Week old quail pecking at food but missing

[HewsQuailEggs]

I have recently incubated some quail eggs and they have all now hatched. However, one of the chicks is quite a lot smaller than the others and seems to have problems with balancing. As well as this, they spend lots of time sleeping and when they try to eat they often miss and end up pecking at the air. I have to sometimes hold them so that they are able to get to the food. They have not be injured. Please tell me what may be wrong!

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

what bedding do you use? could it be splay leg? you should try a chicken chair, to both help with balance and reaching food.

 

[WoDia]

I very recently had an extremely tiny (tinier than the usual ‘tiny’) King Quail hatch, that I didn’t believe would survive. I monitored very closely, and he’s thriving at a month old now (and, he’s still extremely tiny). I spent a lot of time ensuring that he regularly ate and drank. Keep doing what you’ve been doing, and keep guiding the chick to the food and water. Add chick vitamins for a boost. To give it a fighting chance, you’re going to have to ‘baby’ this one.

 

[HewsQuailEggs]

I very recently had an extremely tiny (tinier than the usual ‘tiny’) King Quail hatch, that I didn’t believe would survive. I monitored very closely, and he’s thriving at a month old now (and, he’s still extremely tiny). I spent a lot of time ensuring that he regularly ate and drank. Keep doing what you’ve been doing, and keep guiding the chick to the food and water. Add chick vitamins for a boost. To give it a fighting chance, you’re going to have to ‘baby’ this one.

ive been using a tonic in the water to him them a boost

 

[HewsQuailEggs]

what bedding do you use? could it be splay leg? you should try a chicken chair, to both help with balance and reaching food.

i use wood shavings

 

[nuthatched]

ive been using a tonic in the water to him them a boost

What is the tonic?

 

[HewsQuailEggs]

what bedding do you use? could it be splay leg? you should try a chicken chair, to both help with balance and reaching food.

i think that the balance problem is something to do with a specific leg as they are always hesitant to use that leg and only stand on it for a short amount of time

 

[HewsQuailEggs]

What is the tonic?

Johnsons' veterinary poultry tonic

 

[WoDia]

ive been using a tonic in the water to him them a boost

I hope you can resolve the leg issue. As long as the chick is eating, drinking, warm, and continues to get stronger, this may work out well. Please keep us updated. If the issue is spraddle leg, check out this article to help you treat it:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/splay-leg-and-spraddle-leg-treatment.78240/

 

[HewsQuailEggs]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I made a chicken seat but the chick just kept on falling out. I tried to make sure they were eating and drinking, but unfortunately they have just died. I tried to make sure that they were comfortable and they seemed to have died peacefully.