Health and hygiene

In short

• Dry litter, clean water and enough space prevent most quail diseases.
• Quarantine of at least 30 days for every new bird. Feed your own birds first, then the new ones.
• Sudden deaths, nervous signs, a swollen head or a sudden drop in eggs: vet at once. Newcastle disease and bird flu are notifiable by law.
• A bloody wound draws beaks: separate an injured bird at once.
• Medicines only through a vet, with a withdrawal period for eggs and meat.
• Wash your hands after working with the birds; wear a mask when cleaning out dusty litter.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Prevention before cure
2. A healthy and a sick quail
3. When to call the vet at once
4. Notifiable diseases
5. Common diseases of a small flock
6. Injuries, pecking and feather pulling
7. Problems that aren't infectious
8. Stress and calm in the aviary
9. Parasites
10. Cleaning and disinfection
11. Medicines, withdrawal periods and dead birds
12. Common mistakes
13. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Health diary
• Prevention calendar
• Quarantine and night check
• Health cost calculator
• Contacts and emergency procedure