Quail chick in care after surprise visit

A quail chick was handed into the Napier SPCA after being found walking through a local workshop. Photo/Warren Buckland.

A Bay View worker discovered an errant quail chick wondering into his workshop this week.

The worker took the chick to the SPCA in Napier on Tuesday afternoon because it was too young to be permanently parted from its mother and survive.

SPCA animal attendant Joy Frutiger said staff were caring for the small chick by keeping it warm and providing it with food.

"We have it on a heat pad on a towel and cardboard box," she said.

The staff were feeding the chick a mash and warm-water mix as well as some grass and meal worms, Ms Frutiger said.

The SPCA would be looking for anyone with experience in raising quail to potentially provide a new home for the chick, she said.

The small chick is one of many different animals to be passed on to the SPCA's care.

Ms Frutiger said that during her three months of working at the Napier branch she had seen everything from "parrots, through to hedgehogs, through to mice".

The chick was reported to be extremely lively, running around and looking to jump off almost everything.

Ms Frutiger said the staff had decided to move the frisky chick into a cardboard box with higher walls to prevent it from jumping out.

"It's an escape artist."