My quail are dying

[byoung14ever]

I purchased a hundred quail from a hatchery. They were picked up this morning and 5 were dead. In the past 5 hours 15 more have died. Temp is 105 under heat light (red) and 90 a foot away they are not huddled like they are cold. They all seem fine and active then a couple look sleepy they lay down and die. Any body got any ideas? Got them on Game bird starter they are eating it and drinking water. Should I add some sugar? It took them two days to get here so I am wondering if they are dehydrated or starved.Any help would be appreciated. Brad

 

[Boyd]

? Not sure but I'd definately be calling the hatchery

 

[Boyd]

wait a sec, 2 day old... did you show them how to eat and drink by tapping your finger in food dish, and dipping their beaks in the water?

 

[NancyDz]

Sounds too hot to me... move the lamp away a bit, 90 would be the highest, quail dont need as high a heat as chicks. Also did you dip their beaks so they know where the water and food is?


Nancy

 

[byoung14ever]

Yes they seem to be eating and drinking o.k.The brood box is big enough for them to get out of the heat. Its weird they seem happy and energetic but every time I check on them another is laying on its side. Should I offer sugar water? how much do you mix in?

 

[monarc23]

Simply put, heat lamp too hot, and chicks only being 2 days old and shipped to you you will have casualties....I never ship that young because t hey dont handle it well normally. I'm sorry for your losses!

 

[Akane]

My quail prefer higher heat than my chicks the first 48hrs. I keep them at about 100-101 or they shiver and pile. 105 is rather warm though and 90 is rather low. Quail in my experience are slightly stupider at regulating their temp than chickens especially when you have lots together. When I had over 100 coturnix I had to actually use lower wattage bulbs so it wasn't too hot under the bulb or someone would get stuck in the middle of the light and overheat and put it multiple heat lamps so there weren't cool areas for them to chill themselves in. Nearly the whole thing was 100F anywhere you put the thermometer then 95F by day 5. Then 90F at around day 8 and stayed there for about 5 more days before I trusted them to survive in the 60F basement with heat lamps. Otherwise with cool areas and that many chicks together 20 or so would get into a cool edge or corner, start shivering, and decide to just pile and crush each other instead of moving under the heat lamp. I also ended up filling the waterers with grit because even with marbles there were large enough gaps that when they piled in the waterers someone would fall down and end up drowning. Quail don't learn to stand outside their water and drink like chickens. If they are thirsty they just all dive in and start knocking each other down. I am never raising that many coturnix chicks again. They are stupid and kill each other too easily.

Another thing is I doubt quail chicks ship as well as chicken chicks. I would never order any. I order eggs. Quail can't survive days without food and water like chickens. They start to get hungry/thirsty and pick each others feathers if left in the incubator an extra 12hrs. They are also quite sensitive to dehydration. I've lost a few adult buttons and a coturnix to dehydration when a water bottle quit working and wasn't noticed for a day. I would expect at least a higher mortality rate from shipped quail chicks than shipped chicken chicks.

 

[byoung14ever]

Thanks for help. since last post six more have died. Never seen anything like it. They are eating and drinking and seem healthy, then they lay down as if to sleep and then fall on their side and die. I adjusted temp but they are not bunching like they are cold. I think the two days in transport wore them out.

 

[byoung14ever]

They are not dying by the waters so i dont think they are drowning. I have done this before but not with this kind of loss but i incubated my own in the past

 

[Akane]

Sounds like stress from shipping and/or dehydration. I've had quail die like that and a lot of my adults did recently because a cat was getting in the coop. They will have moments of good activity, eat, drink, and seem fine but then when they stop moving they hunch down and mostly close their eyes. Eventually you find them on their sides with no obvious cause of death. Not much you can do but keep the area quiet and I might syringe some sugar water to any you see sitting still like that.