- Thread starter
- #31
WallacetheKhakiCampbell
Songster
Yes thank you! I really need to keep this in mind when culling. Ive heard of some lines that have like 20 oz birds but they have all sorts of leg problems (as quail aren't meant to be 20 oz) they are just weaker and slower. So I will definitely make sure I am careful with health. I am going to be breeding entirely for celadon first (with probably a lesser Italian color hiding recessives), then once I have 100% homozygous celadons I will breed for Italian color, then after that I will try to slowly increase size. Its not like my biggest priority but since I raise quail for meat I will just keep the largest (and healthiest) of the bunch for breeders.I am new to quail, (but definitely not new to breeding and genetics!), and I would highly suggest keeping an eye on health factors while going for this larger version of the morph. Mostly, taking the time to get animals that really thrive while moving towards the visible traits you want - rather than potentially accepting a sub-par quail into your breeding stock because it shows the visible traits you want -- even if it's a bit slower at times because you'd have to pass up on a visibly great quail that might have minor functional defects. You don't want to end up with genetically weaker animals! (Just, for example, birds that might not hatch well on their own, or seem to have health issues overall). It's likely not going to be a major problem with slow gradual increases in size, but something to watch out for in that department is to make sure they don't have any small structural problems that go along with bigger body size -- like, for example, possible hatching issues or problems with their proportions. (Limping or movement problems, etc, just for a brainstormed example.)
Just for example! It's kind of a given but sometimes people overlook health in the name of appearance and it's best not to ingrain those into a breeding line!