Help! I can’t figure out what my quail are!

[Poppy91]

Hi guys!

I’m so new to quail I have only had them for about 2 weeks now. I have 12 chicks (2 wks old) and 4 “ready to lay”.

I know I can’t sex the chicks until they are about 6 weeks old but I am SOO confused on my 4 layers I don’t have a clue what I have! Could anyone please help?

I have 2 that are Pharoahs or the natural color and 2 that I think are Goldens? (Not sure) I have 4 total and for the last 2 weeks I have only gotten 2 eggs a day...so I’m assuming 2 are Roos right? One golden is super feisty and Mean, chases the others and basically stripped the other Golden of most feathers off its back and neck. So I separated that one.. it’s been alone for 4 days and no eggs so I’m assume that’s a male? Now the other 3 remaining I’m still only getting 2 eggs a day.

Since I’m so new to quail I’m having a hard time by the feathers so i watched I don’t know how many videos and read a pile of articles about vent sexing... so I tried that.... 3 times! I have no idea what I’m looking at! No foam on any of them even the one I separated that I’m sure is a male. I think he was crowing yesterday.but I’m not even certain it was a crow as I’ve never heard one before Maybe are they still to young to tell? I really need some help here!!!

I’d like to learn how to tell them apart before these 12 chicks are old enough so I don’t struggle and end up housing 5 roosters to 1 hen lol by feathers I know males Re more rusty color and don’t have as many or any speckles on the chest but man oh man I can’t tell between the lot of them!

Would it help if I posted pictures of them?
Sorry to ramble! I’m just getting so frustrated!

I’m really looking forward to everyone’s help! Thank you!

 

[Quailguy728]

yep thats a roo 100% that feather plucking is all part of their sick birdy foreplay.

Are the Goldens white chested with a gold kind of trim? They may be males. That one is for sure.

If you're able to post pictures, we should be able to help you sex your older ones. They may need to be vent sexed though. Everything but the classic pharaoh feathering is a little hard to tell just by first glance. You usually have to get under the hood.

 

[Quailguy728]

how old are the layers though? Cause 1 or 2 could be roos that dont foam yet as theyre still on the cusp of age.

 

[Poppy91]

Ok awesome thank you! I’ll post pictures tomorrow morning Yes they all seem to have speckled chests with rusty colourd trim! I thought I had them figured out, boy did they prove me wrong!
I tried vent sexing 3 times. I’m useless at it! Maybe to young to be obvious? I’m not sure the exact age I asked the breeder I bought them from and she said she hatches 200+ a week and couldn’t give me an exact date but they should be between 6-8 weeks old

 

[Quailguy728]

Sorry to triple post on your thread, but it also occurred to me that they may still be adjusting to their new home. (that one does sound like a male though, which may be a lucky break for you if youre okay with the male. 3:1 IS the best ratio i hear for fertile eggs)

When i first brought my older flock home, they laid 5 eggs in the car on the way home, and i had another couple days after like that, and then they stopped. And then a few days later, they were back laying again.

I'm sure diet isnt the issue if the other 2 are laying. Oyster/egg shell makes a big difference though, they really need that calcium.

More people that know more than I do will 'chirp' in soon, I'm sure.

 

[Quailguy728]

Ok awesome thank you! I’ll post pictures tomorrow morning Yes they all seem to have speckled chests with rusty colourd trim! I thought I had them figured out, boy did they prove me wrong!
I tried vent sexing 3 times. I’m useless at it! Maybe to young to be obvious? I’m not sure the exact age I asked the breeder I bought them from and she said she hatches 200+ a week and couldn’t give me an exact date but they should be between 6-8 weeks old

The males kind of have like a little bulge on the (from your view if you hold him backwards--- the bottom) top of the vent, pressure applied here should cause foaming if they're male. They could still need a few more days or weeks for that to become really obvious if they're that young. (MAYBE you can vent sex them young? But i would suspect they would need time to sexual mature before it becomes clear even looking at the region)

 

[Poppy91]

Thanks for all your help so far!! I was able to snap a few photos at the moment! I did tell her I was hoping to get A male so I’m assuming the 1 is a male especially now comparing photos! Let me know what you guys think!? I never thought about them maybe being stressed and that’s why no eggs, I never had that issue with my chickens!

Yes they are on high protein turkey starter. And I also give them some veggies and their egg shells back that they go crazy on!

The 1 is very bald and very beat up the poor thing!

Let me know what you guys think! I’ll wtite my “guess” with each picture..

Female? Has lots of speckles but also very rusty coloured which is hard to see in the photo

No idea!! This is the other lighter one that got really beaten up bad lots of speckles but also very rusty coloured

Female

Male

 

[Poppy91]

Sorry to post twice, I forget these photos... here are the 2 color variations I have.. ignore the cages lol it’s all I had on hand quickly to separate them from beating each other silly

 

[Quailguy728]

I think you have it pretty accurate. I have 2 chicks in my brooder that are that golden colour as well. they're all just a little over 2 weeks, and the coloration on the pharaohs is very obvious. can already tell most of them apart. The gold ones though are both almost tuxedo, but a few speckles on the neck and side like yours. not a clue in the world if theyre male/female. lol

Very hard to tell for those two based on colour though. the rest look pretty accurately guessed. Is that suspect male crowing? and if he is are any others making similar crows?

 

[Poppy91]

I think he’s crowing, I YouTubed the sound and he went into full alert seemed to bother him the most out of them all and makes a similar noise so I’m assuming yes.....

But the other night the birds in the top 2 pictures where making similar crowing noise which really threw me for a loop lol! I’m thinking maybe the other golden is also a male? Maybe that’s why it got the snot knicked out of him by the other? Competing for the 2 girls maybe?

Darn!!! I have at least 6 of lighter colours in my brooder as well 2 weeks old. Sucks is so hard to sex them! (For me lol). I have about 6 of the Pharoah color and they are really getting their feathers and I think I have them figured out

Thank you so much for all your help and support quailguy! It’s so appreciated!