Hatched quail chicks - lethargic, lying flat??

[Cazook]

hi. it is hatching day and so far 3 quail came out of their eggs. they dried off so i moved them to their brooder which has heat plate inside a small cardboard box. been checking on them and two of the chicks are flat and lethargic with feet behind them (i nudged a bit and tried to feed water - overheating maybe??) the other chick is standing at a point (heat plate is on a slant) where it would get less heat than that. is something wrong with them or is it just because they just hatched? one was gasping. :X

 

[Sammi_0411]

I hatched 33 and most mine were like that when first hatched fine after had a rest normally ideal to keep a few in incubator a bit longer as encourages others to hatch thats my personal opinion anyways however if they still like that in 24 hr might be worth putting some honey or sugar water in cc

 

[Cazook]

you might be right, one of the chicks began hatching last night so is a bit older and it seems to be fine. my first time hatching quail so not sure what is 'normal' lol. i think they were getting jammed into the heating plate by accident since i took the back feet off (even lowest level seemed to be too high)

i've since put it back on lowest level with some socks for them to climb on if they need more heat. after taking the 'flat' quail out into my hands for a minute or so it perked up a lot. been trying to feed water droplets but either they're not interested or they drink such a miniscule amount it's hard to notice. the oldest chick had a nibble at the crumbs though. well, i say crumbs. more like powder now that i mashed them up haha.

they are sooo tiny though. scared to break them via handling. and i worry that one of them has splayed leg but maybe too early to tell. :S

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Its usual for tjem to sleep like theyre dead (legs out behind them) but they shouldn't be gasping and should get up when you bother them. Is there a way to get away from the heat source? Have they been fed yet, if so what protein?

 

[Cazook]

ah I didn't know it was normal for them to sleep like that which was the main concern. they do get up if you nudge them but they flop about a lot, as if they can't lift their head much. maybe just because they're too young?

they can walk away from the heat source (one of the chicks is currently at the edge and goes out for food). they have a water dropper at their height though they haven't figured it out yet. they've only been out of the incubator for 3-4hours though.

feeding them 27% game bird feed with coccoidostat(terrible spelling, i know) that i crushed with a mortar and pestle.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Okay. If you can bump the protein up a smidge that might be good too. Mine was around 30% and I didn't lose one to lack of protein. I think if they're getting up when you move them they should be fine, they might still have baby brain

 

[FortCluck]

Its usual for tjem to sleep like theyre dead (legs out behind them) but they shouldn't be gasping and should get up when you bother them. Is there a way to get away from the heat source? Have they been fed yet, if so what protein?

This always freaks me out LOL... Then you touch them and they startle you because they flush

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My mom hates baby quail because of how they sleep

 

[FloorCandy]

If the heat plate was laying one edge touching the floor, it’s too low. They are really dumb the first day and will drown, freeze, overheat etc. what brand heat plate do you have? Mine is rent a coop, and the lowest height is perfect for quail, plus I leave the two legs on one side set one setting higher so they have a height range. I’ve heard other brands have different settings, with less height options.

The chicks should be able to touch their backs to the plate while standing normally. If they’re lying and gasping and don’t immediately get up when you touch them, that isn’t normal, I think in your case they overheated, and luckily recovered quickly when you held them. If they were dry when you took them out of the incubator, they shouldn’t be lethargic, and should respond immediately to a new stimulus.

like everyone else said, laying like that is normal, I have found mine spread out, on their side, covered in wood chips, and when I open the brooder it snaps to life even tho I swear it wasn’t breathing before haha.

 

[Quailobsessed]

What's the temperature in the brooder?