So... I have two Japanese Quail now!

[MageofMist]

A friend dumped her two males on me as they refused to get along and she had a mated pair already. The 'fighting' was just the more dominant male quail forcing himself on the other quail to mate as I have observed and are getting along now.

I am used to Chinese Painted Quail and so what will be different with Japanese ones in comparison care-wise? I have a gold morph and a wild-type morph. They are super docile and sweet birds and like to snuggle in the hood of my jacket.

 

[JaeG]

Nothing much different - just calmer in general, though boys can be rough with each other. At least you don't have any females to stir them up! Their crow can be a bit annoying (some are louder, some are quieter) but if they are happy they won't crow much. They are sweet birds.

 

[MageofMist]

Nothing much different - just calmer in general, though boys can be rough with each other. At least you don't have any females to stir them up! Their crow can be a bit annoying (some are louder, some are quieter) but if they are happy they won't crow much. They are sweet birds.

They do have some small scuffles, but they only last a few seconds before they both stop to preen, and they have to get within a certain radious of each-other to even start it, and it isn't that large. It is rather amusing. I do have female Chinese Painted Quail, but they luckily don't seem to trigger anything. The wild-morph male is rather noisy, as he is getting used to his new home, but I enjoy the crowing so far. And they are super sweet, though the gold one is a little nippy at times and doesn't always want a fuss... I didn't know they sounded like a baby panda sneezing when they attacked you, I about died from cuteness and the pecking didn't even hurt.

I let them run about in the kitchen my chickens were in, though the chickens are very healthy birds I raised almost all of them barring 2 from eggs and so I was not too worried. And my goodness, they are fearless little buggers! They didn't have a care in the world about the chickens even as some youngsters stalked them and tried to nip at their toes, due to them being different... They'd just take 3 steps away from the curious hen and start preening or pecking about.

It didn't take long for the chickens to lose interest in the quail and the wild-type one was even eating with the chickens from the food tray, literally between a hen's legs! And they have their own food and water bowls they could eat and drink from, but they wanted to hang out with the chickens instead.

 

[JaeG]

I've had one male peck the feathers out of my silkie's top knot! That was when I had my spare males in with my bantams. They are fearless little things! I was worried it was one of the other chickens until I witnessed it one day. Little so and so!

It can depend on their colours as to how docile they are. In New Zealand the dark Tibetan type ones are very aggressive and wild, and the golds are so laid back they are nearly horizontal. But I've read the opposite on here so it seems to depend on where you are in the world. They are very nosy things and when I had them in smaller, stacked up cages they would frequently fall out when I opened the door being curious about what I was bringing them. Glad you are enjoying them - they are funny things.

 

[MageofMist]

I've had one male peck the feathers out of my silkie's top knot! That was when I had my spare males in with my bantams. They are fearless little things! I was worried it was one of the other chickens until I witnessed it one day. Little so and so!

It can depend on their colours as to how docile they are. In New Zealand the dark Tibetan type ones are very aggressive and wild, and the golds are so laid back they are nearly horizontal. But I've read the opposite on here so it seems to depend on where you are in the world. They are very nosy things and when I had them in smaller, stacked up cages they would frequently fall out when I opened the door being curious about what I was bringing them. Glad you are enjoying them - they are funny things.

The wild-type one appears to be the most dominant, out going and energetic while the gold one is more laid back, yet also rather shy and feisty. He makes grumpy noises and attacks my hand when I go to pet him while poofed up. Silly buggers.

Eventually both got completely tuckered out, to the point I could just walk up and pick them up to cuddle with them a little, with them snuggling into my jumper like my chickens do, and then put into their pens, as I don't want to let them free range at night with the chickens until I am sure there will be no issues at all. They had a big day today, first taken to a pet store and denied, and then brought here where they were bombarded even more by strange animals and new surroundings.

The more I raise chickens and quail... The more I see quail as mini chickens without combs and wattles.

 

[MageofMist]

They are so squirmy XD

 

[MageofMist]

Also... Chinese Painted Quail are so teeni compared to these giants!

I had to use the gold one for the pics as the brown one just kept trying to mate with her.

 

[JaeG]

The gold one looks to be a fawn. So pretty! They are huge compared to the buttons. I love the buttons for their colours but the Japanese are so docile.

 

[MageofMist]

The gold one looks to be a fawn. So pretty! They are huge compared to the buttons. I love the buttons for their colours but the Japanese are so docile.

A fawn? =o And indeed, I love the buttons as they produce so many colours and I am working on breeding the more docile and tamer ones in hopes of getting buttons even close to the docility of these Japanese Quail.

The Japanese Quail are pretty much the Silkie chickens of the quail world... Talking about Silkie chickens:

One of these is not like the others.

 

[MageofMist]

Looked up the morphs. I am glad he isn't a gold and is a Roux Dilute/Fawn as I try to avoid lethal genes when possible for future breeding and would love to get some lady quail for him and his buddy... If my fawn is actually a male as apparently female and male fawns look the same, and the fawn crowed a bunch when we got him/her first, but hasn't since the first day, yet the brown still crows. He/she also has a more higher pitched voice than the brown. Doubled with the fact that the brown one keeps trying to mount him/her (as well as other female quail, such as the buttons), and the fawn doesn't try to mount anything, not even the brown... Guess we'll see if he lays an egg!

... I am surprised though with how many morphs there are, some of which I have heard of before, but thought were a different specie of quail! Like the Tibetans!