quail chicks dying in brooder

[canepole]

hello,

I am having issues with my quail chicks dying in the brooder. I have been finding dead ones almost everyday. I believe it to be some type of disease, and not coccidiosis. It mainly affects the younger chicks but I had an older one dead today. Today i picked up a few and noticed they were spitting up some type of clear sticky liquid. The ones doing this are a bit lethargic but eat and drink. I have no idea what this might be, but they are not showing signs of any respiratory disease or coccidiosis. I have never seen this before and I was wondering if anyone else had ever had chicks discharging a clear sticky liquid from their mouths.

any information would be nice.

 

[Ilovemyladies!]

May I ask how old they are? Since it is affecting the younger ones it could mean that (if there is a disease present) they have a weaker immune system...Meaning they could possibly need antibioticpowder in their water.

I found this on Save-a-Chick powder: Helps poultry stay hydrated and healthy. Each 0.25 oz packet is mixed with one gallon of water to prepare electrolyte solution for 1 to 10 birds. Offer the mixed solution for 1 to 5 days during hot weather or stress. Make fresh solution daily.



I am not sure if save-a-chick is necessary for your chicks but it could perk them up and help them recover. You could probably buy these at a local feed store or Tractor Supply Co.



I am not sure if you could use both at the same time but I have previously used these on sick chick's and it helps quite a bit. Oh, and is there any more symptoms? And are they indoors? Or are they around older/ other chickens?





Hope I helped,
Shannon

 

[canepole]

Thanks Shannon

The quail are between one and three weeks old. They were inside, but I have since moved them outside to an outdoor brooder with a wire floor to clear the way for the fifty or so chicks I have in the incubator right now. I did not want the new chicks to catch whatever it is, if it is anything at all. I bought a new rubbermaid bin from walmart to put the freshly hatched chicks in and I have disinfected all of my waterers by soaking them in bleach and water. Hopefully whatever it is does not get into the new batch of chicks. I have seen the save a chick solution at Tractor Supply and it may help. I was thinking of introducing some sulmet or tetracycline to the water of the chicks that are outside to see if that will help. I don't want to use the antibiotics unless they keep dying and I feel it may help. I think it could be the colera that birds get, as one of the symptoms is a clear discharge from the mouth. I am about to go check on them, last time I looked the sickly birds were still eating and drinking. I hope it clears up because there are a few nice looking tuxedos that I wanted to keep in the batch with the birds who appear sickly. I just hope that it is not one of the horrible diseases that birds get that call for the whole batch to be killed.

 

[Ilovemyladies!]

Sulmet or Tetracycline would be good for them since they are outdoors. I will do some researching on cholera in chicks. Keep me posted.



-Shannon

 

[canepole]

The cycle refuses to be broken. I checked on them this morning and I had another dead. He was a younger one. I physically opened his beak and he has the clear mucous in the back of his throat. This could not have come at a worse time. I am seriously thinking of culling all of them because I have 50 chicks inside that will have to be integrated at some point. I just have no idea what it could be and since it is infectious and contagious it is a serious problem. I hope it is not a respiratory disease. I haven't seen any signs of rales or sneezing/coughing. The only symptom is lethargy and clear mucous from the mouth and not the nose at all. I would like to treat them, but since I don't know what it is I feel it would be like taking a shot in the dark.

 

[canepole]

I inspected one that looked lethargic just now, clear mucus in the mouth with a clicking sound when it opens its beak

 

[Ilovemyladies!]

Culling is something to consider. It probably is the best thing to do since "it" is refusing the medicine. It is also the most humane way of preventing their suffering. Or you could cull the young ones and try and keep the older ones since they have not been affected as badly.
So how many have been affected out of the bunch? Also, I know this is a strange question, are they struggling when they die or is it a slow death? This could help determine if it is time to cull.


-Shannon

 

[canepole]

I don't really know how many. I would say out of about fifty I have lost at least twenty in about five days to a week. They just seem to go from eating and drinking to laying down under the lamp and dying. I believe it could be fowl cholera or quail bronchitis, but I am really not sure as the only symptoms I have seen are the clear mucus in the mouth and the lethargic state they are in. They go from being fine to standing around with a droopy look with eyes closed. I have really about had enough of this to be honest, I have been looking up everything I can all day and I still don't have anything useful.

 

[Ilovemyladies!]

Well, I think it would be the best to cull, but it's your call.