chickapooo
Hatching
- Nov 19, 2019
- 3
- 3
- 4
Hey everyone! Am new to this forum and made an account in the hopes that someone might be able to help with these issues we've been having with our Japanese quail babies.
We're still pretty new to quailing in general and hatched the first chick on Nov 10. The first 2 chicks we got died (hatched, then died, then the 2nd was born and died) a few days after hatching. I think we didn't give the first one enough heat, but with the second, we didn't want to make any more mistakes so we gave him a styrofoam box brooder with a heat lamp, shelter, and of course food and water. With both chicks, at the very last day they both appeared much more lethargic than before and would lie belly down, head on the floor/sleep a lot. They would be a lot less active and react less to be gently nudged. The second chick would also go to a corner and stick his head in the corner (possibly stargazing) and seemed to be unable to keep his head up. They would peck at food and water now and then but mainly just stay in one spot that last day. It was so sad, the second chick seemed to go into the shelter to find a quiet place to die.
We read up on everything that might be the cause of this weakness/lethargy that they displayed before death. Now we have 2 more that hatched 2 days ago and are terrified of taking them out of the incubator because it was in the brooder box that the 1st 2 later displayed these behaviours. These two new chicks seem to have some trouble standing properly/walking well - they can stand, but after a few seconds they'll fall back/"sit down". Or they'll be walking for a few seconds and then stumble backwards. Specifically, it looks like their joints between the toes and lower legs isn't strong enough to keep like a standing angle so it'll flatten out, the front of their toes will lift off the floor and they'll sit down. Other than this they seem to be active and curious, but then again so were the 2 before while in the incubator.
We really don't want to lose any more chickies. We were told there is a high mortality rate for chicks in general, but it sucks to hatch so few and lose them. Is this issue with these 2 the same as the one with the 2 that died? Is it just weakness that they'll get over with time as they strengthen their legs? Or is it some genetic thing that this batch of eggs has?
Thought it might be wry neck because of the head in corner and sitting down, but they don't twist their necks around or try to look up, they just put their heads down a lot. They also don't run backwards at all. They just sit backwards, as if their bottoms are too heavy for their legs.
Other info: we live in a equatorial, humid country, but everyone's indoors. The chicks are all almost fully pale yellow.
We're still pretty new to quailing in general and hatched the first chick on Nov 10. The first 2 chicks we got died (hatched, then died, then the 2nd was born and died) a few days after hatching. I think we didn't give the first one enough heat, but with the second, we didn't want to make any more mistakes so we gave him a styrofoam box brooder with a heat lamp, shelter, and of course food and water. With both chicks, at the very last day they both appeared much more lethargic than before and would lie belly down, head on the floor/sleep a lot. They would be a lot less active and react less to be gently nudged. The second chick would also go to a corner and stick his head in the corner (possibly stargazing) and seemed to be unable to keep his head up. They would peck at food and water now and then but mainly just stay in one spot that last day. It was so sad, the second chick seemed to go into the shelter to find a quiet place to die.
We read up on everything that might be the cause of this weakness/lethargy that they displayed before death. Now we have 2 more that hatched 2 days ago and are terrified of taking them out of the incubator because it was in the brooder box that the 1st 2 later displayed these behaviours. These two new chicks seem to have some trouble standing properly/walking well - they can stand, but after a few seconds they'll fall back/"sit down". Or they'll be walking for a few seconds and then stumble backwards. Specifically, it looks like their joints between the toes and lower legs isn't strong enough to keep like a standing angle so it'll flatten out, the front of their toes will lift off the floor and they'll sit down. Other than this they seem to be active and curious, but then again so were the 2 before while in the incubator.
We really don't want to lose any more chickies. We were told there is a high mortality rate for chicks in general, but it sucks to hatch so few and lose them. Is this issue with these 2 the same as the one with the 2 that died? Is it just weakness that they'll get over with time as they strengthen their legs? Or is it some genetic thing that this batch of eggs has?
Thought it might be wry neck because of the head in corner and sitting down, but they don't twist their necks around or try to look up, they just put their heads down a lot. They also don't run backwards at all. They just sit backwards, as if their bottoms are too heavy for their legs.
Other info: we live in a equatorial, humid country, but everyone's indoors. The chicks are all almost fully pale yellow.
