Lethargic Month old Coturnix Quail

[Midnightpintowo]

Hello! I am starting to raise Coturnix quail and I am so excited. I started with 3 dozen hatching eggs from a local breeder and I raised them all with no big issues. They reached maturity this summer and I ended up hatching out 60 chicks from them. However I am now running into some issues I haven't seen before.

When they were 2-3 weeks old, I had 20 seemingly health quail just die. I figured it may have been from the recent temp drop or from dehydration. (They are kept outside in a black waters trough with a 125w heat lamp and I halfway cover it to keep drafts down but still allow airflow.) So I added a lightless heater (made for 6 baby chicks) for extra warmth and a larger water container. And I added amprolium just in case. (I had used it for the 1st 7 days, as the original lady i bought the eggs off of had suggested)

After that I had no deaths for about a week. I thought I was in the clear. However, they are now reaching a month old and I had 2 more die. And the whole lot of them are starting to become very lethargic. They are eating and drinking, but they walk very slowly and sometimes they just lay down and sit there with their eyes closed. They dont run around and chirp excitedly like my last group did. I thought maybe they weren't getting enough protein so I crushed up some extra mealworms and gave them scrambled eggs, but they are turning their noses up at those now. I am not sure what to do

I feed them 24% protein feed (which I know is kind of low but I can't get higher protein feed anywhere in my area, thus trying to supplement with mealworms and eggs) and I haven't noticed any abnormal stool or weightloss. I also

 

[AltonaAcres]

What is their poop like?

 

[FloorCandy]

What is the day/night temp there outside?

 

[Midnightpintowo]

What is their poop like?

All normal. I even put them on paper towels for a bit to monitor and th re was no abnormalities

 

[Midnightpintowo]

What is the day/night temp there outside?

I've kept it at 90degrees.

 

[Midnightpintowo]

I'm actually starting to think they may have a vitamin deficiency of some sort. I've tried to attach a video of some of their symptoms, but it won't let me. They walk slowly and uncoordinated and then flop over for a bit, but then they right themselves. But they are quiet and don't fly around like I would expect young healthy quail to do. But when I put them in front of food and water they eat and drink fine.

 

[Midnightpintowo]

What is the day/night temp there outside?

Sorry, I misread the question. When I had the first group die off it was around the low 60s which made me think a draft got in or I wasn't providing enough heat for so many chicks. So that's when I supplemented heat. But it's been in the 70-80s lately, even at night. The fall weather is strange around here. But I'm constantly checking to see if they are too hot or cold and I raise or lower the light accordingly

 

[FloorCandy]

The flopping over seems very strange. Have they had any opportunity to consume any toxins? Are there plants near the enclosure that might drop leaves or seeds in?

TBH, I’m not a fan of keeping my chicks outside, even in decent temps because it’s so easy for them to get cold.The earliest I’ve put mine out is just over 3 weeks, because they were pretty well feathered.

most people strongly advise against using amprolium for quail chicks. if the chicks are not ingesting already infected feces from adults, the drug does no good. It doesn’t prevent cocci, it helps them build immunity once they are exposed. If the chicks are separated and covered, they should not have been exposed.

If I were you, I would bring them inside and see if they improve. If not, they may have picked up something outside, maybe something got near and exposed them.

 

[Midnightpintowo]

The flopping over seems very strange. Have they had any opportunity to consume any toxins? Are there plants near the enclosure that might drop leaves or seeds in?

TBH, I’m not a fan of keeping my chicks outside, even in decent temps because it’s so easy for them to get cold.The earliest I’ve put mine out is just over 3 weeks, because they were pretty well feathered.

most people strongly advise against using amprolium for quail chicks. if the chicks are not ingesting already infected feces from adults, the drug does no good. It doesn’t prevent cocci, it helps them build immunity once they are exposed. If the chicks are separated and covered, they should not have been exposed.

If I were you, I would bring them inside and see if they improve. If not, they may have picked up something outside, maybe something got near and exposed them.

They are in a giant water through with 2 foot tall sides, but they are in a metal building. They are kept away from all my other birds and plants and stuff. I also keep them on pine shavings. And I clean their waterer and feeder daily.
I'm glad you told me about amprolium. I was just doing what the seller had suggested to me.

 

[Midnightpintowo]

The flopping over seems very strange. Have they had any opportunity to consume any toxins? Are there plants near the enclosure that might drop leaves or seeds in?

TBH, I’m not a fan of keeping my chicks outside, even in decent temps because it’s so easy for them to get cold.The earliest I’ve put mine out is just over 3 weeks, because they were pretty well feathered.

most people strongly advise against using amprolium for quail chicks. if the chicks are not ingesting already infected feces from adults, the drug does no good. It doesn’t prevent cocci, it helps them build immunity once they are exposed. If the chicks are separated and covered, they should not have been exposed.

If I were you, I would bring them inside and see if they improve. If not, they may have picked up something outside, maybe something got near and exposed them.

I ended up getting some generic poultry vitamins and I'm adding them to their water. I'm alittle worried I may over supplement though. I bought nutridrench and durvet vitamins. Do you happen to know if these are any good?