whats wrong with my quail?

[chelseylynn]

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new to the world of quail. My quail are two and a half weeks old. All seem to be thriving except for one. He just sits by himself. It's like he's rocking back and forth I haven't seen him eat or drink. He's not responsive to the other quail or myself. A wall could fall down and he probably wouldn't move. The temperature seems about right since the other quail are playing around. Any suggestions of what to do?

I'm quite worried.

Thank you everyone.

 

[James the Bald]

When you say, "the temperature seems about right", do you mean, the temperature is 85 degrees?

I haven't experienced this, but have you tried waving your hand (or finger) in front of him to see if he's aware of you? I only suggest this as it would be an indicator of blindness, which I hope isn't the case.

 

[chelseylynn]

I separated him for almost an hour. Put his on heat lamp, food, and water with him. He started chirping and looking around. Before you know it, he was running around. I put him back with the rest of his buddies and he seems good to go. I'll keep an eye on him. I just noticed how much smaller he is than the rest. so weird!

 

[SavageChick]

I hope your quail continues to improve for you. If you look through some of the older threads on these boards, you will find a great deal of information. You will also see many quail keepers recommending Poly Vi Sol (without iron), mixed with electrolytes (I've used trace mineral drops), and upping the temp a bit to kick-start a chick when it appears weak with no other known cause. Here is an interesting link that I saved off a few weeks ago, posted by Stellar, that I keep in my quail Bible.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/534405/how-to-treat-coryza-or-something-like-it-in-quail/30

Please keep us updated, as I am interested in knowing how it does.

 

[TwoCrows]

Some babies are slower to grow than the others. At 2 1/2 weeks old, the temp should still be around 85 degrees and being lowered by 5 degrees each week. Check this with a good thermometer. You can add vitamins to the water to boost the little guy up. If he appears to be colder than the others, you might want to delay the next lowering of the temp in the brooder by a half week or so. Giving him a chance to catch up with the others. If he is showing no signs of illness, than being a runt has him a bit chilled.