Hunchback Quail?

[Ntexdiver]

Hey there Im new to raising quail, and have done alot of research before getting into it. I just hatched off about 100 Coturnix eggs. I have several that seem to been hunchbacked and their heads seem to be permanently cocked to one side or the other. For a mental picture they look exactly how I would picture a quail version of the hunchback of Notre Dame. Any Ideas? They seem to be healthy in every other aspect, they are just as active as the rest just slightly handicapped when it comes to their looks.

[backcountry]

edited  reason my guess was wrong

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

Hey there Im new to raising quail, and have done alot of research before getting into it. I just hatched off about 100 Coturnix eggs. I have several that seem to been hunchbacked and their heads seem to be permanently cocked to one side or the other. For a mental picture they look exactly how I would picture a quail version of the hunchback of Notre Dame. Any Ideas? They seem to be healthy in every other aspect, they are just as active as the rest just slightly handicapped when it comes to their looks.

Things like this can happen if the breeders were on medication while eggs were being collected for hatching.

If you had purchased these eggs for someone that you had no knowledge of, I would ask them if the breeders were on medication, what kind of medication, dosage, and for how long. Also ask if he did suspend egg collection, how long after the end of the last dose of medication.

Worming medication and antibiotics will cause deformities.

If you know the egg seller, post in the feed back section of this forum and asked for other egg buyers' if they have had the same issues/problems that you had.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[Reeves]

There are other problems that can cause this as well.
Being away at work and not having my books with me, I cannot post as well as I would like.

I know that vitamin / mineral deficiencies in the breeders can cause this.

Also, less than perfect incubation (ie: humidity) can cause problems.


Also luck of the draw: hatch enough eggs and you'll get odd balls.

[Little Bear Game Farm]

Hatched out about 250 pheasant this year and had two hens that were like that and we also named them Quazi Moto 1 and 2.  The reason they stayed around was because of my wife and in the long run, they grew just fine and were just as healthy as the others.  Tasted the same.

[Ntexdiver]

This batch of eggs was from my breeders that have not been on any medication since their first batch of antibiotics the first week after hatch. It probably is either oddballs or as Reeves stated an incubation problem, he said possibly humidity issues, as I recall I believe I did have some humidity issues w that batch. As an update; on of them has since become kind of retarded, one leg seems to have stopped working or one side of his body I cannot tell. I have him, seperated to see if there is any change later. He's strong enough to move in and out of cover and to food and water but just uses the one good side to drag himself around. The other "hunchback" is the biggest baddest one in the pen. Im going to keep an eye on "retard" and give him a cpl more days, if no change. Off w the head and dogfood he'll become.