My first experience with coturnix quail!

[Graphite91]

lol thanks.

 

[thinkloically]

Nice!

 

[Graphite91]

Well, I'm getting really depressed. The little stargazer chick that I assisted out of her egg is really messed up. She is in the incubator with the lid cracked now, I padded it with paper towels. She just can't stand at all, she tries, but then her head starts waving side to side and she rears up and flips over onto her back. She does this several times in a row, her little legs kicking and flailing, until she exhausts herself and lays there on her back, breathing hard. I feel terrible for her and now I understand why so many people refuse to assist hatches- She obviously would not survive without constant care, and nature tends to take care of these things so the weak and messed up ones don't suffer. I will give her two more days to see if she improves at all.

 

[subhanalah]

Well, I'm getting really depressed. The little stargazer chick that I assisted out of her egg is really messed up. She is in the incubator with the lid cracked now, I padded it with paper towels. She just can't stand at all, she tries, but then her head starts waving side to side and she rears up and flips over onto her back. She does this several times in a row, her little legs kicking and flailing, until she exhausts herself and lays there on her back, breathing hard. I feel terrible for her and now I understand why so many people refuse to assist hatches- She obviously would not survive without constant care, and nature tends to take care of these things so the weak and messed up ones don't suffer. I will give her two more days to see if she improves at all. 

unless you do extensive supportive care, I would not give her two more days and do her a favor and end her suffering now.

If you choose that or the supportive care, let me know and I'll tell you what you can do

 

[Graphite91]

I really want to try and help her if I can. What do you recommend?

 

[subhanalah]

Okay, place her in a small cup to keep her upright. If she has any leg/feet problems, there are physical things you can make to help correct them (can't remember if she has this or not.)

Also, feed her either scrambled eggs, hard boiled egg yolks or liquid egg yolk from a dropper. If you use the dropped, place the drop to the side of her beak and let her lap it up from there. Don't try to force it into her open mouth.

Poultry nutri-drench is a vitamin supplement that you can give straight. But be careful, it spills easily and smells like baby vomit when you clean it up.

Dip her beak in the water every hour or two, if you can find the time, the biggest threat right now is dehydration.

 

[Graphite91]

Ok, I already have her in an empty duck-tape roll (the cardboard tube part) lined with paper towels in the incubator, it keeps her from freaking out and rolling all over the place. Her legs seem fine except for the kicking. I have been giving her water and electrolytes/B vitamin complex with a dropper. I will try the eggs next, gonna have to be liquid since she won't eat by herself at all.

 

[subhanalah]

When using the hard boiled egg yolk, you can take small pieces and place them inside her beak, she'll find out how lovely it tastes and will start snarfing it on her own, probably.

 

[subhanalah]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-a-wry-neck-chick-story-with-pics-with-update

 

[Graphite91]

The little chick who had wry neck wasn't getting better at all. If anything, she was deteriorating. She wouldn't open her eyes and seemed to be struggling to breathe. She would wave her head side to side really fast and flip over and over. She had to be constantly restrained. ...I culled her today. I know she was suffering. What I think happened was her head was pinned backwards in the egg, and her spinal cord was damaged. She was malpositioned in a way that would have made it impossible to hatch on her own. From now on I won't assist any chicks that are so badly stuck. I have learned a hard lesson.

My heart hurts...