How to Keep Baby King Quails Safe From Other Birds

Commonly kept as pets all over the world, king quail are the smallest of the Coturnix quails. King quail go by many names, such as Chinese quail, Chinese painted quail, and Australian quail. Native to the harsh climate of Australia it is little wonder that king quail are hardy and easy to care for. Like most quail, though, their young are rather delicate and need special attention until they are large enough to fend for themselves.

Things You'll Need

  • Draft-free room
  • Large birdcage
  • Newspaper
  • Quality quail feed mixture
  • Red light bulb
  • Heat lamp
  • Shallow watering dishes
  • Shallow feeders
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Instructions

    • 1

      The best way to keep baby king quailssafe from other birds is keeping them away from each other. Place the mother and baby quail in a large cardboard box or cage with holes smaller than ½ inch in a draft-free room. Attaching screen to the bottom and sides of the cage will ensure that the tiny quail cannot squeeze through the wire and later freeze to death. Lay newspaper sheets on the bottom of the cage floor to keep tiny feet from falling through the wire floor. Attach a heat lamp above the nesting area to keep birds from freezing. It is important that each bird can move to a cooler part of the enclosure to prevent overheating.

    • 2

      Set out very shallow saucers of water filled with pebbles. The pebbles keep baby quail from drowning. Place a good mix of birdseed, grasses and small insects in shallow dishes or scattered across the cage floor. Change the paper when it becomes soiled. Picking/pecking may become a problem with quail. If this presents a problem it is best to keep the cage area dark except for a red light bulb, this will help to disguise the color of blood on any one bird. Leave enough light that you can just read a newspaper by. Adding plenty of items for young quail to peck at will help keep injuries down. Watch closely for bloody or featherless areas on birds as these are the most likely to be attacked by curious quail. It may be necessary to remove injured animals.

    • 3

      When the quail are half grown, they can be placed in with larger birds. Ensuring they have ample hiding places in an aviary will keep bird-related mortalities to a minimum. Using bird-safe plants and small piles of limbs scattered throughout the aviary will provide areas of refuge.