Cortunix quail chick falling over (overheated?)

[hokiedokie]

Wanting to learn for the future

I must have switched brooder temperature when I deep cleaned it... I entered into incubating with the mistake of my brooder set to 101.5. This is the first hatch I had fail.

I'm finishing Day 19 and 25 eggs unhatched. 2 chicks hatched on Day 18, feet and legs looked great. Then first chick attacked the other as it cleared the egg and it sadly died. The attacker has been out of the incubator for 24 hrs, and can no longer stand without flipping on its back like a turtle.

It flipped momentarily on day 1 but now day 2 it can't walk before flipping. Is that likely neurological and needing to cull so it doesn't suffer? Rather than a nutritional situation? (It was eating until it turtled)

 

[hokiedokie]

It doesn't have spay leg. Earlier it was running around fine

 

[hokiedokie]

One person shared they incubate 98.6 - 102.2°F but I've generally seen 99.5 - 100°F

Do you think my issue was a temperature problem? Or bacterial?


Genetics: Batch 1 had babies (Batch 2). Batch 2 gold rooster mated with Batch 1 (golds & tuxedo) to give me these hatching eggs. It mostly mated with tuxedo but I put in 27 eggs to incubate in case some were yellow/yellow since I have a mix of both Italian & Manchurian. (My last successful hatch was from this rooster's father and additional females to get cosmos, pearl, pansy fee, and tuxedos)

 

[hokiedokie]

Replying to myself but my mains needs are:

• Is it likely temperature, neurology, or bacterial?
• If temperature: do I expect no other eggs to hatch?
• If bacterial - also need to know before handling eggs the same way in the future
• If neurological, then likely need to cull

 

[Nabiki]

Does your brooder have a warm end and a cool end? If so, it is not likely to be temperature, but if not, it might be.

It is unlikely to be bacterial unless your incubator wasn't clean.

From the lateness of your hatch, I suspect that the temperature in your incubator was a bit low. You want to keep a calibrated thermometer or three in there because incubators lie.

As for possible neurological disorder, it is possible, but I wouldn't jump to that too quickly. What are you feeding the parents? If the problem is neurological, it could be genetics or the parents not getting proper nutrition.

 

[hokiedokie]

Does your brooder have a warm end and a cool end? If so, it is not likely to be temperature, but if not, it might be.

It is unlikely to be bacterial unless your incubator wasn't clean.

From the lateness of your hatch, I suspect that the temperature in your incubator was a bit low. You want to keep a calibrated thermometer or three in there because incubators lie.

As for possible neurological disorder, it is possible, but I wouldn't jump to that too quickly. What are you feeding the parents? If the problem is neurological, it could be genetics or the parents not getting proper nutrition.

Thanks for the reply. I have the Nurture Right 360 - my first two times I had all hatch on exactly Day 18 no issues, so I hadn't inserted thermometers. Those hatches were a lower brooder temperature than I did this time (and eggs varied from a farm & from me, instead of this time)

So far I'm thinking it's wry neck because of clumsy/falling over. Like you suggested, I could reevaluate the nutrition of the parents for improvement
Current chick isn't wanting to swallow nutrients. I reviewed the other chick and it looks like too much dried on the navel, so that could be why chick 1 attacked it

 

[Nabiki]

The chicks are still absorbing their yolk for up to 24 hours after hatch, so I wouldn't worry about food yet. Wry neck is fairly obvious as the neck will not be able to straighten. Coturnix with mild cases of wry neck can live pretty normal lives, but I wouldn't breed them. If it can't stand and shows no improvement over the next 24 hours, I would probably cull.

Before you get to that point, however, what are you trying to get it to swallow? I would try some Nutri-Drench or Save-a-chick to see if that gives it the boost it needs.

 

[hokiedokie]

The chicks are still absorbing their yolk for up to 24 hours after hatch, so I wouldn't worry about food yet. Wry neck is fairly obvious as the neck will not be able to straighten. Coturnix with mild cases of wry neck can live pretty normal lives, but I wouldn't breed them. If it can't stand and shows no improvement over the next 24 hours, I would probably cull.

Before you get to that point, however, what are you trying to get it to swallow? I would try some Nutri-Drench or Save-a-chick to see if that gives it the boost it needs.

Thanks, I tried all day. It wasn't swallowing and I noticed the underlying stomach turned black

I think they had navel infections. If it was a chicken chick I would look at this for maybe the temperature was too high: https://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-check-protect-chick-navel-health/

Next incubation I'll go back to my former settings of lower temperature and a room that is more temperature controlled. This room had a ceiling fan that ended up being used a lot and I didn't think about that bc my last hatch was a different season without much temperature variance