Are quail chicks always this hard to raise?

[Elliebeans]

approximately what ages did you lose them? quail chicks are very dumb and can be creative in suicide....I found with a brooder plate that some would not come out to eat or would not be able to find their way back to the heat. The #1 cause of death is typically wetness, another big cause is pile-ups, failure to thrive, neurological problems either from hatch defect or hitting their head, and sometimes just no logical reason at all

It's been spread out from a week old to now, 3 1/2. Most have been found under the heat pad but 3 were outside of it.

 

[Elliebeans]

I've never lost that many from such a small hatch. The ones I have lost were obvious causes. I had a few with splay legs and 1 I dropped a heat lamp on when changing the bedding (I still feel bad about that one...). Its unusual for them to just keel over. You could try adding some vitamin drops to their water. Where were they when they died? Are they dying under the heat or in a cooler corner? Is it possible that you have a mean or aggressive one causing trauma when you aren't there?

I do have some avian first aid type drops. Polymer emergency or something like that I think it's called I can use. None seemed to have any injuries or missing feathers.

 

[Headhen3]

You are absolutely correct about creative ways to kill themselves. My problem was just that they would bunch and up and as you said pile ups are fatal. I try to allow enough room and lights and feeders and waterers so chicks of whatever species can move around in and out of the heat and have a choice of feed and water handy. But pile ups happen. I still remember the first time I found them laying on their sides and thought they were all dead until they jumped up and scurried for cover.

 

[702Quails]

The problem with that setup is that drafts can easily chill the chicks. The cage is almost entirely exposed and can't hold heat very well. You'll have to verify the temperature of the brooder plate, but the chicks that would be on the outside of the plate would still be subject to drafts of cool air and would have a hard time warming up. Chicks (of any bird species) can warm up effectively in the wild, because their mother's feathers trap the heat. You have nothing to trap the heat and I suspect most of the chicks died due to exposure.

If they continue to die after they've grown out feathers, there could be another issue at play. Some chicks could've been suffocated as a result of them battling to get to the center of the brooder plate to get warm, but you don't typically see deaths from crowding until you have 40+ chicks.

I personally use a large storage tote and a 150w basking bulb. The top has hardware cloth on it to allow air circulation, but the plastic walls also trap the heat. I adjust the light until the temperature of the focal point reads around 101 - 102 and the surrounding area is 99 - 100; the opposite side of the brooder correspondingly stays above 84. The chicks can move towards the focal point of the light to warm up faster and can stay in the large surrounding area to maintain their body heat. Since the rest of the brooder stays relatively warm as well, the chance of chicks getting chilled and dying from that is very slim. I also use a quail base mason jar waterer so they can't wet or drown themselves.

 

[Green Bean Quail]

I agree with 702Quails. The brooder I have is a tub with shavings and a heat lamp. I think your chicks may be catching a chill. Also, this may sound stupid, but are they in contact with or near any other animals? It could be a stress thing.