What kind of quails are these ? Whats the difference ?

[Maxwell Schmidt]

Hi, ive raised and hatched quail for about a year now. I picked up a handful of these lighter colored Coturnix quails awile back to add to the covey. Im just curios what the diference is? Can they reproduce with the other kind? What are the differences?!

Thanks,


-Max

 

[feedman77]

Look like both males.

The one one the left is a pharoah quail.

The one one the right looks like an Italian mix.

 

[Fishkeeper]

They're just different color varieties of coturnix, they'll breed with the others just fine. Like how a tabby cat and a black cat can breed and have babies.

 

[Compost King]

Do people intentionally breed hybrids for hybrid vigor? I am so ignorant on quail, but hearing a lot of positives about them from those who do raise them.

 

[paneubert]

Do people intentionally breed hybrids for hybrid vigor? I am so ignorant on quail, but hearing a lot of positives about them from those who do raise them.

Well they aren't really hybrids exactly. They are just the same coturnix quail expressing their color genes differently. But some people do try to keep the gene pool diverse by adding birds from flocks across the state/country. Mostly because they mature and lay so early that you can get many generations in a short time and with their life span and maturity rate, you could seriously have what......a great great great great great....times 10 grandfather mating with his great great great great great....times 10 granddaughter. Risk of bad genetics and mutations come into play much more easily than in a species that only breeds once or twice per year.

EDIT: And the eggs incubate fast as well. So a fast incubation, a fast race to sexual maturity, a long laying season, and a not exactly short lifespan.

 

[Fishkeeper]

There's no functional difference between different color varieties of coturnix quail. It's just for appearances' sake.