Bobwhite dying....again

[protodon]

I am on my second batch of bobwhite and once again they have started dying. I am pretty sure the main problem is that they are not eating. They are active and they drink but they don't eat. A few may pick here and there but it's certainly not enough to sustain them. How do I get them to really eat? The same thing happened last time except I started with more so it didn't make huge impact. I just started losing a chick a day. I'm pretty sure that will go on until they figure out that they need food to live or they are all gone.

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

Maybe the food pieces are to big..

I use a coffee grinder to make the food small enough for my baby quail.

Are you using game bird starter.. Maybe they are not getting enough protien..

 

[protodon]

I use 24% chick starter. I worked for the last batch, the ones that lived anyway which was the majority. I do grind it up but I usually stop that after a week. It's been a week, these guys just aren't interested in the food. I have a duckling in with them and they seem to drink when he drinks but they don't follow him to eat.

 

[JJMR794]

Bob Whites Need Game Bird Starter-- Not Chick Starter As It Can Constipate Them And Cause Them To Die. Also, Check For Pasty Butt.... Grind The Food Up Small And Sprinkle It Around In Their Brooder As Well As A Food Dish Full In The Brooder--- Now Take A Nice Shiney Dime Or Nickle, Or Two.. And Place It On Top Of The Food In The Dish--- As They Peck At The "pretty Shiny Thing" Which Will Grab Their Attention, They Will Get Food And Hopefully Figure It Out--- If You Happen To Have Coturnix Quail They Make Great "brooder Nannies" For Lil Bobs. But Dont Leave Them In After 2-3 Wks Of Age The Bobs Will Start To Pick On The More Doscile Coturnix.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
BAD CHOICE OF BROODER MATES! DUCKS DONT GO WELL WITH BOBS! I'D TAKE THE FLAT BEAK OUT. I ONLY BROOD GAME BIRDS WITH GAME BIRDS, WATERFOWL WITH WATERFOWL, CHICKENS AND TURKEYS WITH.... YOU GUESSED IT- CHICKENS AND TURKEYS.
THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THIS--- 1ST OF ALL WATERFOWL LOVE TO SPALSH AND PLAY IN WATER--- A WET BROODER IS A SURE DEATH FOR ANY SPECES OF BABY QUAIL. 2ND, MANY DIFFERENT SPECES OF BIRDS HAVE DIFFERING TOLERANCES FOR VARIOUS AILMENTS--- YOUR BABY DUCK MAY BE A TRANSMITTER OF DISEASE THAT THE QUAIL CANNOT FIGHT OFF--- THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH GAME BIRD SPECES! LASTLY ALL THE PAIRINGS ABOVE "FIT" TOGATHER--- THEY ALL TOLERATE THE SAME ILLNESSES SIMILARLY, THEY ALL DO WELL IN SIMILAR ENVIRONMENTS, THEY ALL GROW AT SIMILAR RATES AND THEY ALL NEED SIMILAR NUTRITION. LASTLY THEY ALL HAVE SIMILAR TEMPERMENTS AND WILL TOLERATE EACH OTHER BETTER THAN OTHER PAIRINGS----- I KNOW I'M GONNA TAKE HEAT ON THIS, EVERYBODY AROUND IS GONNA CHIME IN SAYING "I KEEP MY BABIES WITH MY PET BULL MASTIFF.... ETC... ANY EXPERIENCED GAME BIRD BREEDER WILL BACK ME UP ON THIS THO--- DONT MIX EVERYTHING IN 1 BIG POT AND EXPECT IT TO GO WELL ALL THE TIME.

 

[wilds of pa]

Push a few colored marbles into the feed so that they can see the shinny part sticking out of the feed, it may help them to start them picking at the feed, marbles work in waters to..

We also grind there feed for the first week..most of the game bird starter is way to big for quail or even turkey starter,

also keep them on papertowl for the first week until they learn what there food is..sprinkle a Lil bit around on the papertowl.

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

I use a fortified vitamin B complex in the water it makes them hungry and thirsty. you can get it a jeffers online. its like 12 bucks for a 12 ounce bottle and the bottle last a long time. some times (like with a really sick bird) I put it in a syringe and give each bird 1 drop of it or add it to the water the first week.. 1 gallon 1 tablespoon.

I had a white silkie hen get scalped and I had to sew her back together.. she didnt eat for nearly 2 weeks. thought I was gonna loose her.. gave her this b complex she IMEDIAETLY began to eat (within 5 minutes) and she was SCARFIN down the feed... she is about 4 weeks post incident and she just laid her first egg a few days ago... thats how good she is doing!

I agree with the never brooding the chickens ducks and games together I have had HORIBLE luck any time I did it... (and it has not been that often-just seems like the few times i did try it it wasnt so successfull)

good luck

 

[farrier!]

I am waiting for my next hatch to try grogel pellets mixed in with some feed. It sure saved chicks that were over 5 days in the mail so I figured it is woth a shot.

 

[wilds of pa]

Grinding feed for the first week, marbles in water and feed tray, paper towel down for the first week, and of course proper temp in brooder, and ample space and medicated game bird starter should be all that is needed.

Ive only been messing with bobwhite for 5+ years but never had no trouble with keeping the birds alive following the method above. we hatched and rasied 1000's of chicks..

best of luck

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Wait...you need to grind up the chick starter for the babies at the beginning?