Newly hatched baby quails

Perry The Pom · **Posted:** Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:34 am

G'day
My quail eggs have hatched but 50% of the baby quails cannot walk. Their legs stick out from the side of their bodies. They seem healthy but craw around the brood box.
Any ideas as to what has happened?
Cheers

Rhode Red · **Posted:** Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:11 am

Hi Perry,
Soory to here about you hatching issues.

I hatched 4 King quails out in an incubator 3 weeks ago. I ended up with a bend/funny leg

. I think my issue was more that they hatched in the auto turning tray and that one got caught up in the tray. My daughters would not let me dispose of the little guy :-?

. Right or wrong he (I think it is a male) jumps around on the good leg and is growing as good as the others. I must be getting soft in my old age.
I have had a few chicks hatched with this issue, I generally put in down to incorrect humidity with the chick taking too long to hatch out, but think there any be a nutrition issue also involved. I generally dispose of these prior to vaccinating and putting the chicks into the brooder. This may be your option here for these poor little ones.
Have a read of some of the threads in the Incubation topics.

Yesterday the mother of 3 of the about mentioned young hatched out 12 from 12 eggs. She is a great mother covering them, with the male keeping guard and parenting the little ones this morning. The joys of nature.

Rhode Red

Perry The Pom · **Posted:** Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:11 pm

G'day Rhode Red,
The ones that were crawling around have died. Their legs were straight out beside their bodies and the moved around on their bellies.
I have more eggs to put in my incubator but am afraid as I do not want the same thing to happen. I can't stand seeing anything suffer.
I will have to keep looking until I find out what went wrong.
Cheers Perry

farmerpaul · **Joined:** Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:41 pm **Posts:** 1

I was told this happens because they cannot grip to the floor on the incubator so I used none slip mat from bunnings and it did seem to make a difference well at least for the last bunch I hatched out

Chukar · **Posted:** Tue Oct 23, 2012 8:36 pm

That is one reason also if the humidity is too high that can do it too. Have you tried the brace http://www.peacocksaustralia.com/crooke ... dlegs.html

Perry The Pom · **Posted:** Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:15 am

G'day,
The leg brace seems the way to go. It is too late now for the quails that died. I am putting more eggs in the incubator today so if the problem arise again I will use the leg brace.
Thank you all for your help.
Cheers Perry

Chukar · **Posted:** Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:57 pm

I have used the brace for Kings and Browns and it works but you have to put it on asap when they hatch

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