Bobwhite Chicks at 5-6 weeks suddenly dying: Starvation/Dehydration?

[ApplesPi]

We have been brooding four bobwhite chicks with two bantam silkie chickens for a week now. Tonight as i went to check on them- i discovered one dead in thr middle of the brooder. I thought perhaps it had been trampled by the larger silkie chicks, and moved the quail to their own pen... Only for another to slowly succumb and struggle for life. It passed. I notice that it and the remaining two are breathing heavily: one has a full healthy crop, the other half full. I put an ice pack in one side of their cage, and gave them a mash of chick starter and electrolyte water: they havent touched it.

Examining the two dead quail, i found they dont have a noticable crop: did they starve/dehydrate?

I noticed that the quail were rather finicky eaters, only trying to eat when the silkie chicks got excited about eating- is it possible they starved/dehydrated themselves? Are 5 week old quail that poor eaters?

* I am assuming they were 5 weeks old (thats what we were told by the seller.)

 

[RLHC]

Sorry for bad luck I raised about 7000 quail a year one thing for sure about them they seem to hatch looking for a way to die. Not sure of your feed but they need gamebird starter or turkey starter it is cheaper. I have even then have to grind it to get them to eat you probably did not do anything wrong just bad luck. Hope your have better luck next time.

 

[That Quail Lady]

I used to have some weird thing happen with hatching and raising quail, I raise bobwhites myself and many others, A major Issue these days Is their feed, Make sure their is atlest a little more than 20% protein, Major Always check for Vitamins A, E, and B 12.
Its a little in usual for them to not want to eat. Make sure that there is atlest also vitamin K that will help them. That's what my vet said are the most importan things to check for in feed, and if you can't find that all in the feed, look for a supplement powder to mix into their water. I havnt had any problems for 6 years now.

Also natural thing to give them as treats with many good vitamins in it is
. Molasses
. Cinnamon
. Basil
. Oregano
. Alfalfa hay

 

[ApplesPi]

Thanks both of you. I found out that the chicks were younger than I thought, and needed more heat. The remaining chicks immediately perked up once they had the option to sunbath under a heatlamp. In the light its around 80-F. Two thirds of their brooder is shaded so they can cool off, but for the most part they seem to prefer puffing up and nesting in the warmth. These two chicks are more lively in general though, and have always been good eaters; I never noticed the other two eat at all.