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[Omniskies]

Pharoah/Coturnix/etc are all the same type of quail. There are different _varieties_ of the quail (colors), but they all interbreed and are raised the same way.

The only real difference is going to be the A&M Texas quail. These were bred by A&M Texas University to be an all white meat bird and will have a different flavor than the other Coturnix - but they're still considered Coturnix quail. If you want a dark meat bird with white feathers then the British Range are for you.

Honestly, the different colors are mostly to be pretty. I've seen some people brag that the Manchurians are better layers, but that's going to be an individual strain, not the color as a whole.

Your white speckled Tibetan is probably from a mixed breeding. That or just a mutation. If you were breeding for color you'd cull him out. Unless you wanted to make him more speckled, get it to breed true and make it a new variety. I have some speckled Tibetans I'm playing around with right now

As far as the different varieties go, these are the ones I can think of offhand:

Brown (Standard color)
Manchurian/Speckled (Lighter mutation of the brown)
Ginger/Orange (Lighter mutation of the brown with no black speckles)
Tuxedo (Dark with a white throat/chest)
Tibetan (Dark mutation of the brown)
Black (Ask Sam. He's one of the few people working on this color)
British White (White with black specks on the head)
A&M White (Large white with black specks on head - all white meat)
Pied (People who have crossed whites with another color and have patchy offspring. I'm not sure anyone actually counts this as a separate variety as of yet.)

There are other funky colors and patterns people are fussing with. I have some fawn hooded whites I'm waiting on to see if I can get them to breed true and wanted to do a reverse pied using the Tuxedos, Tibetans and Manchurians (or Whites).

Good luck with your quail

 

[deerman]

Quote:
The brown were called Pharoah.
The Manchurian Gold.
XL were the larger Pharoah.

Neat to see all the changes over the year.

Jumbo Brown should get to a pound.
Agree about the A&M ,trouble with people selling the whites as A&M .

 

[Lophura]

Quote:
Not sure of the name origin, but other than the migratory Common Quail passing through, there are no quail species native to Egypt. Unless the name comes from a strain of the species developed by humans in captivity there.

Quote:
Good statement!! The species aspect is so often lost when wild galliformes are kept like poultry. The "Coturnix" Quail often kept and posted in this thread are actually Japanese Quail Coturnix japonica. All of the strains mentioned were developed from the wild species (although i'd love to see a DNA test on if the other Coturnix species were used) in captivity. I wouldn't even want to begin to think of the color combinations and local names.

For what it's worth, the others in the genus:

Common Quail Coturnix coturnix

It is possible that this species has played a part in the domestic "Coturnix" quail, but nothing to back it up. I don't know of any aviculturists working with this species.

Japanese (Coturnix) Quail C. japonica

Stubble Quail C. pectoralis

An Australian species that resembles both Japanese & Common, none in the US.

New Zealand Quail C. novaezelandiae) - extinct

Rain Quail C. coromandelica

An Indian species, resembles both Japanese & Button (white throat). Kept in European aviaries, none in the US since the 60s. Could have also been used in the domestic bred stock; many species/subspecies were crossed once the the US clamped down on easy imports in the 70s and no mates were available (the downfall of many of the "brown birds" - francolin, partridge, quail, kalij pheasants, etc).

Harlequin Quail C. delegorguei

I believe some of these were imported, but can't be for certain.

Brown Quail C. ypsilophora

An Australian species, none in the US.

Blue Quail C. adansonii

Resembles Button Quail, also think that some were imported in the US not long ago.

Chinese Painted (Button) Quail C. chinensis

Everyone's cute little favorite.

My wife tells me I have OCD when it comes to game birds.

Dan

 

[deerman]

When I got the eggs in 1964 from Marsh farms. He said they were Migratorory Quail From Egypt. Call the first ones Pharaoh,wild type.

Not sure when he import them. I hatch my first batch in June of 1964.

He started adding new colors in a few years. Wish I had some of his ads from the time, his big selling point was the size of their eggs. The fact they laid eggs at 6 weeks.

So you say coturnix came from Japan??

The ones I hatch back then looked like your first pic. as a common Quail. He called Pharaoh

 

[luvmychix]

These are the ones I have (or going to have) so far.....
1.) Brown Coturnix Quail
2.) Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail - First batch of 77 eggs In incubator
3.) Chinese Painted Quail - First batch of 45 eggs In incubator
4.) Texas A & M's - on their way
We are building a pen for each kind...

 

[monarc23]

My speckled Tibetan I am deffinatly going to try to breed for.

I love working with genetics and he may not be an "accepted' color combo, but theres always time for fun and change ha ha. I think it's pretty, esp if i was able to get more patches on the chest of a Tibetan wow that'd be pretty.

I love thenormal wild color of my Pharoahs too...all the pretty patterns and specific little feathers.

Look exactly like the wild type.

I"m still curious if my "Pharoahs' are large (reaching an lb) or if they'll be smaller, right now they're pretty big...at only a month old..s.o much more growing to do. Can't wait to see.

Pharoahs (2 are tibetans- ones the speckled)
Jumbos (one is a golden)
and my "Japanese Painted Quails"


speaking of....can a button be crossed with a coturnix??? Curious for genetic reasons only.

 

[Lophura]

Quote:
It is entirely possible that the our domestic birds are a hybrid of the Common Quail & Japanese Quail, some even consider japonica to be a subspecies of the Common Quail. As I mentioned in the earlier post, importations were fairly easy in those days and I don't question that they could have been brought into the US. Also lacking in those days and in many locations today, is the disregard for conservation and preservation. So if this guy was to bring in some of the coturnix it is completely feasiable that they were interbred with japonica or even others in the genus to create the vast color variations we have today.

Regarding the Coturnix coming from Japan, all research indicates yes. The Japanese were the first to keep the species in captivity many centuries ago and have since been used in commercial production (perhaps in conjuction with the species used in the comments above) and now domesticated. The species is very similar in plumage to the Common Quail and could be tough to distinguish.

Quote:
I wouldn't say for certain, Button Quail are sometimes placed in a different genus, Excalfactoria and they are more closely related to adansonii & delegorguei and hybrids are more likely with these species.

Some recommended books -

Johnsgard, P.A. 1988. The Quails, Partridges, and Francolins of the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Madge, S., McGowan, P. 2002. Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

Brown, D. 1995 A Guide to Pigeons, Doves & Quail, Their Management, Care & Breeding. Australian Birdkeeper, South Tweeds Heads, Australia.

Dan

 

[monarc23]

^^ thanks Dan very interesting!

 

[deerman]

Thanks Dan, I am sure the ones I got then were the common Quail.

In his flyers at the time, he told how great the wild flocks began during time of plenty. Then drop down when the droughts came.
Even talk about them During the time of the Pharoahs.

You may be right about him bring in the Japanese, Even his name he gave the golden,and dark brown.

He was also the first to sell the roll X and Turn X incubators. Now made by Lyon.

My first ones look dead on the pic. of the common.


Mighty Old One learn something new. Thanks Dan.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
My husband says I have OCD, but it stands for Obsessive Chicken Disorder...