Yesterday I found a baby quail that had hatched- a day or two old. It was under mum, so I thought everything would be fine.
But today I went out and mum was outside, this baby was just away from the nest laying in its side barely moving and cold, and another baby was dead.
So I took them out, and put them under heat. The other one did not wake up but this one moved more. I have given it chick crumbs and water and sugar water. But it does not seem to be eating or drinking and it tries to move around and its head keeps bobbing a lot. The temperature is about 35 degrees c. This is okay isn't it? Does the baby sound like it will survive?
The mum was so good at sitting but as soon as the chick hatches it seems she doesn't care... I didn't want to intervene but I had to.
Please help!
Farming Friends Forum » Quail
Baby quail emergency help please
(7 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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I only have experience with ducklings.
Some birds don't make very good mothers so i would rescue them one at a time and put them in a brooder. this one may survive it may not. There maybe something wrong with the first two that the mother could sense, that you cannot see.
Just try your best, that's all you can do.
SarahSarah LPosted 1 year ago # -
Hi Sarah,
Thanks. yes that is what I was going to do, but no more have hatched yet.
At the moment (touch wood), it seems very happy running around and chirping. It has also eaten and drunk some water. Thank goodness I read the duck threads as well as this is where I got the sugar water from! :-D It's amazing what a bit of heat can do, within half an hour it looked like a new bird!
Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
from JanePosted 1 year ago # -
OH, what good news Jane .Good luck for tomorrow . Mama
Goose GirlPosted 1 year ago # -
Hi everyone.
The good news: baby 1 seems great- survived the night and is still chirping and eating and drinking
The bad news: during the night, another baby hatched but it was found at the bottom of the nest dead. It seems as if mum lets them hatch, and then doesn't care for them, and the other eggs are getting cold because they are being spread out.
So what does everyone think about taking the eggs out and seeing if we can get them to hatch?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks from JanePosted 1 year ago # -
Hi Jane,
so sorry to hear about the chicks getting cold as mummy quail is not looking after them. In all the time I have had quail I have never got any to sit. I have read that game birds are not as good mothers as hens or ducks. Guinea fowl are said not to be great mothers and I imagine the same is said for quail.
It is always good to see if mum will make a good mum as you don't know if she won't. You did right to take the chicks away and put them under a heat lamp. The brooder temperature for newly hatched quail and within the first week needs to be at 95 -100 degrees F (about 35 degrees c).
By week two the temperature in the brooder can be reduced to 90 degrees F (32 degrees C).
http://farmingfriends.com/brooder-temperatures-for-quail/
If you have an incubator I would consider getting the rest of the eggs into an incubator to see if they will finish the hatch in there, although I believe that quail tend to synchronise their hatch whilst in the shell so that all the chicks hatch at about the same time.
Good luck with the rest of the hatch.
Best Wishes
Sara @ farmingfriendsPosted 1 year ago # -
As Sara said, remove them all now as Mum is clearly not cut out for motherhood and incubate them for a few more days.
SarahSarah LPosted 1 year ago #
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