ANYONE? How do I know if my quail are male or female? Almost 5 wks old

[shelleyd2008]

Coturnix males say 'look at MEEEEE'

 

[BjsBestGirl]

thats so funny. i was trying to figure that out. if thats the males, the females are the ones that sound adorable. its something like "cool kite" and very gurgully lolol. i dont know, i may be off by a cylible or two.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
my coturnix must be too close to my BW it almost sounds like they are imitating them

 

[shelleyd2008]

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If it sounds gurgly they are males

 

[JJMR794]

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SOUNDS MORE LIKE A YOUNG ROO TRYIN TO SORT THINGS OUT...

 

[JJMR794]

Hens Will Make A Soft Almost Pleading Whistle Like Sound Of Ppeeeeeeeee Peee Peee Peeeeee. I Have Most Of My Breeders Do It At Laying, Almost Like The Egg Alarm Cackle Chicken Hens Do But 1000x's Less Dramatic And Boastful

 

[BjsBestGirl]

ok. i got it now i think. and for the longet time, and still now even, they sound(ed) like crickets. it was very soothing. we had them inside when they started and it out and it made me fall right to sleep. until they tried escaping, then we found a place and built them a portable home in our yard. its portable so they dont kill our grass, we move the pin every few days. i did finally see one mount another but i dont have zip ties yet. ill pick some up tomorrow so i can do this right. also, one was hurt and i figured id give it a "physical". so as i looked it over to make sure it didnt have mites, it was growing well, and wasnt hurt anywhere else, i saw its butt/vent foam. the really awewsome part is that as it did, i was also able to vent sex it. i have never been successful vent sexing until now and the reason is, because im looking for microscopic genitlia. the vent was very willing to open for me with the quail, and very large and "loose". is that bad that is was like that? it was a white quail with a patch of brown on its back about the size of a quarter and right by its eyes a tiny bit. it foamed when i barely touched its vent, and when i did, i saw what seemed like an imprint. it is very hard to explain what it looked like, but ill try..... dont laugh at me. ok it sort of resembled all the bits and pieces of a human male genetilia but upside down and built in.... not "free falling". ok, thats probably the worst description ever. i dont know..... but the foam and the crow, means boy right? and the mounting obviousely.

thanks,
christine

 

[Quail_Cottage]

Lol love your descriptions. I have 8 week old whites and tibs that I'm having trouble with. How on earth do you hold them still so you can see? Mine are so frantic when I hold them! They'll let me picktbem if they can stand freely on my hand but if I try to hold around their body they freak out. What did you do?

 

[BjsBestGirl]

I got in the pin with them so they wont fly away from me, even if they get loose from my hand. thay are awnry little buggers and they dont want to be held. i just didnt give it a choice. once you have it in 2 hande, do the following: While holding it with your right hand (if your'e right handed), place one leg between the ring finger and middle finger of the and the other leg between the middle and index finger of the left hand. This way they can flap all they want, but its not too likely they're getting away. Place your right hand on it's back with your thumb toward you. Tilt the bird forward so the fingers on your left hand are now pointing toward the floor. Using your thumb and index finger of your right hand, lift the tail feathers. for me, it was very easy to see becuse when it struggled, it foamed right away. By lifting the tail feathers, you should be able to see the vent. at this point, the tail feathers should be between your index and pointer finger of your right hand. If you know much about venting, you can do the rest from here on your own. Its after that point im just not exactly sure. I was waiting for someone to reply and confirm I was looking at a boy.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

An idea for tagging...

I use wing bands... they work very swell! (They are best used when the quail are old enough to sex, otherwise the wing is too tiny.) You can use two different colors, and each is numbered, so you can keep records better.