HELP! Quail all look the same!

[someusername]

I'm keeping quail as pets, and I got them from a farm, but the eggs all hatched the exact same quail witht he exact same coloration? How would I tell the difference between them(sorry, i dont have leg bands), like if one is prone to ticks or has diarrhea or something? I'm looking for a way to identify each of my chicks, and the only plan I have is watching their behavior and personalitys

 

[New2Chicks97]

Good luck! We have two Buff Orpington pullets that I could tell apart until the one ended up with a heavier comb that flops over. They didn’t have individual names until I could tell them apart. I had the same problem with the two Silver Laced Wyandottes we had until one ended up with a cracked beak that I have had to fix.

Maybe someone here has some good ideas for how to tell them apart. This is one of the reasons that I like Easter Egger chickens each had a unique look.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Sorry quail are so hard to tell apart!
my quail are 5 weeks now and I could barely start telling them apart when they were round 3 weeks, some got slimmer, some were fatter, the boys got spot free chests, etc.
Anytime I have a chick I need to mark I mark their head with a sharpie, this works on all light enough chicks. On some darker ones you can color their comb. As for chicks who are too dark for any of that, I just have to separate them with a small group, if I need to be able to see what they are. You can order legs bands though!

 

[007Sean]

If I need to keep track of my chicks, I use the smallest z-ties in different colors. Have to be careful and watch them closely as they grow to make sure their leg is not to big for the tie, if it does get too tight, just clip it off and put on a new one.

 

[Coffgirl]

for my quail pets, I look at the pattern on their feather mostly on the back.
the color and how thick the pattern is what I can tell which quail is who.

but mostly on personality maybe because quails I have they have too different personality so I can tell them apart instantly.

 

[someusername]

I used to have 2 quail that were the same and one who was different, but out of the same ones, one was very jumpy and hyperactive(yes, she jumped) and the other one would stay where she 2as and even let me pet her. So personality is a great tool, but right now they are chicks, and I can’t really tell their personality.
And what is a z tie?

 

[AlderCreekFarms]

Zip tie

 

[Lady_Bat]

For the zip ties, do you put it on loosely or snugly? I would love to use those because with 45 of them, it's hard to tell them apart. They won't attack their own legs because of the zip tie?

 

[007Sean]

I used to have 2 quail that were the same and one who was different, but out of the same ones, one was very jumpy and hyperactive(yes, she jumped) and the other one would stay where she 2as and even let me pet her. So personality is a great tool, but right now they are chicks, and I can’t really tell their personality.
And what is a z tie?

Zip tie!

 

[007Sean]

For the zip ties, do you put it on loosely or snugly? I would love to use those because with 45 of them, it's hard to tell them apart. They won't attack their own legs because of the zip tie?

Put them on sorta loose and not snug. You don't want them to be floppy loose but where they will slide up and down the leg. Too loose and they will snag on everything, and put your birds in danger of injurying themselves. Other quail will peck at it at first till they get use to seeing it. The zip ties I use are about 2" long and a 1/8" wide.