Please Help with button sexing & colors..**Updated, not a boy!!**

[UrbanMama]

We have 4 buttons, and are being given 5 more...and then I have 26 in the hatcher I'm still

over.

Warning...there are a-lot-o-pics!

My oldest pair...

and

I believe the silver one is a male. (He makes that noise that sounds like a capuccino machine and crows (or at least I think it's a crow...it sounded like one on you tube.)

The dark colored one is the smaller of the 2, but there isn't too much of a difference. She (

) doesn't really make much noise. Little peeps etc. and that's about it.

Then we have our babies...I think they're about 5 weeks old now? My daughter has them both hand-tamed.

and

(You normally can't see much of her because she's behind the other one!)

and together..

And one more...just 'cuz it's sweet!

I wish there was a site with nothing but button pictures! So I could get an idea on the colors and sexing.

 

[UrbanMama]

Sorry, just had to add one more!

The dark one doesn't have white on her (

) belly, that's just from sitting in the ground up food...

 

[monarc23]

The one you think is a male does look to be a male, that white mark on it's lower throat looks like a double factor mark (males and females can have this mark) so since it crows im betting it IS a boy. Looks like a very light blue face, or a smokey (which if im not mistaken is a diluted blue face).

The dark one in with him NO doubt is a hen. It's a blue faced hen (single factor blue face).

The third picture is a male- looks to be a wild colored male.

The last one im unsure of it's color....it almost looks like a young male blue face...if it is, it's a single factor. The reason i think it may be a male is because i see blue feathers in it (am i really seeing blue feathers?) if so, it's some sort of blue faced male....(not a double factor as theres no white).

If you upload these pictures on to yahoos group ButtonQuailsUSA and post a message asking for them to view your folder they will tell you what colors they are. The breeders on there have been breeding their birds for upwards of 30 years and more, some are theones who developed the colors you see today!

Niki

edited to add: www.zebrafinch.com's button quail pages hare nada but button quail info and pitures. Garrie (the site owner and breeder) is ALSO on buttonquailsUSA.

Edited AGAIN- because i just relooked over the pictures, your one with the white on it's throat IS A MALE, see the very light rusty coloring on his rump? THat means NO DOUBT male.

So you 110% SURE have a male/female pair yay congrats! The male looks to either be just a silver, or a smokey...but i dont know muchabout the smokey coloring to say for sure...Buttonquailusa memebers should though!

They would beable to tell you possible sex and color of that dark one below as well. I know for SURE the sex and almost positive on the colors of atleast two of those three. Male, Female, Male. Male #1 is some kinda silver or smokey Double Factor (means he'll produce only his color in breedings or mostly only his color), Female #1 is a SINGLE FACTOR blue faced (hens dont have blue, they're just dark...she's a single factor because she doesnt have a white bib area, which means she carries the gene for blue face, but doesnt express it dominantly). Male #2 is 110% a male, and im almost positive he's a wild colored, but could be a redbreasted but i doubt it....just looks like a pretty ole wild colored.

AKA normal.

Last one, could be a hen (if no blue), but if blue is a male....color.....probably blue faced single factor.

 

[spookyevilone]

Pic 1: Silver male, bibbed.
Pic 2: Single factor blue faced female
Pic 3: Can't tell if it's a wild type blue breasted or a golden pearl - it looks like there are little white dots on the back - if there are, it's a golden pearl. If it's got a straight slate-grey back, it's a wild type. In either case, it's definitely a male.
Pic 4: Looks like a single factor blue faced female, but could be an immature blue faced splash male - check the feathers around the vent. If they're red, it's a boy. If they're grey, it's a girl.

The pic with your adorable child looks to be either a single factor blue or a splash - check the wings and tail. If they're all one colour, it's a single factor. If there are other colours, it's a splash.

-Spooky

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
I don't think any of those birdies are splashes they'd have obvious color (dillute marks) already

I thought possible golden pearl on the wild male, but I dont see any white near the base of the beak, and he looks too irredesant to be golden pearl so I opt for normal male

The silver male (or smokey male, or dilute blue face), is a double factor that bib isn't a true bib it's a DF (BB) mark

<---Edited to add, that the more i think about that, it COULD just be a bib, but it doesnt look uniform. I guess she'll find out when she breeds em if she gets lots of lil silver/smokey or dilute blue face cuties than maybe my curious DF theory is correct if not...just a mismarked lookin bib.

The last one really looks to have blue in it, which if it does it's not a hen hens dont have any blue (even blue faced hens dont). It's also deffinatly a single factor, IF she was a double factor she'd be sporting a white throat mark (the double factor mark)

<----closest icon i can get for a nerdy face lol

 

[UrbanMama]

Thank you sooooo much guys!!

My guesses were all pretty close then...I had really hoped the last one was a girl though

My daughter named her Nava...I guess now it'll be Nova! It definitely does have blue on it's belly. They're sooo beautiful.

I have 5 more that a wonderful friend gave me today. I could really use the help with colors and sexes on those guys too...I'll post pics in the AM if you guys don't mind going another round!

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
awh well Nova is a gorgeous bird...Im almost positive it's just a single factor blue face he may stay that way (with very little blue and just dark coloring) some call these blacks though there really is no black button.

Blue faceds all look so different some are brilliantly blue, some are really DARK (like yours) and others even have some red rusty feathers in the mix can make for frustrating IDing!

WOuld love to give my 2cents on the newbies! congrats on getting more!

 

[UrbanMama]

OKay...so I couldn't wait until the morning (and I should really be in bed right now...

)

Here are the young-uns'.....

And the 3 older ones...

and

The last two are the same button...but that one just wouldn't sit still and I had a hard time getting a decent picture. It's almost... I don't know...mottled? Black, brown and gray. The silver one in with it (second to the last...I believe it's a boy) keeps running after it. I don't know if he's trying to mate (and just not following through) or if he's just being mean and picking on it.

Oh and why watch tv....

When you can watch buttons!

 

[monarc23]

Picture
#1 the bird on the left is a red breasted male, the bird beside it is a silver, probably female
Picture
#2 is a red breasted hen
Picture
#3 is a silver male
Picture
#4 is a blue faced cinnamon (single factor) hen....cinnamon can cover several combinations so I am almost positive that's what it is. I'm going to snatchthis picture though on my group i love (buttonquailsusa) and see what they can tell me.

Pretty birds!

Quote:

 

[shelleyd2008]

Hey Niki, I have 4 that look like that cinnamon, though mine have a lot more white on them! When I get my new cage I'll be able to post some good pics (I hope!).

ETA: Aren't the red breasteds the ones that are called Darth Vaders? I have one of each of those two (male and female red breasted).