Poorly Quail Chicks

[quail2012]

Hi,

I hatched 3 chicks a few days again, they had been fine although one had a spaded leg but it was getting better.

The first hatched quail died about 4 hours ago, it went mute towards the end.

One of the others doesnt now look too good and it looks like they all my die soon. Any help diagnose the issue and any possiable cure?????

Here are some photos its the stripy one..

 

[quail2012]

I think the stripy one is about to die. Is there anything I can do to help prevent the same from happening to the last one??

 

[TwoCrows]

Not all quail chicks make it. All you can do is, first make sure they know where the water is. And don't assume they do just because they are standing next to it. Dip everybody's beak in water and sprinkle food around the floor of the brooder till they figure out where and how to get to the food. Keep the temp at 97 degrees the first week and lower it by 5 degrees each week there after. Keep the brooder clean. Good luck with your babies.

 

[Pent]

make sure there is nothing scented in the area, general bird advise. Air fresheners, candles, scent diffusers to hide the birdy smell... Have they been pecking at anything they shouldn't be? Is the stuffed animal's stuffing possibly too close to the heat source, and perhaps starting to smell or melt? What have you cleaned the water dish with, any chemicals?

 

[jbobs]

What are your chicks eating for feed and are they actually eating it? have you observed them eating and drinking? Did you get the rocks in the waterer from a natural area, not a driveway or something where they may have come into contact with auto fluids etc and did you wash them really good before putting them in there?

Was it the one with the splayed leg that died?

It might be a stupid question but are you positive the remaining birds are actually ill? The biggest comment I get when i hatch birds in a classroom for people who have never seen it before is that they always look like they're dead or dying when they are just taking anap, which they do lots when they are very young.

 

[quail2012]

The last 2 quails died last night

All the stones, water drinker etc was scrubbed and was soaked in boiling water.

I think from doing abit of reading they had Coccidiosis (or the first one did and must have passed it on)

Thank you for you all of your advise though it is much appriciated.

 

[TwoCrows]

So sorry about your babies.

 

[quail2012]

I have had a thought, perhaps they became ill from the eggs not being cleaned?

I read alot online, some saying you should clean the eggs but then alot saying you shouldn't clean the eggs.

Out of 12 eggs only 3 hatched, perhaps the others didn't develop enough and hatch because they caught this illness?

I think for my next hatch I will ensure to clean the eggs, sterilize everything obviously, is there any special sprays etc or would boiling hot water be enough?

I have also bought some marbles for the water drinker just to rule that out.

Hopefully my next hatch will be more successful.

 

[jbobs]

no you should never clean the eggs before you incubate them, the eggs have a protective antimicrobial coating over them to prevent bacteria getting in, and if you remove it you make them more susceptible to infection while in ovo. I don't know if I would have guessed coccidiosis at this point - they were only a few days old and because there was only 3 of them they probably didn't get much of a chance to build up any feces in the brooder, which is how it spreads. they would have to be in contact with infected feces, and egg shells can be a source of it, but unless the eggs aere covered in feces it's unlikely. In order for coccidiosis to cause clinical illness the birds have to be exposed to a decent amount of it, and it takes a little while for the ingested oocysts to become active - a few days anyway. The most obvious sign of clinical coccidiosis is very bad diarrhea, often bloody, and they often go through this for several days at least before they die.

As to what your actual problem was, though, only Nature knows. Better luck next time

 

[TwoCrows]

I have never cleaned my eggs and unless they are really filthy, I don't think it is necessary. There is a natural coating on eggs to protect them. So if you do clean them, use sandpaper and only touch up the really dirty spots.

I am not so sure your babies died of cocci, as cocci usually takes a few weeks to over grow in their systems.

Quail are not like chickens and take to food and water quickly. So it is VERY important to make sure they get water as soon as possible out of the incubator. As soon as you move them to the brooder, you need to dip their beaks in the water. And repeat this throughout the first day. Quail are not all that smart and need somebody to show them where the water is.

And you also need to sprinkle food all around the brooder floor for several days til they get the hang of it. If the food is too large for them to eat, and sometimes it is, you need to crush it up to make it easier to eat.