Help! Identifying Coturnix Quail

[EmHen87]

Unfortunately cannot feather sex the "range" ones (tibetan and rosetta), so it would be via vent sexing. Or maybe if you saw one mid-laying an egg haha, and the tuxedo marking (which can come on any base color if I recall) can inhibit the ability to feather sex on pharohs and other feather sexing varieties, although it's beautiful. Color genetics in quail aren't really studied too well from what I've been able to find, but from looking at the plumage your grey ones appear to be based in rosetta or tibetan, with some sort of modifier gene (making them grey, possibly a dilute type gene?) But the grey ones are probably gonna have to be vent sexed as well!

Thank you for the info! I won’t be able to vent sex until breeding season? Or is this a once their more developed/mature? I’m just so confused on how this breeder could tell me they were all jumbo. I think she thought the cream/grey were pharaoh but I do remember her telling me about the pharaoh coloring pattern for male or female on the chests. So not totally sure. I noticed tonight the greys are getting some color on their backs. I’ll take a photo tomorrow in the light. Anxious to see out of the 17 who is male and female. And what their eggs will be like

 

[HortonCreek]

In case it wasn’t stated yet, your grey ones are called silvers, or more specifically part of the “Schofield Silver Collection“ or SSC. If you’re into learning about your colors, it’s a really fun color with an interesting story. It is a dilution type gene with a lethal factor hence why it is a collection. If silvers are bred to silvers for a couple generations then the lethal factor will start to reactivate and you get a lot of chicks that die in the shell right at hatch.

 

[AllenK RGV]

@Kiki raises them I believe and would be a good person to weigh in. Super cute birds otherwise. @007Sean would be my next go to person. Should I ever have cortonix quail questions.

 

[EmHen87]

In case it wasn’t stated yet, your grey ones are called silvers, or more specifically part of the “Schofield Silver Collection“ or SSC. If you’re into learning about your colors, it’s a really fun color with an interesting story. It is a dilution type gene with a lethal factor hence why it is a collection. If silvers are bred to silvers for a couple generations then the lethal factor will start to reactivate and you get a lot of chicks that die in the shell right at hatch.

Oh, wow! Good to know. I am very interested in learning about the colors — I’m pretty new to quail however it’s already an obsession. I’m especially interested as when I purchased the chicks they were all “jumbo wild” even tho these silver ones were pretty white colored at a week old. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Fenrisulfr]

The grey ones are Silver-Tibetan. Silver is a dilution factor, but single factor, not multi factor like the Fee dilution.

Rest was said by Horton.

 

[FloorCandy]

In case it wasn’t stated yet, your grey ones are called silvers, or more specifically part of the “Schofield Silver Collection“ or SSC. If you’re into learning about your colors, it’s a really fun color with an interesting story. It is a dilution type gene with a lethal factor hence why it is a collection. If silvers are bred to silvers for a couple generations then the lethal factor will start to reactivate and you get a lot of chicks that die in the shell right at hatch.

I ordered eggs that carry SSC from a hatchery. I hatched 3 double factor silvers aka “lethal whites” in the group, they are partial albinos, with purply eyes and pure white feathers that are thinner than regular, they look more like skim milk color than whole milk if that makes sense. They have a lot of issues and live inside because of their thinner feathers.

As far as lethal goes, 100% of their eggs that I put in my incubator developed at least to lockdown, right now the first batch are hatching and one has hatched fine so far. However I matched them to regular pearls, so no double silvers. My advice is to keep only one gender of silver per pen, in order to prevent having to keep quail inside because you or your family get attached to the adorable little yellow chicks.

However, if you like white meat, I found that the double silvers have much lighter meat. I’ve been testing hatching them because I want to produce some light meat birds to eat.

 

[EmHen87]

I ordered eggs that carry SSC from a hatchery. I hatched 3 double factor silvers aka “lethal whites” in the group, they are partial albinos, with purply eyes and pure white feathers that are thinner than regular, they look more like skim milk color than whole milk if that makes sense. They have a lot of issues and live inside because of their thinner feathers.

As far as lethal goes, 100% of their eggs that I put in my incubator developed at least to lockdown, right now the first batch are hatching and one has hatched fine so far. However I matched them to regular pearls, so no double silvers. My advice is to keep only one gender of silver per pen, in order to prevent having to keep quail inside because you or your family get attached to the adorable little yellow chicks.

However, if you like white meat, I found that the double silvers have much lighter meat. I’ve been testing hatching them because I want to produce some light meat birds to eat.

That is where my current struggle is. With so many mixed ones in this bunch that wasn’t supposed to be, I will need to build additional pens to prevent some wonky breeding. I will have to wait a bit to sex the silvers - as I believe vent sexing is the only option there?
Are the eggs for these types the typical brown speckled? Nothing different like the celadon coturnix?

 

[FloorCandy]

That is where my current struggle is. With so many mixed ones in this bunch that wasn’t supposed to be, I will need to build additional pens to prevent some wonky breeding. I will have to wait a bit to sex the silvers - as I believe vent sexing is the only option there?
Are the eggs for these types the typical brown speckled? Nothing different like the celadon coturnix?

Usually they will be normal brown speckled. I ordered mine with the intention of crossing to my celadons to get ones that are silver and celadon.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

My two Silver male are Celadon (a Silver Tibetan and a Silver Wild), but this was intended, when I bought them.

Celadon has nothing to do with the color of the plumage. It is just a seperate mutation on a different gene (for egg shell color) and can be on any plumage color.

Edit: and I keep my Silver roos not with any Silver hens .... losses due to lethal homozygous are not welcome.