Color Patterns for Coturnix: A&Ms and Goldens

[Kwartel]

What do most people consider more desirable for white quail? Are solid white birds preferred or birds with the dark spot on the backs of their heads?

For Manchurian Goldens, is more dark speckling preferred or less?

I'm thinning my flock of mixed young quail and am trying to decide who to keep for breeding. They are all good looking healthy birds, so it is hard to just choose a few.

 

[Stellar]

With whites, there are two varieties, English white and the Texas A and M...the Texas A and Ms have been developed from the English whites so they will have white dots, just in stature will be larger. I have some that are all white in both varieties. It is really a preference. The dots appear with two all white birds so I just go with quality and beauty.

With Manchurians, the speckling is more favorable.

 

[shelleyd2008]

With white colored birds I prefer all-white or a very small head spot. Any that have more than one spot or a spot bigger than a nickel go somewhere else

With the goldens I like both the black spotted ones and the maroon colored ones, so not much help there

 

[joe125]

I go by size, not color.
It's a (ME) thing I guess?

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Manchurian Golds - I will be culling for size and they must have a Very Distinct Pattern of Bars and Stripes. I don't allow speckles, to me that is a different colored bird all together. Though most will not agree with me.

So just my opinion.

And my Manchurians are some of my meat birds. But I am still a little picky, to say the least.

In other words, if you are trying to select for others preferences. Good Luck. Everyone likes something different and has a different opinion.

Choose what you like. You have to live with them, take care of them, etc.

 

[Stellar]

The Manchurian Goldens have the speckling on the front and the striping on the back (almost tiger like), that is the trademark of the Manchurian Golden. Now there are color varieties within, and I will show some of my breeders both males and females that I use in my breeding.

First I will show some of my cocks:

Here is one that Shelley likes, he has a maroon coloring...this is a slight off variation of the Manchurian Golden but gorgeous

This is a young male, he has the speckling on the head and more speckling throughout. The chest is rusty colored.

Now for the hens

These pictures show what I breed for. Beautiful speckling.

This one is still young...not much speckling so not favorable BUT I can put her in a project pen because she shows potential for a color.

 

[Kwartel]

I have my eye on several good candidates and will be making the final selection in the next week or so. I have my own preferences, but just wanted to poll the audience. It's a lot easier with chickens since you can go by the book of standards and cull those that don't measure up. Fortunately, anyone that doesn't make my final cut will have another shot with some of the other quail enthusiasts in the area.

 

[Stellar]

I am curious, what are your preferences ?

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
i'd love to know that as well.
Quaillady...the 3 bird you posted looks like my baby!

 

[Kwartel]

Here are some of my young Goldens:

Here's one of the hens. She has what seems to be a normal pattern of barred feathers and lots of speckles on her chest.

I seem to have several of these lighter ones, mostly males, that aren't heavily barred. I think they're really eye-catching and will probably hang on to some of them.

Another female and a light-colored male.

Several together. I have some barred males too, and might keep one of them.

The lightest male.

I think I will keep a couple of the light males and one of the barred ones and just go case by case with the females to see which ones catch my eye. There isn't much size difference between them, other than the usual male/female differences, so I'll just have to indulge myself and pick the prettiest ones. I think for the whites, I'll go with either all-white or single spots on the head. It'll actually be harder for me to sort through the Tibetans. Instead of seeing just a boring brown bird, I get caught up in the patterns of red and grey feathers, who has the nicest white bib, etc... I only have a couple of the wild color, so I can get away with just keeping those.