Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[Lobzi]

Coturnix eggs will be painted nearly the same by each bird each day. Do the eggs you are getting all look the same or are the spots a lot different in color and shape? Can you post a picture of the birds and the eggs?

The eggs do look all the same. I will post pics when I get some. Im currently with a lap full of baby chicks so Ill post them later. Thank you for helping me solve this mystery.

 

[Lobzi]

The eggs do look all the same. I will post pics when I get some. Im currently with a lap full of baby chicks so Ill post them later. Thank you for helping me solve this mystery.

So here are some pics




Above are pics of the male



Female in two above pics

Two together; female on left



Two pics of group of eggs from incubator. I moved them around so you could see the markings on other sides

Thanks for your help in establishing if I have a pair or two females

 

[hosspak]

So here are some pics




Above are pics of the male



Female in two above pics

Two together; female on left



Two pics of group of eggs from incubator. I moved them around so you could see the markings on other sides

Thanks for your help in establishing if I have a pair or two females

It should be added that the males will have an orange colored breast w/no speckles while the female will have speckles on her breast.


Eggs don't always look alike... lol

 

[Lobzi]

The one I suspect is the male definitely has an orange-coloring on his breast and the "speckles" are more like dashes compared to the female which is larger, whiter and more covered in speckles. I mentioned that she spends much more time out and about and eating which is to be expected if she is producing eggs. The male likes to just lay around in the hay...

I want him to start mating with the female. I opened up all those eggs in the picture I presented and none had any development even after at least a week or for most even more in the incubator.
Does the male lag behind the female in maturing?

 

[orumpoultry]

My blue egg female is finally back in production. I got one yesterday, but, I was so excited I dropped it. Size wise it's not nearly as big as the others. Then again, she just started laying again for the season. This group is about to go into the freezer and I hope her genes are in the upcoming generation. Blue eggs would be awesome.

 

[JJSS89]

I've got two hens that took a few months of laying before their eggs showed any pigmentation at all. I am hatching only those eggs and trying to breed for that trait. Very pretty little blue/green eggs.

 

[dc3085]

When I last spoke with Robby at JMF I asked him about these colored eggs. White eggs from a bird that usually lays painted eggs, the blue eggs in the pic above, and the chalky eggs that show up occasionally for everyone, or other occasional odd colored eggs, are the result of the bird holding the egg too long in the ovaduct or passing it too quickly.

If a hen is stressed or scared it can keep an egg in the ovaduct longer or force it out too soon depending on circumstance. The mis-colored eggs are turned blue or purple because the ovaduct painted the shell twice, same thing with the chalky eggs except they aren't fully repainted before they get passed. Jelly eggs are typically caused by the hen being overbred or stressed, and deciding to push the next egg out in order to clear her vent. This is also most likely the cause of white unpainted eggs.

Unless the bird lays the same color of off colored egg every day, it's just a biological incident and not a gene mutation. You can however manipulate the paint on the eggs quite a lot if you work at it.

There is a white egg mutation but I'm not aware of it being in the US yet. The blue egg (celadon eggs, or (ce)) genes are here as FatDaddy mentioned before, so in the future hopefully they'll be more available.

JMF imported some eggs from Canada and after a long ordeal got a few to hatch. The eggs that hatched carry the silver genes as well as genes for a few other colors. They also possess the (ce) egg gene, although it is a drop mutation and does not pass directly from parent to offspring at this point, it will show up at random only.

I believe Robby is currently taking pre orders for the eggs from this line of bird. Orders can only be placed by phone for these eggs, and availability may be limited at first.

 

[Fat Daddy]

 

[clawstar]

i have gone thew about 6 eggs from my 3 bird flock...none have shown any signs of development

i wonder if my roo is not doing his job...

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

i have gone thew about 6 eggs from my 3 bird flock...none have shown any signs of development

i wonder if my roo is not doing his job...

How old are they? You may need to remove him a week and introduce again, might wake him up lol. If that doesn't work, I would wonder if he is fertile.
ETA there are a lot of other things to consider, what protein level are you feeding. Chicks on less than 30% develop slower. Hens may not be mature enough either.