Suprise! a cute thing

Let me set the stage a little:

I work for a large healthcare company. I will be traveling around to hospitals frequently, but for now I’m mostly working from one hospital. My office there is in a house across the street from the hospital and about ½ block down the street. The house used to be the office for 5 people, but now it is just for me with the occasional afternoon when my boss works form the house. Sometimes it gets very lonely. The house is moderately sized and has a pretty yard. To get to the hospital to attend meetings and such, I take a little stone path through the back yard.

The story:

On Tuesday I walk out the back door to find a mother and father quail with about 20 quail babies. Have you ever been surprised by something so terribly cute that it breaks your heart a little? Don’t be sad if you haven’t. I doubt it is a common or useful emotional experience. The quail babies are about the size of a quarter. Soooo tiny! If I was one of those people that said to cute new babies, “you are so cute I could just eat you up.” Then I could probably make that statement and then eat all of these quail babies in one bite. I brought them some chicken starter the next day, but they were not interested. What do quail babies eat?