Diarrhea in 2 days old quail chicks

[QuailQueen3]

What, exactly are you feeding them? I've seen pet stores sell feed full of seeds and only 7% protein as quail feed.

The should be on a feed that is 28-30% protein, and it should be ground up fine enough for them to eat.

If any of them are showing a lack of energy, a boost of Nutri-Drench might help.

I just looked up Poultry Nutri-Drench to see if it might be something that I can add to my list of potential remedies.

The number one ingredient in Poultry Nutri-Drench is Propylene Glycol which is a toxic substance and carcinogen to humans. Since I am raising my Jumbo Brown Coturnix for eggs and meat for human consumption, I will not use it. (The CDC and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry list it as toxic to the respiratory system and causes cancer. “Propylene Glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food.” But, our FDA classifies it as “generally recognized as safe” for use in food).

There are many ways to raise quail. Each member of this community gets to make their own decisions. What’s great is to have an active, respectful, informative conversation about what different people are doing!

 

[Nabiki]

I just looked up Poultry Nutri-Drench to see if it might be something that I can add to my list of potential remedies.

The number one ingredient in Poultry Nutri-Drench is Propylene Glycol which is a toxic substance and carcinogen to humans. Since I am raising my Jumbo Brown Coturnix for eggs and meat for human consumption, I will not use it. (The CDC and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry list it as toxic to the respiratory system and causes cancer. “Propylene Glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food.” But, our FDA classifies it as “generally recognized as safe” for use in food).

There are many ways to raise quail. Each member of this community gets to make their own decisions. What’s great is to have an active, respectful, informative conversation about what different people are doing!

We are all absolutely able and allowed to make our own choices. There may be plenty of wrong ways to do things, but there are plenty of right ways too.

 

[le_bwah]

I am not sure what's going on. No one died or looks sick right now. But I'm still worried about this little guys. I've read online about quail chicks getting diarrhea and dying.

Good advice so far on the feed and nutri-drench. I've seen chicks get diarrhea from being too warm, too—they seemed to be drinking a lot of water to compensate for the temperature and it ran right through them. If you have a thermometer handy, that would be a quick thing to rule out.

The number one ingredient in Poultry Nutri-Drench is Propylene Glycol which is a toxic substance and carcinogen to humans.

You'd have to be chugging the stuff straight to see ill effects, though. Propylene glycol is routinely used in human-grade food. The EPA doesn't call it a carcinogen—why do you?

 

[QuailQueen3]

Good advice so far on the feed and nutri-drench. I've seen chicks get diarrhea from being too warm, too—they seemed to be drinking a lot of water to compensate for the temperature and it ran right through them. If you have a thermometer handy, that would be a quick thing to rule out.

You'd have to be chugging the stuff straight to see ill effects, though. Propylene glycol is routinely used in human-grade food. The EPA doesn't call it a carcinogen—why do you?

I shared “why I do”…

“The number one ingredient in Poultry Nutri-Drench is Propylene Glycol which is a toxic substance and carcinogen to humans. Since I am raising my Jumbo Brown Coturnix for eggs and meat for human consumption, I will not use it. (The CDC and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry list it as toxic to the respiratory system and causes cancer. “Propylene Glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food.” But, our FDA classifies it as “generally recognized as safe” for use in food). ”

 

[le_bwah]

I shared “why I do”…

“The number one ingredient in Poultry Nutri-Drench is Propylene Glycol which is a toxic substance and carcinogen to humans. Since I am raising my Jumbo Brown Coturnix for eggs and meat for human consumption, I will not use it. (The CDC and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry list it as toxic to the respiratory system and causes cancer. “Propylene Glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food.” But, our FDA classifies it as “generally recognized as safe” for use in food). ”

I would trust FDA/EPA over ATSDR since they do more live-animal research. ATSDR works more like a literature review, as far as I know. You still aren't likely to be hurt by it, but I get who you'd want to avoid it.

 

[007Sean]

Nutri-Drench has saved many, many of my newly hatched chicks. I would use it over sugar water any day....but if you prefer not too, that's you're prerogative.

Check the temperature in the brooder. Higher than recommended temperatures can cause them to have diarrhea. It can also cause 'pasty butt', so check the temp.

 

[Linita]

@le_bwah @Nabiki @007Sean
Hi, an update.

I had check the temperature from the beginning, but at the hottest spot is 37ºC. So it should be ok. Also, I've been observing the chicks so I know temperature is right for them. They have a range of temperatures from there.

I've figured out one of the chicks who has diarrhea. It's not all of them. Today most have normal droppings.

It's one of the ones I left alone during the hatching because it had one of the biggest air cells. Didn't give it any security holes or anything. But it only made it to external pipping and it got exhausted. At the end I had to peel it like a boiled egg. It was ready and it came out fine but very tired.

It's a lot more tired than the rest, and I see it's also kinda isolating sometimes. It drinks and eats, but gets tired so much easier than the rest and starts laying down wherever (which is normal for quail anyway but it's doing it a lot more), like I'm drinking and suddenly I'm taking a nap over the waterer.


I'm worried about she/he. I've been asking for something similar to nutri drench but no one seems to know it or have any equivalent here. I'm looking online but I'd be helpful if someone knew how to make a homemade version. I'm giving them some raw yolk for now.

I know there are other birds with diarrhea. I think they're maybe 3 or so from the droppings.

And about Propylene Glycol, I'm not a chemist. I'm a physicist. And in fact I hate chemistry but they forced me to learn a little chemistry in my degree and I'd say it's there in the formulation to act as a solvent. There are certain substances which don't disolve well in water or other more commont safe solvents. I know propylene glycol it's used sometimes to disolve medicines and I guess some of the components of Nutri drench need it, or for whatever the reason they've used it (maybe it worked well and was cheaper). In any case, the dosage of any substance it's what makes it dangerous or not. Like for example bananas are radioactive in fact because of the potassium isotope, but you can eat them safely. I don't know about the safe consumtion of PG but if you find some well done research about it you can make a better judgement. But I totally agree that very often you find recommended doses of things by WHO or FDA or whatever which end up being totally wrong and they change them, or some parties fund research so it comes out favorable for them. You really need to end up reading all the papers they publish and make your own judgement to get some sort of insight. Also, it's always better to avoid anything potentially toxic if possible, I totally agree with that. Nutri drench, even if it weren't so good, I guess it's a matter of benefits vs risks. I guess a chick needing nutrients so badly maybe it's more benefited from taking ND than not even if PG it's not so good for it. Also the fact that something is used as antifreeze or whatever other use doesn't necesarily make it toxic or dangerous. Substances can have different properties and uses. Water is safe to drink and it's also a great cooler agent due to its high specific heat capacity.

Anyway, those are my unasked thoughts about the topic.

And as a side note, always beware of the titles of articles and whatever facts you read around. A lot of them are just there to induce some sort of emotion in you. Like for example you can read "this disease it's twice as deadly as this other one" and it sounds bad, but if the mortality rate of the first one is 0,1%, then the other one has a 0,2%, which it's still, pretty low. Even if it's twice the first.

 

[Nabiki]

In my experience, chicks that have trouble hatching often fail to thrive. It's one of the reasons that some people are against assisting a hatch. I usually assist becau there is about a 25% chance of a healthy bird coming out of it. That does mean that there is about a 75% chance that the chick will either need to be culled or won't thrive.

Since you can't get Nutri-Drench, I would give it boiled egg yolk for now as a supplement. It still may not make it, but that may help.

 

[Linita]

In my experience, chicks that have trouble hatching often fail to thrive. It's one of the reasons that some people are against assisting a hatch. I usually assist becau there is about a 25% chance of a healthy bird coming out of it. That does mean that there is about a 75% chance that the chick will either need to be culled or won't thrive.

Since you can't get Nutri-Drench, I would give it boiled egg yolk for now as a supplement. It still may not make it, but that may help.

ay :'( I hope it goes well. I'm attached to it already! But still I guess if it doesn't make it at least I'd have done everything I could I guess. I'm trying to give it a chance. Is yolk better boiled than raw?

I'm still trying to find some reason, maybe it's something else other than being a help-out. Anyway I'm gonna try help it the best of my ability.

Also trying to figure out what are the other birds with diarrhea. Because it's certainly not the only one.

 

[Nabiki]

ay :'( I hope it goes well. I'm attached to it already! But still I guess if it doesn't make it at least I'd have done everything I could I guess. I'm trying to give it a chance. Is yolk better boiled than raw?

I'm still trying to find some reason, maybe it's something else other than being a help-out. Anyway I'm gonna try help it the best of my ability.

Also trying to figure out what are the other birds with diarrhea. Because it's certainly not the only one.

Boiled yolk is usually easier for them to eat.

I hope it pulls through!