Coturnix Male Imposter

[sbw82]

2 weeks ago I took 2 males out of my main pen because I thought there may be too many roosters per hen. The 2 have been living together by themselves while I unsuccessfully attempt to hatch some birds to keep them company. Yesterday I found a smaller size egg in with the 2 males. But, I figured one of the next door neighbor hens just got too close to the chicken wire divider and rolled an egg in on the males. Well this morning I found yet another egg in with the males and it was nowhere near the divider. So, I snatched up the 2 males and obviously one of them had "lied" to me when I separated them! She did NOT have those specks on her chest 2 weeks ago!!

 

[sourland]

That was a pleasant surprise.

 

[Dinx]

A halloween costume, no doubt. lol

 

[Del1977]

Certainly a pleasant surprise I would say. I find some of them can be a bit iffy when they reach maturity and take another couple of weeks before they really show their 'true colours'. We had a golden one that I thought was male, but like yours, sprouted some spots a week or two later. She is yet to lay but pretty sure she is a she. Her 'sister' isn't laying yet either, and they are the only two females from that batch. All the males from that batch are crowing and mounting everything in sight. We have 11 that are nearly 4 weeks, and fast outgrowing the brooder yet we really have no where to put them until we can sell off some of our males. Would like to sell them straight from the brooder, and have a buyer to take them, but don't want to accidently sell any females as we seem to hatching more males than females at the moment. Not ideal when my 12yo daughter is trying to set up a breeding business to make pocket money. Have 3 nearly 10 week old males that had a go at each other the day she was to sell them, literally while she was at school, and have now had to put them in separate pens until their feathers grow back which is taking forever.

 

[Sill]

Certainly a pleasant surprise I would say. I find some of them can be a bit iffy when they reach maturity and take another couple of weeks before they really show their 'true colours'. We had a golden one that I thought was male, but like yours, sprouted some spots a week or two later. She is yet to lay but pretty sure she is a she. Her 'sister' isn't laying yet either, and they are the only two females from that batch. All the males from that batch are crowing and mounting everything in sight. We have 11 that are nearly 4 weeks, and fast outgrowing the brooder yet we really have no where to put them until we can sell off some of our males. Would like to sell them straight from the brooder, and have a buyer to take them, but don't want to accidently sell any females as we seem to hatching more males than females at the moment. Not ideal when my 12yo daughter is trying to set up a breeding business to make pocket money. Have 3 nearly 10 week old males that had a go at each other the day she was to sell them, literally while she was at school, and have now had to put them in separate pens until their feathers grow back which is taking forever.

Especially since you are breeding to sell and want to be sure of gender don't breed quail of either sex if they don't obviously look male or female. They will pass on these traits so only breed masculine males and feminine females. I would not breed that hen that looked male until she got a few spots and layed. She should have been full of speckles as soon as she feathered out as a chick. By three weeks you should be able to tell the gender of your chicks. That is one of the perks of this color of coturnix.

 

[Del1977]

Especially since you are breeding to sell and want to be sure of gender don't breed quail of either sex if they don't obviously look male or female. They will pass on these traits so only breed masculine males and feminine females. I would not breed that hen that looked male until she got a few spots and layed. She should have been full of speckles as soon as she feathered out as a chick. By three weeks you should be able to tell the gender of your chicks. That is one of the perks of this color of coturnix.

Great tip! Thank you. Will keep that in mind. The 11 chicks that were in the brooder are now in a pen and only two are obviously female at 4.5 weeks old. Pretty disappointing. Sold 4 of the definite males yesterday. Do have one white one which could be either. Is there anyway of telling the gender of white coturnix?

That not so obvious golden coturnix is now laying along with her sister, so definitely female.

 

[Sill]

You will have to wait for gender specific behavior like crowing or trying to mate for the male or laying an egg for a female. You can also try vent sexing for white birds but they must be mature for that, generally at least 6-9 weeks so the males are producing foam. The foam gland is between the tail and vent of males and when gently pressed foam will come out of the vent. Females recently bred may have a small amount of foam, but not as much as a male can produce. Also the skin between the tail and vent will be distended and slightly red or darker pink than the rest of the skin. It's quite obvious when you see it.