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The New ...
LELAND HAYES' FREE GAMEBIRD eZINE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS…
Dr. Hayes
I have been trying to find detailed information on hatching desertspecies of quail, Mearns, Benson, Mountain. I have all theincubation books available and the information seems to begeared for the Bobwhite and Coturnix breeder. It seems to methat the recommended humidity levels would be too high for thebirds mentioned. Is this type of information available? What areyour thoughts on this.
Thank You
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Answer: I have always ran my wet bulb at 82-3 % which is dryer than mostother references recommend. I find the chicks hatch out better ifthey are not so large and wet. They can turn in the shell easierand usually pop right out!
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Hi Leland,
I have recently incubated and hatched 10 King quail chicks. I nowhave only 2 left. They seem to have got some disease/ infection/diarrhea of sorts. I have contacted everyone I know to try and findout what happened to them, but the best suggestions were the
heat and diarrhea. It started with one chick having dark feces stuck to its vent area.Then a few more got it on their heads, then a few on their sides.It look like they were 'wet' but they weren't. Their feathers stuck to
their bodies. They were fine one minute, eating, drinking andrunning around and then the next, they were lying on their side,legs stretched out and it was a long process until they finallystopped breathing.
I have my chicks in a brooder. I feed them hand rearing mix, andground up chick starter. I am now putting 'Sulphadim' and a multi-vitamin supplement in their water. I clean their tank out every dayand make sure that I wipe up any residue left from cleaning. Ihave them on a non-slip rubber matting. I always wash my hands
before and after handling the chicks and changing their food andwater.
I hope you can help, I have more chicks due to hatch in 4-5daysand I'm really worried that the next clutch will become afflictedwith what it was that got all of my adorable little chicks.
Thanks,
Rebecka
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Answer: I am sorry to hear about your problem. Since I am not aVeterinarian I can only give my opinion. Your chicks could havewhat we call in the U.S. "Pasties" where the loose droppingscollect around the vent feathers and harden. This in effect keepthe chicks from defecating and they shortly die unless thepressure is taken off their digestive system. The remedy is to
catch the chicks and pull the ball of dropping off the vent... thefeathers will come off in the process and your fingers will getmessy. Be gentle and do not squeeze the chicks abdomen as itmay harm them. They will scream when you pull the feathers outbut it is for their own good!
I am told that this condition is caused by a bacteria in the gut. Itcould be poor nutrition also and/or too high temperature. The remedy to avoid it is to give
Terramycin or some other general antibiotic that you mayhave for the first 10 days. Do not give it longer as you will kill thegood bugs along with the bad ones. Also, feed things that willnot give them runnies which causes the condition.
Let us know what happens.
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Dear Dr. Hayes,
What is the best way to calibrate your thermometers? (i.e., how/where does one get a thermometer that you can believe is "correct")?
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My method is probably different than the method of others. Ipersonally use the long thermometers which are said to be veryaccurate. However, they do go bad with age.
To check your thermos you need a standard that is correct. I usea very good "human fever" thermometer which is as accurate asany. It is calibrated in 10ths. Put this thermometer in a glass orcup of very hot water (not over 105 degrees) and add the othersyou want to test. Each of the thermometers should read the
same if you keep the water gently circulating around all. You canquickly determine which is off too much to use.
Note: Thermometers are sensitive, do not over-heat as theelement will run out the top and break it off... I have lost severalby doing this.
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Hi, I would like to have pheasants but since my neighbors areclose, I need to know if Pheasants are noisy? What is their call?
How many can I keep in a 10'Lx25'Wx8'H ?
And also is it possible to keep them with bobwhite quails?
Thank you.
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What kind of pheasants are you wanting? Each of the specieshas a different call and personality. Most pheasants will crow duringthe mating season. I do not know if this will bother yourneighbors or not. If you get some birds I would visit my neighborsand tell them about them and invite them over to see them. They
will then be less likely to object to the noise. If they do, you are introuble.
The species you keep will determine how many you keep. Iwould not get more than a small group (one male and severalfemales) as this will cut down on noise.
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I am feeding a turkey and game bird starter to Coturnix quail andone of the little hens has laid eggs several times that has noshell. I Just put crushed oyster shell in but don’t know yet if thiswill help. Do you think this problem is in the diet or a geneticproblem? Also what are the parasites that quail can get fromearth worms, and is there any way to rid the earth worms of this
problem(red worms or compost worms). THANKS
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Answer: These quail lay and lay and lay which depletes theirsystem of the needed calcium to form the shells of their eggs. Itis strictly a diet problem. You need to close down the affectedhens laying system (do this by putting them in a dark area justlight enough for them to see to eat and drink for severalweeks). After you break the laying cycle they will have time tobuild up the calcium in their bodies. Remember that calcium
cannot be absorbed by the body unless phosphorus is availablein the correct amount. Feed a laying ration (not starter) that has thenecessary calcium / phosphorus balance which the hens arerecovering. Continue this ration during the laying season.
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How to contact me: email:
Leland B. Hayes, Ph.D.
32653 Lilac Rd.,
Valley Center, CA92082
Phone/FAX (760) 742-1173
URL
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