Coyle chick wanderers aimlessly, pecking and sometimes squawking

[terriergal]

OK, my second batch of quails are about a week and a half old and the youngest one had a little bit of curly toes and I put tape on them for a day, and some electrolytes in the water and seemed to be doing ok until the last couple of days. It seems to have slowed its growth and it hasn’t figured out how to use the feeder ports yet so I keep putting a dish in there (they all prefer the dish of course because it’s just easier for them). But I don’t see it actually eating. It’s more like it’s just poking and moving food around.

I watched it today when it went over to the waterer and walked around the edge about eight times just squawking and touching beak to the floor and the side of the rim. Almost like it knew the water was there somewhere, but it couldn’t remember how to use the thing.

And then eventually it does drink, but then it continues wandering aimlessly and can’t seem to settle like the other chicks. The other chicks have figured out the feeder ports, but he doesn’t seem to be able to watch and learn. he is just walking around staring at the floor very closely like he’s trying to see little specs of food on the floor, but he doesn’t often actually pick them up.

Just looks unhappy, no odd movements other than very occasionally it will stumble and fall over but it does quickly itself. Of course at a week and a half old this is unusual to have balance problems, I don’t see any of the others falling over. They’re bouncing around pretty enthusiastically at times and starting to flap their stubby wings.

Poops look pretty normal. When I pick him up, he just seems more frail. The others seem like they’re filling out and have a lot more muscle already.

They are on gamebird starter, which has been run through a grinder to make it finer.
Wobbly confused coturnix chick video

 

[Nabiki]

That one doesn't look good. It's hard to see clearly with the red light, but it appears to be less than a week old based on its development. I would guess something neurological. Personally, I would cull, because I'm afraid this one's chances aren't good.

 

[Susan Skylark]

I agree with the neurological signs, could also be balance or inner ear issues or a neck problem, he’s not going to thrive in a group environment, I’ve tried and these special needs birds end up half the size, stepped on, bullied, and miserable. Culling is probably a kindness, some sort of congenital defect without a cure.

 

[terriergal]

That one doesn't look good. It's hard to see clearly with the red light, but it appears to be less than a week old based on its development. I would guess something neurological. Personally, I would cull, because I'm afraid this one's chances aren't good.

Yeah, it wasn’t any better this morning, added vitamin boosts weren’t helping. and I just don’t have time to keep worrying about it this next two weeks we have community choral concerts
On back to back weekends. So I asked my husband to cull it. So there are seven left. As you note It definitely was just not developing like the other ones. Quite stunted. It kept trying to preen its belly and then it would immediately flop over because it couldn’t maintain its balance. Sometimes it would just give up and lay there enjoying a nap on its side, but you could tell it was just having a hard time. Didn’t want it to get to where it was suffering more noticeably.