Help needed. My Quail are dying.

[neb]

Well, here is my setup.

I started with the temp at 35 degrees celcius and after the last two weeks I have dropped it to about 30 degrees celcius.
I watch check up on them often to make sure they are not all bunching and that they are not in the corners. They are generally spread out around the brooder and seem active.
I have one water point for them, it has stones in it to stop them drowning. The reason the one drowned is because the one sick one could not reach the water bowel, he pushed himself around and was not strong enough to lift his head. So I put in a shallow dish of water for him.
The bedding I am using is paper towel, it gives good grip IMHO. The ones with splayed legs where the ones that slipped in the actual incubator.

The symptoms I noticed in my chicks was, one or two of the chicks feet swelled up tremendously. Their knees (think thats what their called) where also slightly swollen. I think the knees where swollen because of them walking around on their forelegs. The feet I have no clue. The chicks feathers also seemed less dense during their sickness, they seemed very untidy.

The quail seem to be doing better on the new feed, but as I said, it is all trial and error because non of the feed has any info on it.
I am sure their could be other reasons for their death that I may have caused, but from what I see it was a feed problem. Once I introduced the new feed, it helped, but it was too late for most of them. There are still 3 left.

It is a learning experience and hopefully I will do better next time. Thanks for all the contribution and suggestions.

Neb

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
I thought it was East Asian Jungle Rot, but I'm more of a mechanic, rather than a doctor. I know it's easier to find some funky disease to explain things, but most often it is mechanics..."Newbieitous" if you will

It's tragic, and painful to watch, but sometimes it's the best explanation for what has gone wrong. All the classic symptoms are there.

I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT JOE, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY POOR BROODING TRAITS CAUSE SOME OF THE NUEROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS THE OP DESCRIBES.... WALKING ON HOCKS, SWOLEN LEGS, ETC. NEW CASTLES FITS THESE AND WOULD RUN THROUGH THE BROOD LIKE WILDFIRE, WHICH ALSO FITS. ALSO THE LOCATION FITS TOO. OTHER THAN DISEASE THE EASIEST WAY I SEE TO EXPLAIN IT IS THE FEED. SERIOUS LACK OF PROTIEN OR OTHER MANDATORY NUTRIENTS SUCH AS B12 MAY CAUSE THESE SYMPTOMS, BUT OFTEN TIMES THERE MAY BE OTHER MALLADIES LURKING JUST INSIDE THE SHADOWS... I HAVE SEEN ILLNESSES RUN RAMPANT THROUGH BROODERS BEFORE. SOME ARE TRANSMITTED ENUTERO (SUCH AS QUAIL ENCEPHALITIS AND NEW CASTLES) WHICH MEANS THE LIL FELLAS HATCH ONLY TO BE DOOMED.

UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE DEALING WITH ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD, IT WOULD BE EASIER IF I CLD TELL THE OP TO GO OUT AND GET THE TAG OFF THE BAG OF FEED AND COME BACK AND POST IT HERE SO WE COULD SEE WHAT IF ANYTHING IS LACKING, BUT WE DONT HAVE THAT LUXURY IN THIS CASE... WE DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TYPE OF FEED FOR SURE OR WHAT THE PRIMARY INGREDIENTS ARE... NEB YOUR CASE IS NOT AN EASY RIDDLE TO SOLVE.


NEB YOU'VE GOTTEN SOME DIFFERENT FEED, ARE THEY STILL IN THE SAME BROODER? IF SO JUST FOR GIGLES DO ME A FAVOR AND WASTE SOME BLEACH..... MOVE THE LIL BOOGERS TO SOME TEMPORARY HOUSING FOR A LIL WHILE AND TAKE YOUR BROODER AND EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN USED WITH THESE GUYS AND SOAK IT ALL IN BLEACH WATER FOR 1/2 HR AND THEN LET IT AIR DRY. ONCE DRY YOU CAN RE-ASSEMBLE IT ALL AND USE IT AGAIN.... BUT AT LEAST IT WILL HAVE BEEN DISINFECTED IF THERE IS A PATHOGEN IN THERE. AT LEAST ITS AN ATTEMPT AT CONTROLLING THE POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES. BETWEEN THAT AND THE NEW FEED PERHAPS WE CAN KEEP THE 3 THAT REMAIN HEALTHY? ALSO HAVE YOU TRIED GIVING THEM VITAMINS? HERE IN TEH STATES WE HAVE A BABY VITAMIN AVAILABLE FOR SALE TO THE PUBLIC CALLED POLY VI SOL... YOU CAN ADD A TEASPOON OF IT TO AN QUART WATER FONT AND BOLSTER THE LIL FUZZBALLZ... ITS A COMMON TREATMENT FOR WRY NECK IN CHICKS.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Neb, its possible you could be dealing with more than 1 problem.

Is there any scent to the paper towels? Added or of the wood used?
What kind of wood are they made from? The gal that raises the rain quail there, is that the brand she uses for her hatchlings?

It might explain leg swelling, but I am quessing. Ours here in the states is made from pine paper pulp so it is not a problem. But over there it could be made from something else and probably is. For instance Cedar would be bad.
If there is a problem with the paper towels, it could be weakening their immune systems. If they are getting stronger than you may not be able to tell now. But just in case:

Try doing what JJMR says and moving them. If you can, put them on small wire, just in case. 1/4 x1/4 at 2 weeks old or rubber matting with holes, layed over 1/2 x 1/2 wire. That is what I do with my 2 week olds at any rate. Then stop using the mats at 3-4 weeks old, when they are larger and strong enough their toes will stretch across the wires. I have 2 mats cut to fit each of the growout cages and just change them out each day and wash them down with a hose. A little soap and water if they get real nasty. (My mats don't fit all the space, it lets them start getting used to the wire. Covers about 3/4 of the cage floor though)

Hope these three make it and you can get this resolved before hatching the next batch.
I hope its just an issue with the food and that situation is good to go now.

Good Luck.

 

[wpalmisano]

I may be having my own incubator issues right now, however I suspect it is a brooding issue. Anyway, if the eggs are incubating 20-27 days, per the OP, there has to be an issue with the incubator. How could the eggs incubate that long and the chicks not have issues? The occasional oddball yes, but a whole batch? It all points to a low incubator temperature, but I will respectfully defer to the more experienced folks.

 

[LostinQuailLand]

Can anyone suggest what to do with a hatchling Bobwhite who looks healthy but moves by laying on his/her side? It almost appears that her neck has a kink not sure if the neck is the issue or if it has a leg issue. Suggestions

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
DOES HE KEEP HIS LEGS UP UNDER HIM? OR SPLAYED OUT TO THE SIDES?

 

[neb]

I had the same problem with some of my chicks, i put the chicks in a separate area and hand fed them water and vitamins, otherwise they will have a hard time drinking. JJMR, in my case their legs where to the side and they toppled over when trying to put them up again. Their necks seemed very weak when held.
Might be the same issue?
My three are doing great.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

neb, been wondering. Glad to hear the 3 are doing good.

 

[LostinQuailLand]

Quote:
DOES HE KEEP HIS LEGS UP UNDER HIM? OR SPLAYED OUT TO THE SIDES?

Well that baby just layed on his side with his legs down where they would as if he were just laying down for a break. However, he passed away. I do currently have one hatchling (hatched late yesterday) who keeps his head down yet he is standing. Sort of like an ostrich.......Have any idea what can be done about this if any thing? What causes it?

 

[JJMR794]

Likely He Was Stuck In The Egg That Way And His Muscles Are Atrophied (shrank) Keeping Him From Carrying The Head In A Normal Possition. Wry Neck Can Cause The Same Thing, Tho Usually A Sideways Carriage Instead Of Down. Try Some Vitamins In The Water... Most Wry Neck Cases Are A Vitamin Deficiency. Get Some Poly Vi Sol (without Iron)baby Vitamins At Your Local Drug Store. Put 1 Teaspoon Or 5 Ml In A Quart Water Font And See If In 24-48 Hrs Its Not Better. If No Improvement He Has The Atrophy I Spoke Of And 1 Of 2 Things Will Happen--- 1 It Will Stay That Way For The Life Of The Bird Howecer Long Or Short That May Be... Or 2. It Will Slowly Improve--- Likely Still Be Noticeable As An Adult But Not Nearly As Pronounced As It Is Now--- Over Time If The Bird Fights Against It The Muscles Will Rebuild And Lengthen To A More Normal State. This Is Often Times Seen With Chicks That Pip Then Dawdle For Prolonged Periods Before They Finish The Hatch And Caused Many Times By The Membranes Drying Out While The Baby Is Still In The Egg. You May Get 1 Or 2 Like This At Any Time During Your Hatches, But If It Becomes A Chronic Result In All Your Hatches Or A High Number Within That Particular Hatch It Is A Sure Sign Of Low Humidity Within The Hatching Environment( If Your Hygrometer Says Your Fine And You Get A Bunch Of These--- Trash The Hygrometer And Get A New 1, It Is Inaccurate.)