Newly Hatched Death Causes?

[cowgirl11]

My first button quail eggs just hatched a few days ago and within 24 hours of being out of the incubator 3 died. Anybody have any reason why?
They all hatched on day 16 and I kept them in the incubator for 24 hours. They all stayed pretty huddled up together but the temp was 102. In the brooder they seemed lethargic and a lot weaker than the rest.

 

[matefrio]

Were they drinking\\eating? Could have been too hot?

 

[kahlertm]

Quote:
Button Quail must, really must, be removed from the incubator as soon as dry ...rather than after 24 hours. The typical 24 hour rule really only applies to the HUGE, in comparison, Chicken chick. Quail of really most if not all sorts have tiny reserves in tiny yolks compared to chickens.

If you read the stickies on quail and dos and donts of button quail within the stickies (first topic on the quail forum topic list). You will see some of this detail. Also if you read "A closer look at Button Quail" by Jodi McDonald you will find out all that you need to know on keeping these beatuiful tiny quail.

I'm sure Quail lady and Shelly or Martha, will come along and affirm this information. They were most likely lethargic and huddled due to running out of energy and hydration after such a long time in the incubator. Some can make it (accidental left in) some do not and this only one possible reason why...

Tonya

 

[kahlertm]

I went looking for your prior inquiry about taking them out of the incubator as I had remembered seeing something like that... I see that Shelly replied with 12-24 hrs. Maybe that works for her. I removed them as they dried. This...after I let the first one stay in for 12 hrs and he was weak like you described and died. So I became a believer and re-read in "A closer look". That is when I became sold on removing them as they dried.

Now I move the Coturnix out of the incubator as soon as I can as well. As soon as they are fluffy. If it is humid and hot and they are not drying quick enough, I weigh my options and move them to a good warm brooder to get them food and particularly water.

It is tough. I will go ahead and defer to the more experienced on it.

I am sorry for your loss. It is hard to loose things when you were so eager to see them thrive.

Tonya

 

[cowgirl11]

The three were not eating or drinking.. I dipped their beaks in water and they weren't interested. And they weren't dry for 24 hours. Maybe because they were sitting on top of the sponge in the incubator? The humidity was 60% when they hatched but by the time all of them were out of the eggs it went to 71% and I left it there.
Also... I had 17 eggs. 12 of these eggs completely hatched (which of 3 died) and one died in the process of hatching. The other 4 didn't even start to hatch.
Thanks for all the help!

 

[Robo]

Sometimes there are chicks that just don't make it. It can be an internal problem that you can't see or they didn't absorb the yolk sac properly...

 

[Stellar]

I mention this a lot on BYC. Quail need to be taken out of the incubator as soon as they are fluffy or if it's very humid in there, they need to be taken out sooner. Like Tonya mentioned above, they don't have the reserves like chicken and starve out or dehydrate easy without access in their brooder.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Were they huddling in the brooder or in the incubator? If they were huddling in the brooder, I don't care what the thermometer read, the temp was not high enough.

Did you grind or mash their feed so it would be small enough for them to eat it?

I move quail chicks (button or coturnix) twice a day: once in the morning and again in the evening. So the oldest ones are close to 12 hours old when they come out of the incubator.

 

[joe125]

Were they huddling in the brooder or in the incubator? If they were huddling in the brooder, I don't care what the thermometer read, the temp was not high enough.

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