Meet Tuffnut


This bobwhite quail chick (the size of a cotton ball) hatched a little over a week ago, and last Wednesday I found her lifeless on the ground in our quail enclosure - her parents abandoned her and were hunkering down in the elevated coop, likely spooked by a roaming neighborhood cat or something. I picked her up thinking she was dead, so I could bury her, and she moved ever so slightly in my hand. 

She was alive! But barely. 

I quickly sprang into action and cupped her in my hands, breathing warm air onto her. I took her inside, found an eye-dropper and tried to hydrate her with water. Then I added some egg yolk. She writhed and gasped in my hands for about an hour. Our dog Biskit sat at my feet licking her chops. "This is not a snack," I told her! 

Then, the chick started to perk up a little. I kept offering drops of yolky-water and breathing warm air onto her. Within another hour she was trying to squirm her way out of my hand. It was tough to keep hold of her but she needed the warmth. 

So I foraged through my chick-brooding stuff in the basement and found a small tub lined with sawdust. I put in a big fluffy sock for a nest, a shallow lid with water and a shallow lid with fine crumbs of food - and a heat lamp over top to keep her warm (95-100° F). 

I named 'her' (until proven otherwise) Tuffnut. 

She made it through the rest of the day and was chirping loudly, calling for momma, through the afternoon and evening. She made it through the night. I had to go to work on Thursday and leave her alone all day. I came home to hear her chirping and find her jumping in an effort to escape. She was like a little flea - ping, ping, ping, bouncing around the tub, especially if I tried to catch her. Good instincts. 

She was eating and drinking and doing great. She really likes chia seeds. Friday passed. 

Did I mention the tub was on my kitchen counter, taking up 2 square feet of the 4 square feet of counter space I have to work on? "Small kitchen" is an understatement, but that's another story! What to do?

On Saturday I did a little internet research. Could I re-introduce an abandoned quail chick to her momma? I connected with some quail breeders and rescuers. Short answer - yes! But sooner rather than later. From the kitchen counter, Tuffnut could hear the adult quails' signature call through an open window and her responsive chirping was getting louder and more desperate.

I secured the coop door so the parents couldn't 'abandon ship', and set up plenty of food and water so my interruptions would be minimal. First thing Sunday morning I tentatively put Tuffnut back in the coop with the parents. They weren't quite sure what to do at first. They were very vocal, and Tuffnut was chirping and chasing them around. I realized I was not helping matters by standing there staring at them all. So I closed the door to a sliver and watched through the crack ... about 5 minutes later the parents settled down and Tuffnut snuggled underneath momma. I checked in as unobtrusively as I could every couple of hours. So far, so good. Monday morning momma was showing good defensive instincts (puffing up and 'growling' at me.) Tuffnut was either snuggled under-wing or following their every move - eating & drinking. 

It's one week since I rescued Tuffnut. I opened the coop door this morning and they almost 'greeted' me. They were comfortable with my presence, enjoying the clover and chia seed treats I offered. I saw pinfeathers emerging on Tuffnut's wings. She's growing! 



UPDATE: Tuffnut didn't make it :( She got herself stuck inside the gravity feed container.