Just lost a baby quail.

[Angis BobWhites]

I am new to hatching baby quail and let me tell ya my journey so far has been a stressful one. Nothing has gone like it should. My eggs were shipped and didn't show up when expected and had to spend the weekend on a mail truck somewhere. My incubator was faulty on the humidity reading. My hatch was a full 3 days late to start and 3 of my 11 (out of 28) eggs hatched 4 1/2 days late.

I thought everything was going fine until I came home from work and found one dying. It was the smallest in the brooder but I thought it was doing fine.

I have quail feed from the ranch that sold me the eggs. So I feel confident about that. I am adding vitamins and elctrolytes to the water. But they keep pooping in their water and it smells VILE! Could this have been the reason the chick died?

My brooder temp stays between 91-95. It did dip to 89 the first night but they acted just fine. I will find them laying flat with their wings spread all over the brooder but they are in the middle where the light is shining and not in the shade that I have provided.

Do I need to change the pine bedding completely out or can I just add more to it?

After such a rocky start I was feeling so much better about things until today when I lost one of my babies.

I appreciate any and all suggestions or advice!

Thanks Angi.

 

[HunterH]

I don't know why you lost the little one, but they do need clean water...I bought 3 of the Little Giant plastic quail waterer bases with quart jars. They can't, or at least haven't, pooped in it, and they learn to use it just fine. If you're using something they can walk on, you'll have to keep it clean.

 

[Angis BobWhites]

The Little Giant is what I am using. They are standing on the marbles that I have in the trough. The majority of them were hatched on Saturday. Is it safe to take the marbles out?

 

[Fat Daddy]

The Little Giant is what I am using. They are standing on the marbles that I have in the trough. The majority of them were hatched on Saturday. Is it safe to take the marbles out?

Hello Angi, sorry bout your chick.... I have just a few comments Id like to share. First Id say you're doing fine from the sounds of it. Late birds always have the deck stacked against them from the start. Humidity wont make your hatch late.... Temp was a degree or two too cool.... If you are using a Little Giant "still air" bator.... It should be ran at 101 instead of 99.5 of a forced air model. The hydrometers and thermo that comes in the foam bators are really just paper weights and not to be trusted..... A $10 combo unit from walmart is much more accurate. The little white Springfield units are actually quite good. Try setting your water faunt at the cool end of your brooder. The birds should not be hanging around in the cool end to poop in it.... I use the quail type faunts with no marbles at all..... they run to get a drink and run back to the warm end.... Good luck... Bill

EDIT TO ADD: No matter what you do. Sometimes they just die..... nothing you did wrong, they just die..... We can just shake our head and plan what you're gonna set next!

 

[Angis BobWhites]

Well fat daddy...you were right in your assumption that my water is at the warm end of the incubator I will move it right now.

I was using a "generic" forced air incubator that I purchased off of Amazon. I wrote the company and told them about my trouble and they refunded my money. So now I have a free incubator that needs to be tweaked. I never dreamed of checking the temperature I just felt like it was right. But I am afraid that in an effort to get my humidity up that I may have drowned some of the chicks that pipped. I read that was possible. It really hurt to discard 17 potential little quail babies seeing how cute these little guys are.

Thanks for your feedback. I definitely need all I can get.

 

[Fat Daddy]

If the generic bator has a small electronic gizmo as a thermostat, It is likely made by Little Giant and re branded.... several are like "Farm Innovations" and such and they work just fine! Place your trustworthy thermometer at top of egg level and see if its consistent.... Most of the combo temp/humidity units I spoke of have a 24 hr high and low. If its not consistent with in a couple degrees, you can easily change it out for the one hova bator uses. the wafer type......

EDIT TO ADD; I much prefer this unit!