help quail chicks!!!!!

[TwoCrows]

I don't know if there is much you can do. You could play "physical therapist" and teach him to walk by standing him up and seeing if he will start to use his legs. I don't know how long he will survive like that and at some point you may need to put him down. But at least you got the others back on their feet. Good luck with this little one. I would try putting him in the cup as well and see if that doesn't help strengthen his legs too.

 

[satay]

Don't give up on them yet. Chicks with weak legs can take several days to a week to get to walking properly. They may all recover. Good to hear that some are doing so well!

As far as temp, 99.7 degrees with about 50% to 55% humidity is the preferred for incubation stats. 10% higher on humidity level at lockdown time. 

For us Aussies 37.5c .

 

[sydney quailman]

the little quail chick passed away during the night, she was very weak yesterday, im glad she passed on peacefully. on a good note the 3 others are doing really well, i have put 2 back with the rest of the quail chicks, 1 i have left in sick bay for a few days more and keep getting her stronger to join the rest.

 

[TwoCrows]

Sorry to hear about the little ones passing, however I am glad the others pulled thru. Good luck with the new quail chicks!

 

[sydney quailman]

thank you, another question is there usually losses after quails are born, like a few days later? is it common, as i have another little guy who was fine at the start but know is weak and just sleeping all the time, he hasnt grown much since monday, while the others are growing and getting much stronger. any info would be great, cheers and thank you sam

 

[TwoCrows]

I won't say it is common, but it does happen. Not every bird is meant to make it to adulthood. All you can do is make sure they have the basics....good clean feed, clean water, dry litter, no drafts, etc...Keep them warm, starting them at about 95 degrees the first week, lowering the temp by 5 degrees each week for 6 weeks.

Some birds carry genetic or viral defects, some hatch with issues and some just aren't supposed to stay alive. Natures way. Give him some time. I hope he makes it.

 

[RunningRabbit]

Well, as far as chicks passing, I can tell you when it happens it is very surprising.

I had four coturnix chicks and over night on day two, one just died. Clean water, plenty of food, perfect temps, and no drafts. The chick appeared healthy, but it wasn't too interested in eating and was fluffed up constantly. The other three are healthy, so I'm guessing there was just something wrong with the chick itself.

Checked in with the vet, since I was worried that maybe it was actually sick. Came back clean. It was just random, but quite possibly linked to a defect in the chick its self.

 

[sydney quailman]

thanks for the reply, i just went home and 3 more have passed on, i might have done something wrong, i will explain-last night i removed out towel they were on and put down lucerne hay as bedding/litter, could this cause them to die? the quail are not yet 1 week old, will be on monday/tuesday next week.

 

[TwoCrows]

Generally mass die off's at 1 week old is human error. They are probably not suffering from cocci as this usually effects 2 to 4 week olds. And I doubt it has anything to do with genetics being passed down from the parent birds as they would ALL not be dying at the same time. On this note, you did have cases of leg weakness and this could also have affected internal structures, but again, I doubt there would be so many dying off at the same time this early in life, if they are able to get up and feed and drink with no difficulty.

So it is best to start at the beginning...was the incubator and or brooder cleaned before using? Bacteria's love to grow in warm moist environments and these things need to be cleaned between hatches. The bedding....where did it come from and was it around other poultry?...Even dander from other types of birds can carry diseases.

Heat and cooling...Always use a brooder with 4 solid walls and a solid floor. Cool air will rush in to meet the warm air and cause a draft. Drafty air will kill babies. The hay you have down is fine for bedding. Are you using a thermometer on the floor or at chick head height? Not only could they be cold, but they could also be over heating. It is best to use the heat lamp in one corner, with the proper temp, and the feed and water in the other corner of the brooder so that there are cool spots and the chicks can get out of the heat. Very important.

Is the feed clean...not moldy or old and you are using gamebird feed and not chicken feed....are you changing the water daily, and can they access it easily?

These are usually the most common of problems of why chicks die at 1 week. Keep close tabs on the temp in the brooder. Temp at 1 week is critical for life. Young babies can not regulate their internal body temps to cool off or heat up. So watch it carefully and do not allow any drafts to chill them.

 

[satay]

thanks for the reply, i just went home and 3 more have passed on, i might have done something wrong, i will explain-last night i removed out towel they were on and put down lucerne hay as bedding/litter, could this cause them to die?  the quail are not yet 1 week old, will be on monday/tuesday next week.

Sorry for your loss. I use just newspaper on the bottom and paper towel over that for the first few weeks. You could add some vitamins to the water too. Get some without iron though. (baby vitamins in liquid form from the chemist)Just add a couple of drops to the water each day . I change the water each day and just add the vitamins when i do it. Hope you have no more losses.