Help! Button Quail Chicks

[MissMiserable]

Hello all! In my first batch of button chicks I had a hen who ended up with a bum leg. It was kind of a half spraddle. Only one leg is straight out to the side and unusable. Now that she is almost fully mature she is permanently disabled, and has a pretty hard go at life. We try to keep her as comfortable as possible, but I still feel pretty bad for her every day

So with this new batch which hatched about 3 days ago, I have one little girl with what looks to be the same kind of thing. I found her splayed out in the morning, super hypothermic, so I put her in my bra to warm up (it works wonders!) and now shes alert and eating on her own. However, you'll notice with the pic that the left leg doesn't seem to have much life in it. I've noticed this happening almost 100% of the time with chicks that come pretty close to dying of hypothermia. She was walking fine for 2 days after she hatched but since she got too cold, she can really only hobble. I'm worried that she'll end up like our last little hen and grow up disabled as well.

The plus side is so far this leg is staying under her with no problems. But you can see that even the toes look pretty lifeless (its balled up like that all the time). I've been trying to get her to hobble on it as much as she can to build up strength but in my experience with buttons this doesnt look like it will turn out too well. Any advice to get this baby back on her own two feet?

Set up: I have an amazing pair of buttons that are excellent parents. The hen incubates her own eggs and both mom and dad are very good at keeping the hatchlings warm in their feathers. I also have a heat lamp over the cage just in case a chick gets stranded and cant get to mom or dad so they'll have extra warmth and buy some time for me to find them.

For chicks that do have a hard time, I have a separate brooder box with another heat lamp. Just took this baby out for a moment so I could get a good picture! Using thick paper towel for brooder bedding but I dont think thats enough traction (I have had successful chicks on it but for these spraddle babies I think I'm going to have to pick up some rubber mat...)

 

[James the Bald]

I'm confused. Not about the leg issue, but "hypothermic"? What temperature is your brooder set to?
James

 

[GrandmaBird]

Yes I wonder about that heat being the trouble. Could it be genetic? or is it just for the wrong bedding? Did you try the band aide leg taping?

Good Luck and let us know if she improves.

 

[MissMiserable]

I have 2 tanks. One is a long 55 gallon that I keep my breeding pair in full time. It has a heat lamp looking down on it for a bit of warmth but not so much that it would overwhelm the adults. Its a 'just in case' heat lamp. The second is a proper brooder set up with a real heat lamp set at the proper temp, but because my hen does such a good job warming her babies naturally, I only use this for chicks that are having a hard time and I have to pull.

The chicks are in tank 1 with mom right now, because she does a great job at keeping them warm without a heat lamp at the same intensity that you'd have if she werent there. The chicks are usually hidden under her and in her feathers so they stay warm naturally. I have a heat lamp resting face down on top of the mesh lid just to keep the outside air a little bit warmer than if there was nothing there, so that if a chick does get separated (its a long tank) from mom it will be warmer and give me some time to find it and put it in the real brooder. I think I mentioned this in my post.

So the chick was found in the morning at the other end of the tank by itself and had gotten too cold, but stayed warm enough for me to find it in the morning immobile, but still alive. Do you know what I mean? Lol. All the while the rest of the chicks were keeping warm under mom still. I'm not sure why this one got left behind, the day they were born this one seemed smaller and weaker to begin with so maybe my hen just... gave up on her lol I'm not sure. For whatever reason mom stopped brooding her but is still brooding the rest.

I hope that clarifies things a bit?

About the genetics, she was walking fine for 2 days before this, could genetics still play a factor?
Also the taping wouldn't really do much good here as splaying isnt the problem, both legs are still firm under the chick, she just isnt standing UP.

 

[GrandmaBird]

Well I would say mom knows best and that the chick would not have lived in the wild so mom just abandoned it.
You can try to keep it alive but it is a mater of quality not quantity of life for it. You can answer that question not us. If in my world I would give her a chance unless she is getting weaker then I would cull as I hate to think she is suffering. Good luck.

 

[MissMiserable]

I agree with you GrandmaBird!

GOOD NEWS THOUGH! The chick has recovered, and is now walking normally. She is clumsier than the rest of her siblings but shes doing just fine! Shes also very tame with all the tlc shes been getting. I think that, despite my hens good intentions, we will just remove the newly hatched chicks and put them in the proper brooder right away, to avoid this situation all together.