Button Quail

[Stoykov]

Normally I breed and raise Budgerigars and Finches, but up until recently a friend of mine was given eight Button Quail eggs, which have now hatched. Her first reaction was to call and ask me if I would take the chicks, being a lover of birds; I couldn't say no.
I'll be getting them in a few days. I have standard 4' x 2' x 2.5' cage, which is set appropriate for their needs. After several hours of research and setup, I have concluded on one issue that I hope to be answered on this lovely website.

As newly born chicks, the only thing I am unsure of is what to feed them. I am not knowledgeable of any nearby feed stores, but there is a neighboring Petsmart that I obtain most of my supplies from. I'm wondering if there's any possible home-made recipes and/or alternative feeds available for Button Quail chicks. I have plenty of Budgerigar and Finch seeds, along with live mealworms and oyster shell grit, From my understanding the Button Quail clearly not old enough to be introduced to such food types.

Please help, is there any Home-made/Alternative foods for Button Quail Chicks besides commercial feeds?

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

I don't know much about quail, so I can't tell you what to feed them. I would recommend posting your question in the Quail section of the forums: Quail

Good luck!

 

[drumstick diva]

I agree. I'm wondering why she took the eggs if she didn't want the chicks.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. I'm a chicken person and don't know much about quail (never had any), but definitely post on our quail link that BantamLover21 provided for you and take advantage of our quail experts there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your quail.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

 

[blkjak]

We feed our button quail a mixture of chick starter, layer feed and cat food. We grind it in a coffee grinder. We bought ours as young adults though. Hope this helps.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You might want to post on the Quail forum about the chicks https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/48/quail You can get small bags (5#) of Game Bird or Chick Starter on places like Amazon or e-bay.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

Sorry, I don't know anything about quail. Definitely post in the quail section.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Tractor Supply carries small bags of Gamebird food. You can't feed them seeds and other parrot foods just yet. They need something with high protein in it to grow up big and strong.

Definitely stop by our quail section for more help with your birds.

 

[Guineagang]

If you dont have any access to game bird, turkey, chick feed etc. You can mix and grind some ordinary chicken food with some extra grains and some dog or cat food. This is ONLY in emergencies as it is much better to buy turkey, game bird feed etc. Hope this helps! It worked very well for me!