Baby button quail are dieing.

[Gamecatcher]

I have bred button quail twice very successfully. But the last 2 batches I've had successful hatches, then put them into the brooder and one by one they are dieing. I haven't changed anything in the brooder, I have the heat set on an auto shut off and on if it gets too hot or too cold. When I start to see the buttons going down hill their heads start kind of turning around almost like their necks are breaking and the last one that just died seemed shaky. Then just gone.

 

[mdees88]

Sorry for your loss. Need pics of the brooder. What kind of heater are you using that turns on and off automatically?

What temperature is the heater set to maintain and have you verified the temp with a separate thermometer?

What are you feeding them?

Did they eat and drink okay before they died?

That is a rather strange position to die in.

The is actually the correct forum to post your question in but posting in the quail forum would let you get more help from quail people....

 

[Nabiki]

I'm sorry for your loss. I'm no expert, but that contorted position doesn't look good. Can you get a necropsy done? It looks kind of like pictures I've seen of Newcastle's disease, which is highly contagious and a serious problem.

 

[Pyxis]

What type of heat source are you using? I've not heard of a heat source in a brooder before that turns on or off if it's getting too hot or too cold. Mainly because the heat source should be at one end of the brooder, and the chicks will move to it if they are cold, or move away if they are hot, and will regulate on their own.

 

[muddy75]

any chance they are getting wet?? that usually causes them to not be able to hold stable temp and they gasp before finally getting smashed by the other chicks from crawling under to get warm. by the time they expire and i find them, they are in a similar contorted position.

 

[Gamecatcher]

I already took apart my brooder and am disinfecting everything. I've used this exact set up twice before with great success. The quail all are running around healthy then one starts getting week and then falls then one dies each day that goes on. When I am done disinfecting and set it back up I can show pictures.

 

[Gamecatcher]

What type of heat source are you using? I've not heard of a heat source in a brooder before that turns on or off if it's getting too hot or too cold. Mainly because the heat source should be at one end of the brooder, and the chicks will move to it if they are cold, or move away if they are hot, and will regulate on their own.

The light is on one side , with the sensor on that same side and the other side is cooler if they need to move over there.

 

[Gamecatcher]

any chance they are getting wet?? that usually causes them to not be able to hold stable temp and they gasp before finally getting smashed by the other chicks from crawling under to get warm. by the time they expire and i find them, they are in a similar contorted position.

The picture I posted was a live baby maybe 30min before it died. They weren't getting went , I was so worried I kept close watch on them the only difference i noticed with this batch is they weren't eating and drinking as often as I have seen my other button do.

 

[pozees2]

Could it be coccidiosis?

 

[Gamecatcher]

Maybe green foaming poops?