That Quail Place Forum
Production and Business => Poultry Production => Topic started by: imthequaillady on August 22, 2009, 11:36:44 PM
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s144
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The only thing that comes to mind is that they have gotten into something toxic.
Feed old or moldy ?
Water changed daily ? Water containers sterilized ?
Bright lights ?
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Thanks for responding. The feed is fresh, not moldy. The water is changed twice daily. I put electrolytes in their drinking water. The light bulbs are painted red. We are using a brooder for chickens. The lights are placed on either side of the brooder. The window is open in the brooder house for ventilation. The house was cleaned and new bedding was laid before the babies were turned loose. I ran the waterers through the dishwasher before using, so I would think they were sterilized. We are stumped as to what is causing this. We've lost 6 of 300 in this manner.
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The light bulbs are painted red.
There is (likely) your problem.
Should never paint a light bulb. Ever.
The feed stores will sell the proper ones.
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I have no idea how a painted light would make a quail blind. Red or normall white bulbs are commonly used as heat sources for brooding.
What makes you think they are blind? Without some indication as to what exactly is wrong, there is no possibility of making an educated guess at the cause.
If the birds are simply loosing their eyes or their eyes are swelling-up, the most likely problem is bullying/cannibalism.
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Reeves may be on to something there. Check to can you use to spray the lightbulbs. Be sure there is no lead base or anything else that could injure the chicks if inhaled. Heated fumes from so many different sources could cause adverse results. Manufactured red lights are not that expensive and alot safer. I would say....worth a tr. Good Luck
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Lead in paint has been illegal since before Noah was around and on a lamp paint would dry so fast it wouldn't be true. As for any toxin acting within 2 days of hatch to cause blindness and only blindness.....................
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Doesn't really sound like you're looking for help.....only ways to say "that can't be" Hope you find the help yoou need
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I merely used lead based paint as an example. Just as aspeartame that is in soft drinks, if heated, turns to formaldhyde, I meant to check all the ingrediants in the paint and their chemical reactions when heated by the light.
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6?....out of 300?
I'd almost guess that there is some sort of problem with the birds themselves, or they're just plain getting pecked/picked on.
I'd spend a 12 pack of soda pop and buy a regular red brooding bulb.
We are using a brooder for chickens.
This may be irrelevant.........I know two men who are blind from chicken manure! May want to do some research on that?
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check it out
spraying a light bulb with any paint is a hazard first of all
second it can cause noxious fumes and can harm your birds
if you only lost 6 out of 300 i think someone said well thats not bad odds but its most likely nothing to do with the light
cull them and observe whats left to make sure its not something serious
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Reeves agd2 Ghost.
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Thanks for all your input. The toxins seemed to be tar paper we lined the floor of the brooder with. When we removed the tar paper, we stopped losing birds and they're doing great now. Thaks for the help.
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How did you determine that the tar paper was the problem? How many did you loose all together out of the 300? I'd be tickled to death if I had 300 birds and only lost 20.
Loosing 10 birds per hundred isn't anything unusual in my experience. In other words, loosing 100 birds out of 1000 wouldn't be out of the norm. Anyone please correct me if you disagree.
mkey1
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Lead in paint has been illegal since before Noah was around and on a lamp paint would dry so fast it wouldn't be true. As for any toxin acting within 2 days of hatch to cause blindness and only blindness.....................
FYI :There are actually many expensive sign enamels that do still contain lead.
If the paint was dry before heated there shouldnt be much in the way of fumes,unless its a cheap 1.00 paint,burning off/smoking . Fumes are generally evaporation ,highly toxic . Generally cause rapid death.
Curious why would you put tar paper in there in the first place?Just curious...
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Not a bird expert by any means, but could it be a naturally occuring mutation as is found in some breeds of dogs ? Are you mixing the breeding stock ? Also, any fumes from any substance can irritate mucus membrances, ie, ammonia attaches directly to mucus membranes. Eye and throat irritation at even low levels, blindness and suffocation due to tracheal swelling at higher levels. Same with some paint fumes I imagine. Anyway, not a know it all, I was just thinking on the subject when I read the post. s144