My baby quail keep dying...help

[chickchick2010]

Ok, I'm having a similar issue with the coturnix quail. I have them in the brooder box and they seem to be eating and drinking but they are slowly all dying. It's as if they can't get up and walk. They don't have the spraddle leg, I have seen that and had several die from that but these just seem as if their legs won't carry them and then the next morning, they are laying in there dead. I hatched out 80 and I am down to 20. Please help!

 

[darkfur]

If something has gone wrong during incubation or hatching, or if the babies are genetically messed up, it often takes several days before they start to die. This is because they hatch with a food supply (yolk) in their tummies which can carry them over for a while, and so they don't die immediately but when this food supply runs out. In my experience day 3 or 4 is when chick mortality peaks. Without being able to see, I would hazard a guess at omphalitis (mushy navel) caused by high humidity during incubation.

 

[shesaredroan]

After following this conversation, I don't think I've learned what KIND of feed is being given to these baby quail. My bitty quail hatched Sunday June 27, the next day I made my usual run to the feed store to get chick starter, horse feed, dog food and the new one, game bird/turkey food for the bitty quail; when I got home I realized I'd forgotten the new feed on my list, game/turkey feed.....called the feed store and was told it was best to start quail off with chick start & grow until they were at least 3 weeks old. I use the medicated start & grow and my bitty quail have done fine. It was BYC that taught me to grind up the food, 'cause quail bitties are so tiny.
I hatched them out in my spare bathroom and moved them to a 60 watt heated cardboard box for a brooder right next to the 'bator. Now the little guys are jumping like pop corn and ready to go to a pen in the hen house. They will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and our mid day temps are hitting 100 degrees. Good luck, it's all a learning experience. : )

 

[chickchick2010]

Ok, first of all I started them off on the 24% protein chick, turkey and quail starter. This is all that Tractor Supply had that was higher in protein. When I bought the quail chicks, this is what I was told to feed them. These chicks are doing fine but the ones I hatched myself have done really bad. They were fine for a few days and then started dying and 1 or 2 a day are still dying. I started with 82 babies and now I have 6 left.

I have since changed the food to a higher protein food from the local co-op for game birds. I don't know what else to do. That's why I'm reaching out in hopes someone else has had this happen or knows what I'm doing wrong.

 

[shesaredroan]

mmmmm, you really are having troubles. Have you talked to your feed store about this? Or perhaps the place where you got your eggs?

 

[Denninmi]

Have you tried antibiotics? At the first sign of any trouble, I put my hatchlings on a course of tetracycline and either penicillin, streptomyacin, or a cephalosporin like cephalex. I also use an electrolyte solution instead of plain water. I just recently heard about using apple cider vinegar in the water as well, so have added that to the routine, I figure it can't hurt. Finally, I use Avitron vitamin supplement for birds in the water.

This has gotten some that were pretty doubtful to survive.

Finally, one other thought -- what are you using for bedding, how often do you clean it, and what are the conditions underneath. Mold growing in the bedding or underneath it can cause "brooder pneumonia" due to toxic mold spores.

I'm so sorry to hear you lost so many birds. It must be very discouraging. I hope you can figure out what the problem is before they are all gone.

 

[wildmountainboy]

We are having the same problem, this was our first time and we incubated 70 Pharaoh and 12 bob white. 14 of the Pharaoh hatched 6 days ago. 3 did not live long enough to make it to the brooder. and one by one they have been dying we only have 5 left.

We have marbles in their water dish and are feeding them regular chick feed from the feed store but grinding it in a coffee grinder. We add some freeze dried meal worms (Aqua Culture brand) to the mix as a protein supplement before we grind. They all drink and eat vigorously and seem pretty healthy and active until we find them dead.

Our Brooder is a 10gal aquarium with a gripy foam cabinet liner. A plant light is set up in one corner facing from the inside out and the temp fluctuates from 94* to 96* directly under the light.

9 our Bob white eggs hatched today and are almost ready for the brooder, I need to know if we are doing something wrong. or is this a normal mortality rate for quail?

 

[SSTupperware]

Interesting to know, but 250 w in Orlando will fry an egg this time of year, or maybe steam it...

 

[Ntsees]

Here's my 2 cents. If you keep them in a container that has a similar temperature to when they hatched (not too high nor too low), there shouldn't be any problem. My suggestion is try feeding them a high protein diet because newly hatched chicks need it. If they are eating and drinking fine and still kick the bucket, then I blame it on genetics. Just my thoughts.

 

[blacktop240]

I know it's a lot later... But on my coturnix quail and buttons I use blue seal high protein crumbles. I then take my small food processor and chop until it's the same consistency of my chick starter. I do not use any medicated food with my quail! After 2-3 weeks I do a rough chop then a week or so later just straight crumbles. For water they all get save a chick electrolytes for at least the first week. Then I usually switch to a regular vitamin supplement every other day. The brood is a reptile enclosure that is 3ft long x 2 1/2ft deep x 2ft tall. Temps stay in the 96-98 range until they are feathered out then dropped slowly to room temp. I have only had fatalities when my 4 yr old thought it would be funny to yell booo! Then a few cracked there heads bad and died pretty soon after. He cried and doesn't do that anymore. I handle the buttons and the coturnix and neither one are really skittish. The coturnix even jump into your hand and like to be held. Oh and they do get chick grit once feathered as well as fine crushed oyster shell for egg laying. So button 7 deaths in 2 yrs and coturnix a big 0 deaths. Hope that helps anyone having issues that finds this thread.