Quail legs

[Malmesbury]

Good day
I'm from Malmesbury South Africa. I hatched quail chickens for the first time. They hatched yesterday and they lay on their stomachs with their legs backwards. Will they get on their feet later or is something wrong?
Thanks

 

[le_bwah]

Quail aren't a type of chicken; they're quail. Something is wrong. It looks like the holes in your incubator floor are too large, and they've fallen through. If the fall injured them, or if the floor was too slippery, they could have developed straddle leg; if so, you'll need to band/brace their legs.

Quail chicks are usually up and moving within hours of hatching. If they've been in there longer than 24 hours, you need to get them out now; they aren't like chickens, and need food and water sooner after hatch.

 

[Sapphire22]

Have they fallen from above? They are really not looking good they need to hatch on a surface not suspended in the air on a rack! Please lower all those eggs before all the poor little mites die if injury or shock!

 

[Malmesbury]

Have they fallen from above? They are really not looking good they need to hatch on a surface not suspended in the air on a rack! Please lower all those eggs before all the poor little mites die if injury or shock!

Thanks a lot but they hatch at the bottom. I put them lower a few days before hatching.
Greetings

 

[Sara L]

Make sure the surface they are hatching on is not slick or slippery. It needs to have a grippy surface or the quail chicks will have leg problems.

 

[Malmesbury]

Good day
Thanks a lot

 

[Erkenstein]

You can line the bottom with rubber shelf liner with holes. Those chicks are in bad shape. You need to make some hobbles for them and hope that the problem corrects. If it does not correct, you will need to cull them.

I make hobbles with pipe cleaner: cut a piece about 5 cm long and bend the ends around each of the legs above the ankle being careful not to actually pinch the leg. Once they are hobbled, do physical therapy with them by tucking their legs up under them and supporting them from the sides when they stand. Since they can't get around well with the hobbles, make sure they are in a brooder with the correct temp and easy but safe access to food and water.

Good luck!

 

[Erkenstein]

It generally takes only a day or two before the hobbles come off but you need to do it now before their joints harden.

 

[Jus1]

something like this for them is a must for them to hatch on. This is in a homemade incubator of ours and this hatch was healthy and still thriving. The babies in your picture look in clear distress

 

[Kiki]

Have they gotten up and walked yet?
Are they ok?