Help! My coturnix are dying.

[Champion]

I recently purchased 150 cots and for the last 2 days they have been dying. I found 13 dead yesterday and 10 dead today. They are in 2 separate cages that are 10x2x2 each. They are on a 20 percent protein feed. I have 40 others that I've kept in a room on pine shavings and they are perfectly fine.

The birds are missing a lot of their feathers (mostly on their backs) they were like this when I bought them.
I'm worried they could have a disease or something, anyone have any clue what is happening?

P.s the cages are inside a barn so there is zero wind on them. The temps have been in the 30's the last few days but they also have heat lamps on them.

 

[James the Bald]

There are many possibilities, but from what little info you provided, it is very possible that the 24 inch ceiling height is just enough to get them airborne and bonk their heads.
Roll Tide
James

 

[dc3085]

Where and how were the birds being kept before you picked them up? Was there a heat lamp on where they were at? Was the outside temp higher? THey might just be dying from the cold since they are missing feathers, but there is no way for me to say that for sure. We need a little more info.

Check for head wounds or odd behavior like circling or walking backwards.

Check feces in pens you're losing birds in. Is there runny or discolored feces?

Are they piling up under the light?

How old are they? Are they fully feathered?

Do you notice any breathing problems?

Do you have birds staying fluffed up (keeping all their feathers spread)?

Have chickens ever been kept in the space you are keeping the quail in?

Basically we need a lot more info that what we have right now to really help you out. Try to answer as many of those questions as you can. If you click quote on this post it will bring up my text in a grey box. You can answer the questions in bold in that box so that whoever has time to help out today has enough info.

Edit to add; the missing feathers are from being caged with too many other birds in too little space. Quail are aggressive breeders and very nervous birds. When they aren't pulling feathers breeding they are walking over the top of each other or picking out feathers over territory squabbles.

In the future try to avoid buying birds that look like that, the person raising them doesn't really know what they are doing. One or two breeders with mussed or missing feathers isn't a big deal but the majority of birds should be fully feathered especially young birds.

 

[Champion]

Where and how were the birds being kept before you picked them up? Was there a heat lamp on where they were at? Was the outside temp higher? THey might just be dying from the cold since they are missing feathers, but there is no way for me to say that for sure. We need a little more info.

Check for head wounds or odd behavior like circling or walking backwards.
No head wounds but i have noticed backwards walking in 1
Check feces in pens you're losing birds in. Is there runny or discolored feces?
Lots of runny feces
Are they piling up under the light?
No
How old are they? Are they fully feathered?
6 months
Do you notice any breathing problems?
Not until they die, I sat and watched three die today, they just fall over and die.
Do you have birds staying fluffed up (keeping all their feathers spread)?
I don't think so
Have chickens ever been kept in the space you are keeping the quail in?
Not that I know of.
Basically we need a lot more info that what we have right now to really help you out. Try to answer as many of those questions as you can. If you click quote on this post it will bring up my text in a grey box. You can answer the questions in bold in that box so that whoever has time to help out today has enough info.

Edit to add; the missing feathers are from being caged with too many other birds in too little space. Quail are aggressive breeders and very nervous birds. When they aren't pulling feathers breeding they are walking over the top of each other or picking out feathers over territory squabbles.

In the future try to avoid buying birds that look like that, the person raising them doesn't really know what they are doing. One or two breeders with mussed or missing feathers isn't a big deal but the majority of birds should be fully feathered especially young birds.

 

[Champion]

I lost another 20 today.

 

[dirtychick]

hi you there?

 

[dirtychick]

I don't know nothing about nothing and less about everything else. But first I would try to ask who I got them from if possible about them. Maybe not possible then - you say the ones -40 on pine are fine . what are the others on ? Are the others from the same batch ? Are they crowded ?

 

[dirtychick]

Are you feeding the same nonmedicated feed and water to both? If feces is runny on the ones dying and not the others then could they have e-coli ? Did you transfer them all the same ?

 

[dirtychick]

And or worse comes to worse there's always the vet. If it was coli a autopsy would show it.

 

[dirtychick]

Don't think the problem would be external parasites but I'd look . With runny feces could be internal parasite but more likely e- coli ? Wish you luck .