The mystery of Quail

[kq_fan]

So I have quite a few brown Japanese quail that I breed for myself and friends. I love the little guys! But recently, I rescued a silver Japanese quail and a white one from a terrible situation. The last owner said a boy and a girl. But he never told me which one was a boy or girl. I always assumed the white one was a boy. So I named him Jasper and Luna was the girl. Well Luna never laid eggs so I just let her be to retire. Where with Jasper, I tried to get him to breed with the brown ones. But he never did anything. Well come to find out, this morning I came out to the pens and in Jaspers cage was an egg! So apparently, I got it all wrong! So I have switched the names and will start putting girls with Luna who is now Jasper and boys with Jasper who is now Luna! (I will probably change their names)
It was a shock to see that egg! But I am happy to know because I was so sad to see that Jasper was making no young.

 

[Taprock]

We were always told the males had reddish feathers on their butt. So when we lost a female we replaced her with one we found at a local pet store. There were no red feathers but after thinking she was a defective egg layer for a year, she molted and turned out to be a he when his red butt feathers came in. So the feathers are USUALLY a good indicator.

A past hen hatched out a clutch of babies and they really are just adorable.

 

[kq_fan]

Ya that does work for my brown ones but since these ones are pure whit and the other is silver, there is no brown to indicate. :\ But yes, my brown ones, some of the babies are turning red so the are boys! I love the red color!

 

[RavensGryf]

I don't know anything about Quail, except that they are adorable little birds! They're cute. I've heard that the babies are absolutely tiny! I'd love to see pics and/or video when they hatch!

 

[Raixalotto]

I have a pair of King Quail (Auatralian native, and about the size of a tennis ball) My hen is a silver and male a brown
Their babies are adorable (one cinnamon, was surprising)