What should you do to help quail that are having trouble breathing?

Answer 1

Not much you can do if the quail are wild but if they domestic and you are able to control their water supply then this will help.

Any of the birds who are in distress can be picked up and their beak/nostril area can be wiped with a soft cloth wet with warm water. The objective is to remove mucus from the nostrils located about half way up the top of the beak from the tip. Those you can help this way will begin to eat and drink again. The next step is to add 2 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar to each gallon of water available in the water dispenser. This should be the ONLY water that is made available to the flock for the next three days (no more than 3 days). Apple cider vinegar helps to clear mucus and aids in recovery from respiratory distress.
The birds may sneeze and cough a few hours after treatment begins. More vinegar is not better, too much and the birds will refuse to drink any water causing a worse problem.
You can also buy a water soluble tonic from wherever you buy your bird feed.