Urgent: Rescued wild Brown Quail eggs; Raising chicks?

[CuckooOrpington]

Hi everyone

To make a long story short, a broody Brown Quail's nest was destroyed so I put the eggs in my incubator and they hatched today. (yes brown quail is the specie name not description). There is 8 chicks, right now they are in a small brooder with a source of heat and chicken starter plus a shallow water dish. I have never raised quail, only guineas, peafowl chooks and waterfowl. I own some Coturnix but haven't raised them. Is it possible to raise these chicks so that they obtain the skills to survive in the wild? Or I'd just like some tips on quail raising in general.

Thanks

 

[DK newbie]

I'm not sure about brown quail, nor about the exact chicken starter you are using, but in general chicken starter has too little protein for quail. I'd aim for something around 25% and definitely not below 20%. And unless you are very sure the size is okay for them, I'd grind it to powder, at least for the first week or so. I use a pheasant starter for my king quail all their lives. It has 24.4% protein and the chicks do fine on this.
I know bobwhites are raised for release, so it should be possible. I'd put them in a large ground pen outside for a few weeks before attempting to release them. Keep the pen as natural as possible, with grass and such, and try feeding them local bugs and seeds as well, scattered in the enclosure, so they get used to looking for that kind of stuff rather than a food bowl when hungry.