Sick quail chick

[chknlover43]

I recently got five new quail chicks and they seemed to be doing fine until about two days after one of the smaller ones had started to look weak. I kept it warm and hand fed it and also gave him some sugar water and he seems to be doing a lot better but still weak. Any idea how I can give him some more help?

 

[CascadiaRiver]

Some chick-boost in the water maybe?

 

[gpop1]

You can not keep quail that way. Judging by the picture I see no heat source, a slippery floor, damp spots that will keep them cold, bird droppings that will stick to there feet and there poop doesn't look right. The container also looks to small to be used as a brooder as any heat applied at one end will not give them enough room to get far enough away to regulate there own temperature.

What are you feeding these guys?
do they have a heat lamp or a table lamp?
do they access to fresh water?
are you grinding the feed?

 

[chknlover43]

The person we got the chicks from gave us a bag of feed but i'm not sure what it exactly is. Looks like normal chick feed to me but another description would be smaller brown versions of cracked corn. They do have a heat lamp and access to fresh water. And we are grinding the feed. How do you think we could get rid of the damp and slippery spots on the floor? Would something like hay or bedding work? How big should the brooder be? As for there poop I'm not sure how it is supposed to look but do you have any ideas? Thanks for replying.

You can not keep quail that way. Judging by the picture I see no heat source, a slippery floor, damp spots that will keep them cold, bird droppings that will stick to there feet and there poop doesn't look right. The container also looks to small to be used as a brooder as any heat applied at one end will not give them enough room to get far enough away to regulate there own temperature.

What are you feeding these guys?
do they have a heat lamp or a table lamp?
do they access to fresh water?
are you grinding the feed?

 

[chknlover43]

Hmm, Maybe. Any idea where we can get that from?

Some chick-boost in the water maybe?

 

[JaeG]

Straw is a good bedding to use for them as the poop falls through and dries so they aren't coming into contact with it. Larger pine shavings are ok (small ones they may eat by accident) but you may need to fluff it up once a day as it packs down. As long as they know where their food and water is they will be fine with some type of bedding. They are messy little things! You could try cooking up some egg and feeding it to them mashed up, especially the yolk. It's a good protein boost.

 

[chknlover43]

Straw is a good bedding to use for them as the poop falls through and dries so they aren't coming into contact with it. Larger pine shavings are ok (small ones they may eat by accident) but you may need to fluff it up once a day as it packs down. As long as they know where their food and water is they will be fine with some type of bedding. They are messy little things! You could try cooking up some egg and feeding it to them mashed up, especially the yolk. It's a good protein boost.

I'm guessing newspaper isn't the best bedding then. Anyways I'll try to get some straw. Thanks for the advice!

 

[JaeG]

I'm guessing newspaper isn't the best bedding then. Anyways I'll try to get some straw. Thanks for the advice!

No, it's not the best. It's slippery for the chicks which can cause splayed legs, and it's not very absorbent. You want to keep them as dry as possible to prevent them getting too smelly, plus coccidiosis thrives in damp conditions. If your chick is still poorly then it could be due to coccidiosis, which chicks are very susceptible to. A feed store should carry medicine you could give it. Look it up online and see if the symptoms fit. You can get medicated feed which prevents it in most instances but an outbreak of it will require antibiotics.

 

[Baawking]

I recently got five new quail chicks and they seemed to be doing fine until about two days after one of the smaller ones had started to look weak. I kept it warm and hand fed it and also gave him some sugar water and he seems to be doing a lot better but still weak. Any idea how I can give him some more help?

The feed should be 28% protein for the new quail chick's till about 4-6 weeks. Pine shavings also make a good bedding or any pet bedding as long as it's not cedar chips or shreds. Tractor supply Co or pet store should have what you need. As for the bigger living quarters a tote should do until you're able to accommodate them in bigger living quarters.

Good luck!

 

[Majak5]

I heard it could be
coccidiosis. How do I treat that?