Water spilled overnight/ half my chicks dying!

[CaptainCupcake]

I got up this morning to check on my day old baby quail chicks and 1/2 of them were cold and dying! The water somehow spilled into the whole tote I have them in! I moved them all back into the incubator, looks like it’s helping but I’m pretty sure I lost at least 2. How can I prevent this from happening again? I had them on shavings, and just changed to paper towels.

 

[hysop]

If you have an incubator that is up to temperature add them all in there to warm up fast and fluff back up.

I’ve had that happen before and thankfully I didn’t lose any and got them warm fast. I cried and stayed with them until they fluffed up.

I think the way I fixed it was I gave them a lot of room to where the water and free space were completely far apart. And I think I put the water on a piece of wood to keep it sturdy and not easily tipped over.

ETA: oh I just saw that you said you placed them back in your incubator.

 

[nuthatched]

How much water did you have in there? I use a mayo lid

 

[FloorCandy]

I use parakeet waterers for the initial few days. I put the little waterer(s) in the brooder, Velcro’d to the wall, and I have a pickle container lid under it with a paper towel beneath it. This way, it’s very hard to knock over, and any water they knock out as they stumble and peck around it gets absorbed by the paper towel, and the lip of the lid holds in extra spillage. The waterers are small, so even if they did knock it over, it’s maybe 4-6 ounces of water and doesn’t spread that far.

 

[Weeg]

Oh no! I am sorry! That is terrible! Here is a tip on paper towels- Paper towels should be changed frequently. Newspaper should never be used as flooring; it is not absorbent, which can expose the chicks to conditions ripe for disease, and newspaper is very slippery, which can cause spraddle leg. The most common bedding for chicks is pine shavings.
Try a shadow dish or lid. That may work better.

 

[ackie]

I put my chicks on an elevated mesh floor. The amount of poop they can peck at is significantly decreased and water would go through the floor as well. I've never had a waterer tip over from chicks though, I dont think. I usually use ceramic ramekins so they are relatively heavy and cant easily be flipped. (imagining all the chicks teaming up to flip it on purpose, popeye cartoon style)

edit to add: putting them in the incubator was absolutely the right thing to do. get them warm! is it humid in the incubator? theyd dry faster if it wasnt.

edited again to add: no one told me baby quail were ALL LEGs omg so cute

 

[Weeg]

That ramekin idea is great! I would do that, something heavy or with a wide base for unlikely spillage.

I put my chicks on an elevated mesh floor. The amount of poop they can peck at is significantly decreased and water would go through the floor as well. I've never had a waterer tip over from chicks though, I dont think. I usually use ceramic ramekins so they are relatively heavy and cant easily be flipped. (imagining all the chicks teaming up to flip it on purpose, popeye cartoon style)

edit to add: putting them in the incubator was absolutely the right thing to do. get them warm! is it humid in the incubator? theyd dry faster if it wasnt.

edited again to add: no one told me baby quail were ALL LEGs omg so cute

 

[ackie]

That ramekin idea is great! I would do that, something heavy or with a wide base for unlikely spillage.

I also put a smaller upside down ramekin in the middle of it so they cant drown.

 

[Weeg]

I also put a smaller upside down ramekin in the middle of it so they cant drown.

This is a really good idea!

 

[cinnamoncockatiel]

I am very sorry! They need to be warm and fluffy again. Keep them under heat. For my chicks first few days I give water in a plastic jar lid. Can you dry a few with a towel and the lightest blow dry setting?