Help! baby quail dying

[Wfoley311]

started with 44, down to 29, they are now 3 weeks old. Lost most the first few days, but now am starting to lose more and i don't think they are growing as fast as they should be and they vary in size quit alot. They look terrible. Balding on the top of their wings and back. They have enough space. The heat seems to be fine with the red lamp. I keep them with fresh water and area is kept clean. I think the problem is the feed. I could only get organic chicken started with 19% protien, and they may not even be getting that because they can't eat all of the feed,(seeds and such). So i started, but only in the last couple of days to supplement with boiled eggs and ground up dry cat food. I know thats not great but its all i could get. I do now have wild game starter on the way.

Heres the big question.... Will these birds recover? If not, what do i do with them. I may have to make some hard decisions, but just wanted to get some feed back first.

 

[Quailsong]

Concerning the heat lamp...have you been lowering the temperature by 5 degrees every week? They may be losing feathers due to over heat & stress.

If you can, buy some Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) with 'Mother' and put some in their drinking water every day. About 1tsp per gallon.

If it's warm where you are, why not let them 'free range' for the day in a shaded area. Use a rabbit cage or even NIC cubes with access to the bottom. Let them touch the grass & forage for bugs. But make sure there's a cover on top & that you're supervising them.

If they're varying in size it def means that some aren't eating enough. It could be due to over-crowding, esp around the feeders/waterers. Make sure you've got enough for all of them (not just one 'hub' as the big ones will push the little ones away).

Pics of your brooder area might help us figure out more issues (if any) that is troubling your quail.

Also, I see this is your first post, welcome to BackYard Chickens.

 

[Wfoley311]

The brooder is 3ft by 3ft and they apppear to have plenty of room. I have been adjusting the temp per week and they even have enough room in the brooder to get away from the heat if they want, which i have not seen them do. Its still to cold here in atl to let them free range . I place food all around the brooder to make sure that every chick has access. and water is always available to all. I will try the ACV.

 

[TwoCrows]

6 square feet is not enough room for 30 quail babies. You can not keep them in such tight quarters without disease, over heating, stress and compitition for food and water. They could also be suffering from coccidiosis, a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract. So first thing you need to do is give them more room. At least 1/2 square foot per bird. So that equates to approximately an 8x8 foot box. I would also suggest getting them on wire until you get them into their adult pens so that if they are suffering from any cocci, they can start developing some immunity to it.

As stated above, make sure you are lowering the heat 5 degrees each week. At 3 weeks old, they should be somewhere around 80 degrees.

Make sure there are no drafts in the brooder area and use a box with solid walls and floor. Do not cover the lid with anything but a screen for good oxygen and heat exchange. Keep the heat off to one side, and the food and water on the other so they have to get out from under the heat and on to the cooler side of the brooder to access water and feed.

 

[Tony K T]

I had the same problem years ago when I was raising bobwhites.I contacted the guy I bought the eggs from and he said they needed sulmet in their water once a week.They were lacking something,but tit was so long ago I don't remember what they were lacking.I gave them the sulmet and it was what they needed.this may not be the same problem you have,but I don't think it would hurt to give them some and see if it works.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[EyeKeyYou]

The brooder is  3ft by 3ft and they apppear to have plenty of room. I have been adjusting the temp per week and they even have enough room in the brooder to get away from the heat if they want, which i have not seen them do. Its still to cold here in atl to let them free range . I place food all around the brooder to make sure that every chick has access.  and water is always available to all.  I will try the ACV. 

According to the GQF website their brooder which is 32x38x12" can accomodate 100chicks to 4 weeks of age. Now I think this is way too small but mine have done better in small spaces where I can control the temperature better it seems to me that they are horrible at self regulating temperature. I used to hate bobwhites because of the die off rate. From me raising snowflakes i do best when brooder is relatively dark with red light bulb on one end where the heat source is but the overall temperature gradient from one side of brooder to the other is only 5 degrees. I slowly drop this on the thermostat and by 4 weeks i put them in a larger area (about 1sqft per bird) on 1/2" wire with a 60w red bulb 6" off the ground which they only use at night. This is still not perfect but much better than the 25% die off I was having.