Sexing mature button quail

[Mylied]

Can you determine sex but vent size if the hens are laying? I know it's easy to tell with other poultry if you look at vents. I don't know the official names of color but I have one grey one with a rust chest and a bib, no doubt a male. I have a white one and an all grey one. The male has a small, roundish vent. The two others have bigger smiley face vents, which look like egg laying chicken vents (but on a smaller scale). I have gotten a few eggs, but only one at a time. I am new to button quail.

 

[DK newbie]

I have noticed a difference in the vents of male vs. female, though not so much in size. It seems to me like the males have an extra edge of cartilage on one side of the vent, which the females don't - it's hard to explain what it looks like.
The silver one should have pale rust colored feathers around the vent if it's male - like the certain male probably has. If the vent feathers are the same color as the other feathers, it's female (assuming the are at least 8 weeks old).
You could try putting the white one in a cage right next to the others and see if any eggs show up or if it makes any clearly male sounds (the males have this weird call I've heard described as a 'ghost call' - they inflate their throat somehow and make a strange, low sound the females never make).

 

[Mylied]

Interestingly enough, there are three eggs in the cage today. Lol. I must've missed one yesterday because I had cracked one earlier and it was fertile. So looks like two females and a male.

 

[oldhen2345]

Well, I think the results are in- out of 15 babies, I had 12 males and only 3 females- I think. Anyway, buttons are now 9 weeks old and no eggs yet. I have kept 3 couples and a trio of bachelors. Lost one button to neuro defects and three to the dog. Two I gave away. I am hoping the couples are indeed couples. I have seen the males crowing, and the females are more chattery, but no crowing or calling out. Hopefully will have eggs soon.

 

[DK newbie]

The trio in the last pic - are you sure the silver is male? The picture is not the best, but I don't see any obvious signs of it being male..

 

[oldhen2345]

Not 100% sure, but it did have some salmon feathers around the vent- and a light cream color marking on the face- maybe a bib? Anyway, I am assuming it is male. Haven't seen any mating or fighting- so time will tell, I guess. Haven't seen it crow, but it is hard to be right there when the crowing starts so I can tell who it is. I will try to get a better pic.

 

[oldhen2345]

The trio in the last pic - are you sure the silver is male? The picture is not the best, but I don't see any obvious signs of it being male..

well, DK Newbie, you have a good eye. I stand corrected. I found two eggs in the habitat this morning. It is a learning experience. Now, I am wondering if there is only one male in the cage with two females- time will tell LOL. I didn't notice any eggs yesterday and could have sworn that the dark ones were both male. I saw them mating this morning, so I guess I was wrong there too. I will keep a closer eye on them. Won't be too bad to have two females and one male- just as long as it isn't two males.

 

[DK newbie]

I had a feeling ^^ Could you get a closer pic in better light of the two dark ones? Males do sometimes mate, though usually only if no females are available, so there could be another girl..

 

[oldhen2345]

Well, DK Newbie. I think the problem is solved. A little (teenage) girl had a male that lost it's mate and wanted a replacement- I gave her the silver one out of the "bachelor" cage. It is laying eggs. I also gave her a couple that I had extra. Now, in the "bachelor" cage, there are two birds- and there is one egg every day- must be a male and female pair. Trying to get a better pic, but my new phone service won't let me send to my e-mail- grrrr. Gonna change that tomorrow.