Please help me get some answers!

[KansasKid]

Yesterday i hatched out 5 baby button quail. this morning around 4 or 5 one died. Not sure what from but was within the 24 hour mark and was understandable because i had to help one of the dark stripped ones out of the shell and i just figured that it was this one. Well now i get home from work and i have a little one who is all sprawled out and not looking real good. I have had shallow lids in the brooder with them and they occasionally walk across it and their food and peck at it and every so often i will take an insulin syringe and hold droplets at the end for them to drink/peck at so i don't think its dehydrated, was wondering if there was a possibility of it drinking too much and what would be the symptoms of that? might be a possibility of overheating because the is different temperatures in the brooder that they move through if they get hot or cold so i'm not sure.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I doubt they are overheating, they like it pretty hot. I would think maybe they're too cold before thinking they are too hot. They like it close to 100* the first week. Make sure their feed is small enough that they are able to eat it. Might help to put some vitamins in their water.

 

[KansasKid]

that one died and another one is showing sames symptoms with the added symptom of him being alert but moving almost in slow motion and not using his legs right and flipping his head back. they are already getting electrolyte and vitamin supplemented water and there food is powdered. ???

 

[KansasKid]

Ok now that one died, i'm down to 2 little button quail here now what the heck?? Whats going on??? everybody was find yesterday???

 

[KansasKid]

I'm down to one little button quail left, does anybody have any idea of what it could be and what i should do?

 

[La Mike]

Check and make sure about their water. I know when ducks waterlog that is the same symptoms.

 

[Stellar]

Stop giving them electrolytes and vitamins in the water. Cbbq are so tiny they overdose especially if they are being given gamebird starter.

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

For buttons I find it best to grind their food down small like cornmeal and scatter it all over the bottom of the cage so no mtter where they pick they will get food

For their water dish I use a pan that is filled with marbles or shiny rocks. They are interested in the shiny color and peck at them then discover there is water.

Where they huddling under the heat source? (too cold) running away from it? (to hot)

What type of bedding was being used? Things like corn cob bedding if eaten can swellup a lot and not digest well

Is there a draft on/in the brooder..... they do not do well with drafts even slightly cold breezes

When you took them from the incubator were they dry? if they were wet and went to a cooler brooder they could have caught a chill

 

[Chinchilla2]

Do not add any vitamins, minerals, or electrolytes to their water. They can OD quickly being little babies.

If you have them in a standard commercial brooder, insure they cannot access the light. Most commercial brooders or homemade brooders built on the same design aren't suitable for buttons. Quaillady had a post somewhere with a really neat brooder setup that is perfect for buttons. I can't find the link to it right now but I liked it enough that I have sicced my hubby on making me something similar.

If you are using a medicated feed, cut it down a bit or get rid of it all together at this stage. If you want to continue using medicated you need to blend it down some. Mix medicated and non-medicated at a 1 to 1 ratio and run it through the food processor to powder it. This way you do not over medicate while still providing some protection. Being so small, it doesn't take much to overdose them. Back when I had them I wouldn't give medicated to any button under 3 weeks of age and then only the blended mix for two or three days. After that, back to a non-medicated gamebird or turkey blend (anything with at least 18% protein) mixed 50-50 with finch seed. They LOVE finch seed.

Scatter some food on the floor as well as filling their bowl. Being so small they see the floor better than the food bowl and will peck at ANYTHING to see if they can eat it. This includes poop, bedding, and naturally occurring speckles on the floor. It's funny to watch two or three of them who are determined that they can peck up the discolored area from an old juice stain.

If you are adding any form of calcium to their food, insure it is NOT Calcium Citrate or Calcium Lactate. Both of these are designed for mammals, mainly humans, and not good for birds. If you are adding calcium, make sure it is Calcium Carbonate, i.e. oyster shell. Even better, take the calcium away for now.

Find a thermometer. The heat near the light should be approximately 100deg F and the area furtherest from the heat source about 90deg F. For the most part they should hang between these areas. This is also where you want to place the food and water.

If you are using a shallow container for the water, you may want to add some pretty sparkly rocks to it. Even though it may seem like they have no problems around the water, they can still be waterlogging. By adding the rocks, you prevent drowning and prevent guzzleguts from sucking it all down at one go.

 

[KansasKid]

I still have the one little blond looking one.
actually before any one said anything i got rid of the electrolytes last night because i thought it was too much but i guess the last one to day didn't get enough straight water to flush his system.
Food is powdered with a blender and is dumor non-medicated chick starter with 20% protein
Temperature is holding stable with 95 degrees on the floor of the brooder (knock on wood)
bedding is a simple dish towel and they like to crawl in the corners and snuggle up underneath it.
Every 45 minutes or so i have been going in and using a syringe and have been letting it peck at the water droplets from that (usually only 4 small drops before he stops)
The brooder is a plastic drawer with heat lamp above adjacent to my bed. no fans or anything going in there so no drafts (knock on wood again)

I hope that is was just the electrolytes that was just too much and that i have time to save this little one and prevent anything from happening to my next batch that is due the 6th (thanks quaillady for those)

O and thank you all for the Reply's!!