Quail chicks jumping

[JacindaRush]

This is my first time owning cotournix quails, they're a little over a week old with their feathers coming in nicely, I'm starting to think the bigger calmer ones are female and the resident drama queen chirping one is probably a boy. As of recently, they have all started to get very jumpy and it makes cleaning the brooder kind of difficult cause they can jump higher than my tote. What kind of container is tall enough of a brooder for them? Or how can I stop the extra jumping? I handle them daily, there's about 11 chicks and I don't see any fighting going on, they all kina enjoy settling down somewhat nearby. There's a couple small houses in there made of cardboard too.

 

[Nabiki]

You need to have a top on your brooder. They will be flying in less than a week.

 

[Mill Chick]

This is my first time owning cotournix quails, they're a little over a week old with their feathers coming in nicely, I'm starting to think the bigger calmer ones are female and the resident drama queen chirping one is probably a boy. As of recently, they have all started to get very jumpy and it makes cleaning the brooder kind of difficult cause they can jump higher than my tote. What kind of container is tall enough of a brooder for them? Or how can I stop the extra jumping? I handle them daily, there's about 11 chicks and I don't see any fighting going on, they all kina enjoy settling down somewhat nearby. There's a couple small houses in there made of cardboard too.

You should put some wire netting over top of your brooder or some kind of breathable material. Quail can fly by ten days so making a brooder is going to have to be over six feet tall to keep them in. I would recommend putting them in a large area (that you will be keeping them when fully grown) with a heat lamp.

 

[JacindaRush]

You should put some wire netting over top of your brooder or some kind of breathable material. Quail can fly by ten days so making a brooder is going to have to be over six feet tall to keep them in. I would recommend putting them in a large area (that you will be keeping them when fully grown) with a heat lamp.

There is currently a wire cover on top, I've thought about switching ot to a softer material just in case they try jumping with it on, they seem know rn when I moved the wire and try to hop out. My house is a little small for their big run and it's a little chilly outside for the babies still. I had thought about buying one of those bigger indoor pen usually meant for rabbits since it may be a good size for them till they're big enough to move into their main pen?

 

[Nabiki]

That might work for them. Personally, I keep two brooders. One is clean and I move the chicks over to that one, then clean the other brooder so it's ready when the other brooder is dirty. It keeps the escapees down since you can reach under the wire and not give them much space to hop out.

 

[JacindaRush]

That might work for them. Personally, I keep two brooders. One is clean and I move the chicks over to that one, then clean the other brooder so it's ready when the other brooder is dirty. It keeps the escapees down since you can reach under the wire and not give them much space to hop out.

That's something I've been thinking about, I've also been worried that I'll either need to get another wider brooder or divide them between two brooders as they get a bit bigger since there is 11 quails rn in the brooder. Their feathers seem to be coming in good and they're getting a bit chonky, the resident drama queen is still a tad small tho.

 

[CliftonQuail]

I do exactly what @Nabiki suggests. I have two identical totes and use a window screen mesh as a cover which is held on with binder clips. For the first week, or so, I use the blue shop paper towels to give them something to grip. After that, I switch to pine shavings to which I add some sweet PDZ.
When it's time to clean a brooder, I already have the other one set up with bedding. I also have two pieces of screen material. I'll move the birds from one brooder to the other, along with their food and water. I rarely have any escapees.