Found a young, stranded baby quail! Need help-fast!

[Tall-esRaisin]

I found a young baby quail in front of my house. I looked for the nest and mother but had no luck. I brought it in the house and put it in a big tub (with towels lining the floor) and turned on a heat lamp. I crushed up some mealworms and set them around the tub. It is very young and is walking around/hopping, but it is very wobbly! I've only cared for 1 week old chickens, so I'm not sure what to do. I'm very determined to help this chick survive, but I need help caring for it!! I have ground up chick starter food and placed water (with gravel so it won't drown) in the tub. I've submitted this in another category for extra help. Here is a picture of it.

 

[rhoffart]

I jump in ...

Heat - 90 -95 first week then drop 5 degrees per week till 75

Food - high protein 25-30% feed crushed fine for 2 weeks

Water - add rocks so it can't get wet.

good luck.

 

[loveless26]

ive heard chicken feed with meds in it can kill quails, so i feed mine game bird feed(i crush it up smaller)they drink a lot!(as well as eat a lot for the size they are) from what im seeing and they can and will flip over in to the water. so you have to keep the water bowl small >< i use a small cap and keep it filled often say ever 4 hrs i check if not more.i treat mine like i did my baby chicks besides that.

 

[Advocat]

This young, the baby may respond more quickly to eating small bugs. Ants, small flies or moths -- you can kill them with a quick "smack" and drop them near the baby and it should run snap them up.

Also, hardboiled egg -- grind the yolk and a bit of the white very fine by rubbing them through a sieve (use the back of a spoon ... sort of a "mortar and pestle" method).

You may need to dip the tip of its beak into the water so it knows what that is.

To get it to eat, tap your finger on the floor of the cage where you have put the food -- they learn where and what to eat by seeing and hearing the mother bird tap her beak where there is food.

Check the inside temperature and make sure it is around 95 degrees. If the heat lamp is not putting enough warmth, you can also use a heating pad set on Medium and place one end of the tub on that (it can stay there to keep warm or move away if it gets too warm). You may need to put at least a partial cover over the tub to hold warmth in, but need to allow some open area for air flow.

I put a small inexpensive stuffed animal in my baby's cage for him to snuggle up against.

Good luck!

 

[calichicken]

I jump in ...

Heat - 90 -95 first week then drop 5 degrees per week till 75

Food - high protein 25-30% feed crushed fine for 2 weeks

Water - add rocks so it can't get wet.

good luck.

YES to all of this! I hatch quails every year. DEFINATLY put marbles in your waterer or the baby can drown or get too cold from getting wet. I put the chick starter(non-medicated) on the floor...along with a non-slip type of liner on the bottom. They eat non-stop and grow quickly! By week 2 they are getting a lot of feathers and will be able to flutter out of your tub/container they are in. Otherwise, your baby should do fine! If it is by itself it may be lonely and cheep a lot. You can get a little fabric mouse(cat toy) for it to snuggle up to and it helps

Just make sure it is fabric and not fur

 

[clawstar]

Hi I recently hatched 2 bobwhite chicks and they look just like him...

Do you plan on keeping, releasing, or putting up for adoption?
He is a bobwhite and they do not grow that fast only coturnix

The coturnix (blond) are ownly 2 days older than the bobwhite and were born on May 31 well hatched
Pics not today but a few days ago they still look the same bu feathers in tip of wings...

 

[Tall-esRaisin]

I have placed a small stuffed toy and a small blanket (formed into a nest-like shape) in the tub with him. I have been tapping the food and water and he is eating/drinking but not much. He has regained some of his strength so he isn't as wobbly. Also he is sleeping A LOT and I'm not sure if it's normal. I'm sure it is, I'm just worried. Another question of mine is, does anyone have an age estimate? I was thinking maybe only a couple of days. Thanks for the help!

 

[clawstar]

Lets see age is 3-10 days old
Mine were about 9 I think in pic
Take a close up of wing that tells age well
Mine sleep all day and are awake near night early morning and late after noon

Go outside and listen to bird calls bobwhite make a a cool wa-pa-chi-chu type sound it is REALY weird to say or spell but is a cool sound
Anyway if the sound comes from bushes the baby may be wild if it comes from a house...

 

[claytonjoyner15]

what are you going to do when it is full grown? just wondering

 

[salsan20]

These three are 1 day old

This is 3 days old

Around 9 days old.

These are three different batches of coturnix and for me theyve developed at pretty much that rate so I would say the picture you posted is more like 1-2 days if it is coturnix rather than bob white etc.

Other thing is to keep him away from chicks or chickens as the poultry can carry diseases that are harmless to chicken but fatal to quail. More experienced people will tell you more! Certainly coturnix babies sleep lots, probably so their energy can go on growing!