My JUMBO Italian Celadon Project

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

I am new to quail, (but definitely not new to breeding and genetics!), and I would highly suggest keeping an eye on health factors while going for this larger version of the morph. Mostly, taking the time to get animals that really thrive while moving towards the visible traits you want - rather than potentially accepting a sub-par quail into your breeding stock because it shows the visible traits you want -- even if it's a bit slower at times because you'd have to pass up on a visibly great quail that might have minor functional defects. You don't want to end up with genetically weaker animals! (Just, for example, birds that might not hatch well on their own, or seem to have health issues overall). It's likely not going to be a major problem with slow gradual increases in size, but something to watch out for in that department is to make sure they don't have any small structural problems that go along with bigger body size -- like, for example, possible hatching issues or problems with their proportions. (Limping or movement problems, etc, just for a brainstormed example.)

Just for example! It's kind of a given but sometimes people overlook health in the name of appearance and it's best not to ingrain those into a breeding line!

Yes thank you! I really need to keep this in mind when culling. Ive heard of some lines that have like 20 oz birds but they have all sorts of leg problems (as quail aren't meant to be 20 oz) they are just weaker and slower. So I will definitely make sure I am careful with health. I am going to be breeding entirely for celadon first (with probably a lesser Italian color hiding recessives), then once I have 100% homozygous celadons I will breed for Italian color, then after that I will try to slowly increase size. Its not like my biggest priority but since I raise quail for meat I will just keep the largest (and healthiest) of the bunch for breeders.

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

Following for information. I just started with quail and have found I prefer the size of my Golden’s growth rate. It’s matching the jumbo. I’m new to all this genetics stuff but bought Italian, Rosetta, Tibetan,jumbo and a couple other varieties of colors, hatched the eggs and will try to thin back my numbers. But they are all such beautiful colors. And I found I have celadon layers. But don’t I have to have a male carrying the gene also to pass the blue egg trait on?

Great! So glad! Quail are just incredibly addictive, you'll get one batch of eggs and think this is all you'll need and next thing you know you have like 20 cages and constantly expand .

 

[NY Coturnix]

Great! So glad! Quail are just incredibly addictive, you'll get one batch of eggs and think this is all you'll need and next thing you know you have like 20 cages and constantly expand .

That is so true. My wife made me put my incubator in storage so I'd stop for a while.

 

[turtlesgalore]

So true about it being addictive, I went local to buy 10 birds came back with 30 English whites, hatched a hundred, found a quail egg auction on Facebook bought 120, hatched some more while waiting on the 120, then one of mine laid a blue egg! Definitely need, need some of those. THEN (what! they come in button size too, ordered some of those!!), , all the while building cages. With more eggs in the incubator, so gotta butcher 200 to show hubby there’s a purpose for this madness
then tradegy struck: hubby said he thought we had enough quail for right now. Cage building stopped! No more water lines run.300 I’m sure is enough, I’ll make do. Lol
So I’m stuck with my assortment of colors,few celadons, babies off my “first quail” English whites, I’m a wreck, cause I just love them all.
I think I’ve been here before: this is how I ended up with eight Shih tzu. You would think after 32 years hubby would know what was going to happen before hand. lol
I can have 30 birds he said.....

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

So true about it being addictive, I went local to buy 10 birds came back with 30 English whites, hatched a hundred, found a quail egg auction on Facebook bought 120, hatched some more while waiting on the 120, then one of mine laid a blue egg! Definitely need, need some of those. THEN (what! they come in button size too, ordered some of those!!), , all the while building cages. With more eggs in the incubator, so gotta butcher 200 to show hubby there’s a purpose for this madness
then tradegy struck: hubby said he thought we had enough quail for right now. Cage building stopped! No more water lines run.300 I’m sure is enough, I’ll make do. Lol
So I’m stuck with my assortment of colors,few celadons, babies off my “first quail” English whites, I’m a wreck, cause I just love them all.
I think I’ve been here before: this is how I ended up with eight Shih tzu. You would think after 32 years hubby would know what was going to happen before hand. lol
I can have 30 birds he said.....

Thats a classic Coturnix quail love story right there . Im worried this will be me in a few months! No, worried isn't the right word... excited, thats it.

 

[FloorCandy]

Thats a classic Coturnix quail love story right there . Im worried this will be me in a few months! No, worried isn't the right word... excited, thats it.

I find the option of eating the extras helps keep my numbers manageable, but hubby agreed to one pen of quail, and now I have 5. I can’t risk my only black one out there in the yard, so he and 4 friends are inside until I can breed him, then there’s the indoor cage of double silvers in my living room... oh I have to replace Tiger Millionaire, so I have 2 brooders of chicks

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

I find the option of eating the extras helps keep my numbers manageable, but hubby agreed to one pen of quail, and now I have 5. I can’t risk my only black one out there in the yard, so he and 4 friends are inside until I can breed him, then there’s the indoor cage of double silvers in my living room... oh I have to replace Tiger Millionaire, so I have 2 brooders of chicks

Yeah thats the only thing my family cares about . I tell them all about the genetics but they just want to know when there will be fresh quail meat! Thats my excuse for breeding and hatching so much

 

[ButtonHoarder]

I want to follow along! I'm interested in quail breeding & genetics too!

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Okay, I think I have successfully planned out an outline for my process of getting a Manchurian celadon rooster. I think I'm going to target for Manchurian as this is what I will use to breed for best color (thank you FloorCandy). I will begin by breeding a Golden Manchurian rooster to a celadon hen. Here I should have all heterozygous celadons with one copy of the Italian gene. Then I will breed two of these together (I will be spiral breeding with 4 clans to prevent inbreeding). These offspring should in theory produce a tiny tiny amount of Manchurian celadon hens ( Like 5-7% I think ). Then I will breed these to the heterozygous celadons with one Italian gene from the first generation. Then (also in theory), this cross should result in 50/50 homozygous and heterozygous celadons, 50% Manchurian and everyone carries at least on copy of the Italian gene. So I will take some Manchurian males from this generation and breed them to known celadon hens (Manchurian or Italian holders). If all the offspring are celadons I know that the rooster is too. If not then the rooster I bred is heterozygous celadon.


Please inform me if I have made any fundamental errors. Because I would be surprised if I was right on all this. Also, does anyone know the result of Manchurian male to Manchurian hen? Is this lethal?? Any insight would be so greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

My head just blew up

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

CELADON EGGS ARRIVED!! Thank you again @FloorCandy.