Now what? Baby quail hatched from eggs saved from a construction site.

[yuppie chicks]

A friend of a friend saved a quail nest (california quail I imagine, we live in WA). He hatched the eggs using a wool sweater over a heating pad expecting it not to work. They hatched Yesterday at 5am. We offered to take them. We already have chickens and ducks for pets, and have wild turkeys and quail roaming through. My idea is to raise them until they are big enough to live on their own (is that possible after a domestic raising?)
Any advice for me starting out and what to do with them when they arrive this afternoon? It's hot outside, can they stay out during the day, in a box in the chicken tractor (without the chickens)? I plan on bringing them in at night in the pet carrier and I have a heat lamp from raising chicks. Please advise! Thank you!

 

[TerrorBird]

I don't think it's a wise idea to let them go into the wild after raising them to adulthood. I've worked in bird rehabilitation before and would recommend taking them to a wildlife rehabilitation center if you don't plan on keeping them.

 

[GrandmaBird]

you could try free ranging them but not truly turning them loose in the "wild". good luck.

 

[TwoCrows]

They are not going to survive in the wild after being hand raised and bonded with humans. And quail do not "free range" like chickens. Well, they will surely free range, but only once! They will never return.

If you are experiencing temps in the mid to upper 90's, then you can leave them outside during the day. They can not adjust their internal temps like adult poultry, so if it gets near or over 100 degrees, you will need to cool them off. If you are bringing them inside at night, start the temps at around 95, 96 degrees if they are within their first week of life, and lower the temp by 5 degrees each week.