James Marie Pharaoh Quail vs Texas A&M Quail

[GrayRider]

I've just about convinced myself to start raising a few quail. Already have ducks and chickens so it's time to expand a bit. My goal is to raise a dual purpose bird that produces large size eggs in good quantities as well as dressing out in the approximate 12 -14 oz range in the shortest time. I plan on hatching some of the eggs as well as selling some eggs for consumption.

I think I've narrowed it down to one of the two varieties listed in the title. So, how do these stack up against each other? Are they pretty much equal except for color. Is there something better I might have missed?

 

[Duck Drover]

I have narrowed down my wish list to James Marie Texas A&M or the white winged Pharoh. From what I have read the A&M are bigger and the carcass is more attractive with all white pigment but the white winged variety can be sexed at hatching, autosexing if I remember what I read correctly.

I am leaning more towards the A&M for meat and eggs since I can keep layers and eat the roosters in just 6 weeks. I am not sure if there is enough advantage to early sexing when they mature so quickly already and quail seem to be easy enough to sex from the male foam (the A&M do not color sex like other colors). I suppose it is possible to have more than one color but I am just starting out so I thought I should try one variety before I get too carried away.

I am already hatching quail for a wildlife rescue so I shoukd get a good return on eggs, however I have not hatched shipped eggs before. I always have excellent hatches from my own birds but not as good when hatching from other people's flocks so that concerns me a bit. I suppose I just need to order 100 and sell any I hatch and don't want to raise.

 

[Duck Drover]

I decided on the Texas A&M and bought 18 chicks. I looked for hatching eggs locally but could only get chicks so now I am growing out my quail to start hatching eggs (after selecting the best to keep).

 

[PolEggR]

I know this is quite off topic, but I'm pretty interested in those autosexing white winged birds. On James Marie site there's no information at all, so I thought I could get some info from you.

 

[bhaugh]

This is what I've found since raising quail. Any color can produce big birds. I've had some big silvers and tibetans. Most of the A&Ms were small and scrappy. What you think you want now will most likely change. I have some James Marie recessive whites. They started out big and I was hopeful but now their size is average.
Now after 4 years I breed for temperament, early laying ability and size. You will find most care not about what they breed only that the birds are breeding so they can sell the eggs. After you've hatched a few hundred, you'll find birds to your liking and raise those no matter what they were originally called.