Jumbo Quail chicks suddenly dying at 2 weeks old

[gander007]

Then it sounds like you have it set up the correct way and yes
I also like the reptile heater for the same reason now if you do
not have a lot of experience with quail I will say they are very
touchy and just the smallest of a breeze can do damage ......
Good luck and read a lot about quail is the best advice I can
give you right now ......


gander007

 

[GD91]

They are that touchy? Seriously? I've already read a lot, but I thought a lot of what I'd read must have been exaggerated or just bad luck.

What age then can they go outside? (bearing in mind temps are due to fall into the minus next month)

I don't have electric running to the new sheds or the quail pen we built so when they are out, they are out, no heat at all.

From now on they are staying indoors until they grow a bit larger, then I'm thinking start putting them out during the day at 5 - 8 weeks.

Will four quail also generate enough body heat to stay warm in the pen?

They have a wooden box shelter sealed with a green tarp, completely water & draft proof. They have been using it when they have been out in the pen.

 

[gander007]

Quail are very touchy what you have read is just the way it is
and you being in the UK it is just not that warm this time of
year as I remember but I would wait till about week 8 for
them to fully develop before putting them out and the cage
you wrote about sounds good enough .........

gander007

 

[marksouth]

I've done my brooding in the spring and summer and wondered if you can take them straight from a controlled environment into minus degree weather? Would that be a shock or are quail that hardy?

 

[marksouth]

I missed where you were going to take them out during the day. I guess that would acclimate them to colder temps.

 

[TwoCrows]

They are that touchy? Seriously? I've already read a lot, but I thought a lot of what I'd read must have been exaggerated or just bad luck.

What age then can they go outside? (bearing in mind temps are due to fall into the minus next month)

I don't have electric running to the new sheds or the quail pen we built so when they are out, they are out, no heat at all.

From now on they are staying indoors until they grow a bit larger, then I'm thinking start putting them out during the day at 5 - 8 weeks.

Will four quail also generate enough body heat to stay warm in the pen?

They have a wooden box shelter sealed with a green tarp, completely water & draft proof. They have been using it when they have been out in the pen.

Quail babies are very touchy. They are not hardy like chicken babies or other quail. They chill easily and die. The brooder must be set up with no drafts what so ever. The temp, if even off a few degrees in either direction can kill them. Brooders need to have solid flooring and walls. No open floors or walls. And they are difficult if not impossible to brood outside in a shed or other housing unless it is heated. Even if the brooder temp is correct, the cool air will rush into meet the warm air and cause a draft. This draft will kill them.

Quail babies need to acclimated to the outside temp before they can survive colder temps. Babies have not yet developed the ability to generate their own heat, nor can they cool themselves down.

So the recommended way to start them out at 95 degrees at hatch, and lower the temp by 5 degrees for 5 or 6 weeks, till you have them at lowest temp you can get them. When you take them out, especially this time of year, you will need to supply them with a heat lamp for a few weeks. You don't need to continue to lower their heat per say, but you will want to keep the heat so that they can get into it for some heat, but not so warm they can not acclimate. They can also not use it if they don't need it. The heat is only a supplement.

After a few weeks, you can then take the heat away and the babies should be acclimated to the colder temps. If at any time in those next weeks that the temps drop drastically, into the single digits, you would want to supply them with heat as they are not yet ready for brutal temps.

 

[TwoCrows]

Double post.

 

[gander007]

Quail babies are very touchy. They are not hardy like chicken babies or other quail. They chill easily and die. The brooder must be set up with no drafts what so ever. The temp, if even off a few degrees in either direction can kill them. Brooders need to have solid flooring and walls. No open floors or walls. And they are difficult if not impossible to brood outside in a shed or other housing unless it is heated. Even if the brooder temp is correct, the cool air will rush into meet the warm air and cause a draft. This draft will kill them.

Quail babies need to acclimated to the outside temp before they can survive colder temps. Babies have not yet developed the ability to generate their own heat, nor can they cool themselves down.

So the recommended way to start them out at 95 degrees at hatch, and lower the temp by 5 degrees for 5 or 6 weeks, till you have them at lowest temp you can get them. When you take them out, especially this time of year, you will need to supply them with a heat lamp for a few weeks. You don't need to continue to lower their heat per say, but you will want to keep the heat so that they can get into it for some heat, but not so warm they can not acclimate. They can also not use it if they don't need it. The heat is only a supplement.

After a few weeks, you can then take the heat away and the babies should be acclimated to the colder temps. If at any time in those next weeks that the temps drop drastically, into the single digits, you would want to supply them with heat as they are not yet ready for brutal temps.

This is so true you managed to explain it down to it's very essence, quail are truly a temperamental bird and if you are going to
hatch them out in the Fall or Winter you really need to accommodate them with the correct housing and temp to keep them
comfortable and safe .....

gander007

 

[GD91]

Hi

I've just read all the posts. Thankyou to all for replying. Got up this morning & I have been monitoring the chicks.

Another chick is now showing signs of being ill, its still in the very early stages & still eating & drinking, but is showing weakness. Its begun having trouble walking & rolled on its back. It managed to right itself, but I'm now thinking its time to completely segregate the remaining chicks from each other & hope for the best.

I'd like to know what the hell is killing them off, they aren't just suddenly developing the symptoms, its over a 1 - 2 day period.

Ever since they went in their run.
Is there anything I can feed them to help? Any medication I may have on hand etc

Also , I would note these quail are dying in ascending order.... The first to die was the runt who hatched late, followed by one of the other smaller babies & now the 3rd smaller baby is sick. The other 3 healthy quail = 2 are massive & look like small adults apart from fluffy heads while the 3rd is about medium. He/ she is my only golden quail & has survived so far. All these birds were home incubated from postal eggs.

I've tried to separate one, but it cried so much I just know my DH won't tolerate all of them making that level of noise from all of them. He has already told me if they are dying, then it may just be the weak ones succumbing to the disease, but the strong ones may live.
I gave up trying to explain they are only 2 weeks old, so the likelyhood of any surviving an illness is slim. The animals are mine, he has no responsibility, nor anything to do with them except putting scraps aside from meals for the other animals.

 

[gander007]

Here I will go over how I treat my little one's after hatching them out ....
Day 1. brooder 95 F temp with newspaper on floor for first week to each their own on this chick starter mixed with medicated
chick starter for the first two weeks and water has Gro Gel B (with bacteria) 1 gallon till finished after this I put Probiotic in
water just use one packet till water is gone after this some but just a little sugar in water to get them to drink and stop after
week two ....
2. buy the end of week two the brooder is down to 90 F and the chicks stay away from heat source but the brooder is big
enough to give them running room from week 2and 3 just chick starter with turkey grow 20% protein and a wire floor to run
on to keep them clean .....
3. weeks 4,5,6 the temp is down to 80F and the birds should be full feathered by now and eating turkey grow 20 protein feed
clean water and week six the heater is turned off and are going out side for a couple of hours by week 7 or 8 these little one's
should be in a covered holding area and staying outside and handling temp's of 20 F but I usually have at least 15 chicks or
more up to 40 at times ......

I do not know if this helps and yes I do tend to change depending on the temp's here as in the summer it get's up to 120 F
and winter's down to 5 F are the most extreme I have encountered ........


gander007