Quail Chicks Randomly Dying

[CoCovey]

Hi all, I have had a horrible hatching experience with Coturnix quail and I would like to know you opinions.

For context I hatched 24 chicks, about 9 or 10 hatched with splayed leg. They where culled immediately as I don’t want those genes in my covey. At this stage I was down to about 15 or 14. On Friday I woke to find two chicks dead and a third dying. Unfortunately the third ended up passing away. I left for school and I was told by mum that another 2 had died. By this stage I was down to 9 seemingly healthy babies. I have now woken up (Saturday) to find two more dead chicks. I am giving them some standard chick crumble, supplementing them with crushed boiled quail eggs and canned tuna oil and pine shavings for bedding. Incubator was a Janoel 24S and a Comfort heat mat. When I find them dying they are stretched out and seem to be gasping. They have a constant supply of water so I doubt it is dehydration. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Stipenvlerk]

@Kiki @Nabiki Can you advise this unfortunate quail keeper?

 

[Patiocoturnix]

Hi all, I have had a horrible hatching experience with Coturnix quail and I would like to know you opinions.

For context I hatched 24 chicks, about 9 or 10 hatched with splayed leg. They where culled immediately as I don’t want those genes in my covey. At this stage I was down to about 15 or 14. On Friday I woke to find two chicks dead and a third dying. Unfortunately the third ended up passing away. I left for school and I was told by mum that another 2 had died. By this stage I was down to 9 seemingly healthy babies. I have now woken up (Saturday) to find two more dead chicks. I am giving them some standard chick crumble, supplementing them with crushed boiled quail eggs and canned tuna oil and pine shavings for bedding. Incubator was a Janoel 24S and a Comfort heat mat. When I find them dying they are stretched out and seem to be gasping. They have a constant supply of water so I doubt it is dehydration. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.View attachment 3675493

What does your waterer look like? Also regular chicken crumble or gamebird starter?

 

[Kiki]

Hi all, I have had a horrible hatching experience with Coturnix quail and I would like to know you opinions.

For context I hatched 24 chicks, about 9 or 10 hatched with splayed leg. They where culled immediately as I don’t want those genes in my covey. At this stage I was down to about 15 or 14. On Friday I woke to find two chicks dead and a third dying. Unfortunately the third ended up passing away. I left for school and I was told by mum that another 2 had died. By this stage I was down to 9 seemingly healthy babies. I have now woken up (Saturday) to find two more dead chicks. I am giving them some standard chick crumble, supplementing them with crushed boiled quail eggs and canned tuna oil and pine shavings for bedding. Incubator was a Janoel 24S and a Comfort heat mat. When I find them dying they are stretched out and seem to be gasping. They have a constant supply of water so I doubt it is dehydration. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.View attachment 3675493

1. This heat plate thing picture is what you are using?

2. Is this picture the comfort heat mat you mention?

3. Can you post a picture of the brooder the way it looks right now? I'd stop feeding quail eggs and tuna immediately.

4. The crumbled feed...did you hammer it up to make it small pieces?


5. Did the eggs hatch on time?

6. What did you have on the floor of the incubator at hatch time?

 

[CoCovey]

1. This heat plate thing picture is what you are using?

2. Is this picture the comfort heat mat you mention?

3. Can you post a picture of the brooder the way it looks right now? I'd stop feeding quail eggs and tuna immediately.

4. The crumbled feed...did you hammer it up to make it small pieces?


5. Did the eggs hatch on time?

6. What did you have on the floor of the incubator at hatch time?

1. Yes this is the heat plate im using
2. Yes it’s the mat I mentioned
3. I have taken the tuna and eggs out
4. I haven’t hammered the food up but I will
5. The eggs hatched between days 16 and 19
6. I lined the incubator with a white liner (photo below)

 

[CoCovey]

The food is a regular crumble but the people at the feed store said it would be fine

 

[Patiocoturnix]

The food is a regular crumble but the people at the feed store said it would be fine

It needs to be gamebird starter. Chicken chick starter does not have anywhere near enough protein or nutrients.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

View attachment 3675562

1. Yes this is the heat plate im using
2. Yes it’s the mat I mentioned
3. I have taken the tuna and eggs out
4. I haven’t hammered the food up but I will
5. The eggs hatched between days 16 and 19
6. I lined the incubator with a white liner (photo below)
View attachment 3675566

With the way you mentioned gasping and how deep the waterer is I’m going to say they are drowning.

 

[CoCovey]

Thank you so much! I have raised quail once before and the food seems to be the one thing that I have messed up this time round. I’ll see if I can get some today

 

[Nabiki]

I'm a bit late to the party, but here's my 2 cents.

Get rid of the heat plate. Use a heat lamp and make sure your brooder has a warm end and a cool end. The chicks will tell you if it's too hot or cold. If they're hot, they'll spread out and stretch out. If they're cold, they'll climb all over each other trying to get tot he center of the pile. You can't see this with the heat plate. From your description, I suspect your chicks are overheating.

Get rid of the warming mat. The chicks can't get away from the heat if it's too hot, and the heat can kill their toes if it's too warm and they don't get off of it. A thermometer under the heat lamp will also give you a good idea of what the actual temp is.

Make sure that you have game bird or turkey starter for them and that it's small enough for them to eat. Chicken starter will not give them the nutrition they need.

What was your humidity during incubation? Based on the number of splay legs that you reported, I'm guessing that it was well over 30%.