Vent sexing 3 week old coturnix quail

[Hseru]

Hi!

I'm trying to sex my 3 week old coturnix quail, and having a hard time of it. I referenced the post https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-vent-sex-coturnix.150049/ several times, and have tried several times since they were a couple of days old to sex the babies. I felt my findings were Inconclusive until this week.

I think I have a grasp on most of them, but I have one that is giving me second thoughts. I think I saw the rounded male portion of the vent, but the vent in general is quite loose, as if getting ready for egg production. So I don't know what to think on this baby. It's a fully feathered jumbo tibetan, and none of them are crowing or showing dimorphic tendencies yet.

I will post a picture if it will help someone give me an official male or female.

 

[Hseru]

Here's the promised pic of the baby. Very loose, but the small black circle makes me think boy.

 

[Crazydoglady99]

I think 3 weeks far too early

 

[Hseru]

According to the thread I linked above, they can be sexed a few days after hatch. It's just not really common and most people seem to wait until they're sexually mature to foam sex.

I need to make some decisions pretty soon about which of my brood to keep though, as I really don't have space for 8 full grown quail to live happy and healthy.

 

[Crazydoglady99]

I didn't look at the link (sorry). I don't know, I cannot tell mine apart that early. All their little bottoms look the same to me

Good luck figuring it out

 

[CoturnixComplex]

According to the thread I linked above, they can be sexed a few days after hatch. It's just not really common and most people seem to wait until they're sexually mature to foam sex.

I need to make some decisions pretty soon about which of my brood to keep though, as I really don't have space for 8 full grown quail to live happy and healthy.

I have tried vent sexing chicks.

I failed.

Good luck!

(On a serious note, can you look around for a cheap aquarium or guinea pig cage on CL a little larger than your current setup? Sometimes people even give those away. You should be able to tell early maturing males at 5 wks and can start by culling those one by one).