New quail hatchling issue....

[TwoCrows]

This is Fancy! And the Jubilee I just added a week ago is Sassy!View attachment 1406476 View attachment 1406479 View attachment 1406484

Beautiful birds! Always fun to add new members to the flock.

 

[calichicken]

@MatthewsHomestead so sorry I didn't see this until today so sorry about your babies sometimes they just dont make it inspite of our best efforts! hopefully the rest of them are doing well? And I agree...hatching your own is the BEST!!!

 

[MatthewsHomestead]

@TwoCrows I almost had an issue. Went to clean the quail coop bedding and as I removed my birds I noticed a huge red swollen looking vent. I finished up cleaning the bedding and put in the fresh along with their feed and water. As I put each bird back in I check them over thoroughly for parasites, egg bind and checked vents. The male seemed to have an "overabundance" of his white foam. Is that normal? I wish I had had my phone to take a pic but it's threatening to downpour here so didn't want to risk it. But it looked like he had "balls'. When I checked his vent, a lot of foam(that's the sperm right?) Came out and the size of the "ball" went down dramatically. When I got to the hen that had the seemingly prolapsed vent, I thought it would still be there so I could bring her in the house for pictures and possible treatment if necessary, but it was gone and everything looked normal. What was going on with that? They went from prolific layers to one or two a day layers. No changes in bedding, feed, or housing other than clean bedding once a week. I do hay because I have an overabundance of it and they can make little nest hidey spots and "run through paths". They love it compared to what they lived in when I got them. So I don't know other than it has been very wet lately. But they also have the only coop other than my chickery that stays 98% dry during all this rain we've had.

@calichicken I completely understand. I would love pointers for next time though as I'm sure this is something that will pop up in the future. What's the best kind of tape for such a tiny bird, methods, any other things you think may have helped or would have tried...? I like to use these kinds of things as learn and grow experiences.

 

[calichicken]

@TwoCrows I almost had an issue. Went to clean the quail coop bedding and as I removed my birds I noticed a huge red swollen looking vent. I finished up cleaning the bedding and put in the fresh along with their feed and water. As I put each bird back in I check them over thoroughly for parasites, egg bind and checked vents. The male seemed to have an "overabundance" of his white foam. Is that normal? I wish I had had my phone to take a pic but it's threatening to downpour here so didn't want to risk it. But it looked like he had "balls'. When I checked his vent, a lot of foam(that's the sperm right?) Came out and the size of the "ball" went down dramatically. When I got to the hen that had the seemingly prolapsed vent, I thought it would still be there so I could bring her in the house for pictures and possible treatment if necessary, but it was gone and everything looked normal. What was going on with that? They went from prolific layers to one or two a day layers. No changes in bedding, feed, or housing other than clean bedding once a week. I do hay because I have an overabundance of it and they can make little nest hidey spots and "run through paths". They love it compared to what they lived in when I got them. So I don't know other than it has been very wet lately. But they also have the only coop other than my chickery that stays 98% dry during all this rain we've had.

@calichicken I completely understand. I would love pointers for next time though as I'm sure this is something that will pop up in the future. What's the best kind of tape for such a tiny bird, methods, any other things you think may have helped or would have tried...? I like to use these kinds of things as learn and grow experiences.

I agree! I am always looking for advice and experiences of others!!! Always a great way to learn. If I have a baby with curled toes...i actually use soft craft foam to make a "shoe " I size it to the chick foot....and yes quail babies have TINY toes and feet. You want to size it with their toes extended. Then you make sure toes are flat and I actually use bandaids...cut long ways down the center so they are skinny. This allows you to remove the shoe easily...i check every 2 days for straightening and strength. The bandaid will allow the toes to be secure on the foam shoe , but not be too tight as you don't want to cut off circulation. It is important to do this ASAP after they hatch. And you REALLY have to watch them around the water because they can fall even in super shallow water and not be able to get up. They learn pretty quickly get get around with the shoe. I also put down the shelf liner...foam type not vinyl to assist with grip. You just repeat every 2 days until corrected. I have fixed toes on chicks and quail babies and it can take from 3 days to a couple weeks depending on the baby.

 

[TwoCrows]

@TwoCrows I almost had an issue. Went to clean the quail coop bedding and as I removed my birds I noticed a huge red swollen looking vent. I finished up cleaning the bedding and put in the fresh along with their feed and water. As I put each bird back in I check them over thoroughly for parasites, egg bind and checked vents. The male seemed to have an "overabundance" of his white foam. Is that normal? I wish I had had my phone to take a pic but it's threatening to downpour here so didn't want to risk it. But it looked like he had "balls'. When I checked his vent, a lot of foam(that's the sperm right?) Came out and the size of the "ball" went down dramatically. When I got to the hen that had the seemingly prolapsed vent, I thought it would still be there so I could bring her in the house for pictures and possible treatment if necessary, but it was gone and everything looked normal. What was going on with that? They went from prolific layers to one or two a day layers. No changes in bedding, feed, or housing other than clean bedding once a week. I do hay because I have an overabundance of it and they can make little nest hidey spots and "run through paths". They love it compared to what they lived in when I got them. So I don't know other than it has been very wet lately. But they also have the only coop other than my chickery that stays 98% dry during all this rain we've had.

@calichicken I completely understand. I would love pointers for next time though as I'm sure this is something that will pop up in the future. What's the best kind of tape for such a tiny bird, methods, any other things you think may have helped or would have tried...? I like to use these kinds of things as learn and grow experiences.

Sounds like typical breeding, hen gets ready to except the male, and yes this foam carries sperm. You are doing a great job watching for things!!

 

[TwoCrows]

I agree! I am always looking for advice and experiences of others!!! Always a great way to learn. If I have a baby with curled toes...i actually use soft craft foam to make a "shoe " I size it to the chick foot....and yes quail babies have TINY toes and feet. You want to size it with their toes extended. Then you make sure toes are flat and I actually use bandaids...cut long ways down the center so they are skinny. This allows you to remove the shoe easily...i check every 2 days for straightening and strength. The bandaid will allow the toes to be secure on the foam shoe , but not be too tight as you don't want to cut off circulation. It is important to do this ASAP after they hatch. And you REALLY have to watch them around the water because they can fall even in super shallow water and not be able to get up. They learn pretty quickly get get around with the shoe. I also put down the shelf liner...foam type not vinyl to assist with grip. You just repeat every 2 days until corrected. I have fixed toes on chicks and quail babies and it can take from 3 days to a couple weeks depending on the baby.

 

[MatthewsHomestead]

Awesome! Thanks for the confidence boost! with so many things going haywire it's good to know I'm doing something right.

I love your way of doing shoes! I just did the tape method and didn't really like it. I will definitely use your method next time I ever to do it.

 

[Fishkeeper]

That's how the vast majority of birds (excluding ducks) breed. They both sort of turn their vents inside out a little bit to get the sperm where it needs to be. Ducks are one of the few birds whose mating involves any actual penetration.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I would check and recheck your incubator. I've run into issues like the ones you have (curled toes, unabsorbed yolk) when my incubator was running too hot.

 

[wildone]