Wet chicks

[HillGuy]

I had that happen. Wound up losing one that had splayed legs and couldn't join the wet quail ball. They were on paper towels and the waterer got bumped just enough so a slow drip started. The paper towels kept wicking water until everything was soaked. I put them on dry paper towels in another box with the heat lamp. All 17 are fine.

Now during the first week instead of using a full waterer, I only put in a little, and refill it a couple times a day, so if there is another spill it's limited.

 

[sarabeth485]

Two recovered pretty quickly and rejoined the group. I nursed two all evening with nutridrench and they stayed overnight in the incubator but they didn’t make it.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I know people always say quail chicks constantly try to drown themselves but this is the first time I’ve experienced it.

 

[Ravenlover]

Two recovered pretty quickly and rejoined the group. I nursed two all evening with nutridrench and they stayed overnight in the incubator but they didn’t make it.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I know people always say quail chicks constantly try to drown themselves but this is the first time I’ve experienced it.

I have learned to treat even the happiest chick as pure suicidal not there fault just their nature

 

[NY Coturnix]

They’re still just on paper towels. The tiny budgie waterers still have liquid and were upright so probably didn’t spill. I have a small shallow lid with pebbles and water. Perhaps the four dinks fell asleep in that and wicked water through their feathers?

I’ve given them all nutridrench with a syringe and two look pretty good so I put them back in the brooder so they don’t trample the other two in the incubator.

I swear, just when I think I’ve got it figured out.

That's one of the reason I don't like using paper towels. If a corner of the paper towel somehow comes in contact with the water it can soak it all out of the waterer and everything gets wet. I know everyone has their one favorite methods but I like the larger wood chips so they can't eat them but if something gets wet it stays in that area.

 

[FloorCandy]

That's one of the reason I don't like using paper towels. If a corner of the paper towel somehow comes in contact with the water it can soak it all out of the waterer and everything gets wet. I know everyone has their one favorite methods but I like the larger wood chips so they can't eat them but if something gets wet it stays in that area.

The first day I put a layer of paper towels, then over that, shelf liner. That way if the paper towels get wet, they’re there to soak up a spill, but the shelf liner keeps the chicks from actually touching the wet, then the next day I put the shelf liner in the wash and fold up the paper towels with the poop and food mess, and throw em away, and replace with chips.

be careful with warm water, whoever had said that. If you put the water under the heat, and it gets too warm, they try to lay in it. You don’t want the water and the rocks to be invitingly warm. If the water is tap cold and you have rocks taller than the water line, they can’t submerge themselves and won’t get too chilled, they will just put their tiny beaks between the rocks to drink. I’ve had one ever drown out of hundreds, and i found it laying on its back on the rocks, it must have been rolling and thrashing in the bowls and somehow got drenched. I put the parakeet waterers in, and I Velcro them to the brooder wall so they can’t fall over and spill, when one gets knocked over, the babies are too big for it, and I move up to a soda bottle with a drinker cup attachment, and I still put rocks in the cup part, so they can’t get their bodies or heads submerged.

 

[NY Coturnix]

The first day I put a layer of paper towels, then over that, shelf liner. That way if the paper towels get wet, they’re there to soak up a spill, but the shelf liner keeps the chicks from actually touching the wet, then the next day I put the shelf liner in the wash and fold up the paper towels with the poop and food mess, and throw em away, and replace with chips.

That's a great idea. I'll have to try that.