.


Another tip, if you are giving homeopathic medicine for the first time and/or to a nervous subject then buy more than one tube of pillules! Homeopathic medicine is not expensive, we a talking a couple of euros or a few dollars here and with the first two or three treatments you are possibly going to end up with a few pillules rolling around on the floor. I gave my first homeopathic treatment to Sneezy my Sebright when she had conjunctivitis, eight years ago but as you will see in the film, I can still waste a couple of pellets. 

Once I am sure, by using the 6 doses rule-of-thumb that I have the correct treatment, I continue with it until the symptoms have cleared.

Coryza

This is an interesting and quite common problem with chickens and often in the Winter months. Coryza or catarrh is not actually an illness it is a symptom, or a sign that the body is ridding itself of toxins. Often these may be moulds, dust or even draughts, anything in fact which can irritate the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. On rare occasions this can also be caused by bacteria, which can take hold of a flock if your birds have impaired immune systems. However, because chickens do not possess either hands or handkerchiefs, the running nose often seen with coryza can become blocked and lead to secondary symptoms and infection. In the case of this leading to eye problems, I have found euphrasia officinalis most effective in dealing with it. With regards to prevention, if your bird is exhibiting signs of coryza, then it is most important that the nose keeps flowing, I use a herbal inhalation for this, the link for which can be found in 'Related Articles' below. It is suitable for both adults, children and birds as it fills the whole room with fragrant steam rather than needs the patient to position themselves directly over the source. I did not find when I used it that it in any way impaired the efficacy of the euphrasia officinalis pillules.



So here is Clemetina looking a whole lot better but with still a little swelling in the left third eyelid. So I am now going on to treat this topically, which I will deal with in the next post. I will also be posting the film I made too. I always feel that hens know so much more about how to treat themselves than we do. Last night I let her into the outbuilding, where we keep all the vegetable and fruit crates, which we get from our local organic shop. The first thing she did was jump onto one of the crates and start consuming leaves of swiss chard!

Follow this link for Part Two which shows how to make the herbal and flower infusions and how I made organic compresses and eye baths to soothe and treat Clementina's eyes:

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my YoutubeOdysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

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Treating Roup/Coryza Upper Respiratory Problems 1 Assessment, Nutrition & Herbs.

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Treating Roup/Coryza Respiratory Problems 2 Steam Inhalation

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© 2013 Sue Cross