Quail chick suddenly died

[Lilyofsalen]

I found one chick dead on its side this morning. It looked like it went to sleep and never woke up. I understand that chicks sometimes just don't make it but I want to know a little about why it died so I may learn and better my husbandry. I'm also concerned for the rest of my chicks if this turns out to be a communicable disease.

When I look at my chicks in the evening, they have a very swollen throat area. I think its the food in their crops. This chick still has a full crop, in fact, its crop is swollen with gas to the point where there's a large gas pocket just beneath the skin. There's no pasty butt however, his vent looks swollen. Aside from this, it looks like a healthy chick. Additionally, I did not notice any symptoms before I found him.

Does anybody have a similar experience? What did you do in response?

 

[Quaicken108]

I’m sooooo sorry about the chick and for your loss.
I’ve never really had this happen to me or someone I know so I can’t be of much help. What type of quail are they? Maybe @Nabiki @Quailobsessed @Fenrisulfr @Quailophilic and others can help. Again so sorry

 

[Quailobsessed]

I'm really sorry about your chick

Because you said it has a large gas pocket, it sounds like it could be a ruptured air sac.

 

[FloorCandy]

The chick may have had a gas pocket from feed fermenting in the crop. In a live bird this is called sour crop, I believe. But the chick could have died, and the food in the crop could have begun fermenting because the chick was no longer alive to move it beyond the crop. I’m not sure if you could determine when it happened at this point. You can smell sour crop in a live bird if you smell their open mouth, it smells like yeasty sour bread dough.

 

[Nabiki]

If the chick looks like it died in its sleep, odds are good that it just failed to thrive. There's a remote possibility it was too cold. If that's the case, though, the rest of your chicks would be piling together and on top of each other for warmth. If it had been stretched out, I would suspect too much heat.

The only way to tell at this point would be a necropsy.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

I don't know why it passed but from watching my chicks today, nobody looks sick so it doesn't look like the rest are in danger. I did find it stretched out on its side but I doubt it was the heat since the chick could've up and moved to the cool side. The chick that passed could've been one of the ones that had a hard time at hatch. It had the same coloring.

 

[Quailophilic]

I don't know why it passed but from watching my chicks today, nobody looks sick so it doesn't look like the rest are in danger. I did find it stretched out on its side but I doubt it was the heat since the chick could've up and moved to the cool side. The chick that passed could've been one of the ones that had a hard time at hatch. It had the same coloring.

I am so sorry for your loss. It really hurts to lose a chick or a adult bird. I don't think it died of heat. They are more prone to dying due to cold than heat. Sometimes, the chick looks good but is weak from inside, with some infection or just malfunctioning digestive system where it cant digest food, and the foods decays within their body. So they die due to infection. Sometimes, their body doesn't accept food that is cold, i mean if water is cold, their crop doesn't let it go inside the body. If it was from assisted hatch, then it had more chances of dying. I am sorry, but it is nature's way of keeping only the best ones, so you have a better flock.thats how we evolve.
But donot worry, if your chicks are eating and have access to fresh warm water, and a cozy brooder, they all will be fine.
I had a chick that self hatched but it did not eat anything and at fourth day, it died. But now i have the best ones.
There's nothing to worry about, all of your chicks will be fine,but keep an eye on those who were assisted in hatching or late hatchers. And in future, take care not to breed any hens or roos who were from assisted hatch.