A Coturnix Quail Standard

I can understand colors being difficult. It's like having a dozen strains of meat or production hybrid chickens. Everyone wants to have their own special strain that they have worked hard to acquire.

Personally, if I came up with a Jumbo Tuxedo Manchurian I'd probably want to give it a name and brag that I'm the only one that has them. Which is probably what has happened in a lot of places - especially with the use of "Italian" (and even "Manchurian" right? I read something about that somewhere I thought...).

People do want to get mentioned but if the bird is out there with a name in the books and journals, why change it? It's so difficult to create new colors and keep up with it that if some one creates a color, I would give that person full credit. I love the colors of the cbbq and the Japanese coturnix. That's why I continue to research and study them.

That leads into another question; is a "hooded" quail possible that would breed true? Either one with a completely dark head and light body, or one with a completely light head and dark body?

Is a general "Pinto" quail possible that would breed true? Something akin to a paint horse, where there are splashes of color everywhere, but no set pattern that you can keep breeding without really introducing much in the way of solids? Or is it more like a rabbit, where the more you breed pinto to pinto the less color you get, so you _have_ to cross a solid in there occasionally to keep your color strong?

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That would look really cool. I've wondered the same thing, esp since quail are related (I understand genetic differences though) but a masked quail like what you see on the Chinese Buttons would be awesome and very striking for a Japanese, IMO

question... I read somewhere (no idea where now) that Manchurian Golds are from Manchuria which is a area in/around Northeast China..... anyone know if this is correct? and If so is that why they were named Manchurian Golds?

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I need to put a "Disclaimer" in my tag line as well.

I'm not sure where the name or "STRAIN" originally came from...I don't really care. Sorry, I don't even care that I don't care.

The fact that I have around 30 of the little buggers, means, they are not rare. They "GOLDEN", "MANCHURIA/n" or what ever you call them are a "NON-LINE" breed-able strain of coturnix. Just like the tux/power-puff/snowball/BR5479/what ever strain. They result in a 25-55% throw away strain.

All the people with the perdy pictures, don't tell you about the brown/white/Rosetta birds you will have to "Throw Away" to keep the strain going. It's really nothing in their heads, but if you want to raise some "Golden/Mancgurian" you are going get some BROWNS/WHITES in the mix, depending on which side the bw gens swing. You may even get a Rosetta...if those pattern genes are in the mix.

Didn't see that one coming...did you?

There are always throwbacks. I have my white primary pharaohs that I am working on and then the tuxedos and you get throwbacks all the time.

oh I know about the breeding etc I have Manchurian, white, and ranges.
I have always wondered why they are called Manchurian Golds rather then just golds.
I mean really... it would be so much easier to just call them Goldens for color rather then Manchurian Goldens...

I read somewhere in a book out of the UK that the Manchurian quail were quail in that area and the only thing that really separated them from others was that the specific color was just in vogue there.

I don't pretend to know anything about genetics, but I too would like to see a standard in names.

I have a couple of questions:

1. My Golden/Manchurian/Italian have totally different markings on the feathers than either the Range or the wild, more like a "v" so would that make them be a fourth pattern with the other patterns being wild, range, and white?

2. A double dilute range, or what would be called a tibetan should be dark enough to almost not see the feather pattern, is that correct?

3. I am confused about the orange/red in the range pattern because I would see more red in the rosetta, and the orange is actually more what I have seen referred to as fawn in the wild pattern. I have a fawn that looks almost silver, would a silver be a diluted fawn?

4. I have manchurians that would be considered red I think, the pattern on the feathers is completely lacking in brown and is in fact red. Am I right in this assumption?

5. I have tuxedos in the red/orange range pattern that are very well marked, but they all seem to be female. This is true with the orange/red range without white in my stock too. Is this a fluke? or a color gene that might be related to sex???

6. The biggest variation I have seen in heads is in the manchurian/italian, with some have really dark to red heads. I read somewhere (can't find it now) that one color, either italian OR manchurian has the dark heads and the other does not and that there is a slight variation in the actual feather pattern and so manchurian and italian would NOT be the same colors? I have seen a variation in feather pattern in my birds but have not compared directly.

I have pics of all of these variations in my birds if any would like to see them. I would love to learn more and try to breed true if my hubby will build me enough cages.

Is there a place now where there are definitions of standards starting or no?

Jen