Bobwhite gender

[mustanger]

How old are Bobwhites before you can tell their gender? I have some Butlers that are a tad over four weeks old and can't tell what their sex is yet? Can anyone please help me with this?

David

 

[aprophet]

http://texnat.tamu.edu/publications/A074.pdf

one of the neat things I found in my travels of the web

 

[JJMR794]

Mustanger You'll Have A Ways To Go Yet.... The Color Change Wont Happen Until Nearly 2/3's Or More Grown And Butlers Are Slow Growers... You Can Try To Vent Sex Them(good Luck On That! ) The Average Bob Matures In 24-28 Wks But Butlers Are The Biggest Sub Speces And Are Quite Slow To Mature, Not Uncommon For Them To Be Still Packing On The Weight At A Year Old. I Have A Covey And My Birds Gained Weight And Continued To Grow In Size Through 14 Months... Now At 20 To 24 Weeks They Should Start Making The Color Change In They Follow The Average Growth/ Maturity Curve For That Breed

 

[mustanger]

Thanks for the answers. I appreciate them. I went to that web site and found it very interesting (thanks aprophet). I expected the Butlers to be slow growing from what I have seen posted on that type bird. I see some birds that have crests. Would they likely be the cockerels? If they are, I've got a bunch of them. I wonder when they start breeding and laying those very important (to me) eggs. Will I be able to see some egg production next year? How long are they productive as layers, since they mature late? I know, that's off the gender subject just a bit, but still in the same ball park. Still looking for some more eggs JJMR794 Hint Hint.

David

 

[JJMR794]

No Both Sexes Are Crested...

 

[JJMR794]

You May See Early Laying In The Very Late Summer/ Early Fall Season But I Wouldnt Count On It. You Will Definately See Laying Next Spring. I Cannot Definiively Say How Long They Will Produce... My Oldest Are 2 Yr Old..

 

[mustanger]

My Oldest Are 2 Yr Old..

Do you normally process your oldest birds? Know of anyone that has kept them over two years? Interesting about the crests. I am somewhat relieved as I seem to see a lot of crests developing. Raising these rascals has been quite interesting and rewarding. I sure enjoy them, don't believe it is reciprocal though. They define flighty.

David​

 

[JJMR794]

David As I Am Currently Building My Covey I Only Cull Birds That Dont Make The Grade... I Know Some People That Automatically Take Birds At A Certain Age No Matter What Or How Well They Lay, I Tend To Let Them Go And Keep Laying, Since My Program Isnt Very Old I Cant Say When They Will Stop, Since I Am After The Sumo Wrestler Sized Bobs My Selection Process Is Very Strict For Size. I Can Tell You This, It Takes Forever! Lotsa Selective Breeding And Time As Nothing Happens Quickly With These Guys (except Flushing...)

 

[mustanger]

I can sure vouch for the flushing issue. I have had a few instances where the little rascals got away from the pen while I was servicing the water and feed holders. They will flush at almost no provocation whatsoever. I have been trying to use the feather coloration scheme to determine gender and I think I can see some difference. I haven't been handling the birds to see, just looking at them as they scramble around the pen. They sure are nervous critters. I have avoided the handling as it seems to make them go crazy with fear. I sure don't want to scare them to death. There is no doubt as to their wild nature. If the feather coloration is accurate, then I have some hens and that will make me somewhat happy. I have a pretty good variance in size already. How long do you let them grow before you cull for the big beasts? I figure I will have to let them become mature enough to determine gender before I make a decision as to which to keep. I also plan to cull pretty severely to get the truly large sized birds. If it means I only have a couple of pair, then so be it. I will keep on getting eggs, hatching, and growing till I get on a good path to large sized quail. Good luck with your program JJMR. Thanks again to both you and aprophet for the gender info.