Lovely to see someone keeping quail well instead of in a tiny cage. I started raising them organically in 2000 and for a very important reason, in that their eggs have therapeutic qualities and can cure a whole raft of medical conditions and in particular respiratory ones and those centred on allergies. This was known for centuries but only recently identified as the quality of the human trypsin inhibitor in the egg white. If you are having problems with them jumping and being startled then it is possible you need to up their methionine levels by sourcing their protein more from invertebrates and making their diet less grain/legume based. However, in the films I have seen on your quail chicks, they look pretty laid back! In the wild though, when they are young, they are then fed almost exclusively on an insectivorous diet. It's true it is hard going providing it all and particularly later in getting them to lay eggs if you want them to lay on a daily basis but you will get quail that show less nervous behaviour and you will start to see their personalities developing. It took me several years to get coturnix to raise their own chicks but starting with a bantam works wonders. The chicks are quick to learn and even though precocial will attach themselves to the hen and learn to forage and how to be a parent! It's 'paleo' nutrition and a planted largish environment that brings out their latent natural behaviour. I've even been able to free-range them on occasions. Predators are a real pain, rats and cats I found were the worse here. Anyway hope this is of use and really good luck! Subbed, liked, followed on Twitter, oh and Happy New Year, Sue
