To breed quail and establish a business for the sale of eggs and carcasses, it is necessary to properly form a herd so that it contains less males and more females. To do this, you should know the signs, how to determine the gender of quail. It is about them that will be discussed in this article.
At what age can you determine
Females are purchased for egg production, meat production and reproduction. The purpose of the establishment of males is a decorative function, meat and also reproduction. Females require more careful care and frequent changes in feed. Representatives of the masculine are less whimsical. If quail is required for breeding, then it is necessary to form families of one male and 3-5 females.
You can approximately distinguish girls from boys starting from the 20–21st day of life, when the formation of plumage ends. Puberty comes later - in 40–45 days. It is from this time that you can install the floor with greater accuracy.
How to distinguish quail from quail at a young age
Up to 3 weeks, gender differences in these birds can only manifest themselves in behavior. It is believed that girls are more restless, active and loud. However, this method of sex determination is inaccurate. More experienced quackerers, starting from 5–7 days of age, can determine the gender of the plumage. To do this, they take the chick in their hands, spread their wings with their fingers and analyze the axial feathers. For girls they are different in height and thickness, for boys they are even, the same.
Important! It has been noted by re-growers that if families are formed from young females and more mature males, then there will be more females in the litter. If the female and male are of the same age, then they will have approximately the same number of chicks of both sexes.
Methods of distinguishing (in adults)
In adult quail, sex can be determined by several signs. Among them are the size and color of the plumage, vocal abilities, the presence of the secretory gland and the color of the skin in the cloaca zone.
External signs
Quail boys are usually smaller than girls, but at the same time their physique is rude - they have a more massive beak, a larger head. As for the plumage, it is more colorful among females. Their chest is strewn with many black dots. Males usually have a plain, light chest, lighter cheeks and goiter. Another difference is the darker color of the beak. This way of knowing the gender is not always possible to apply, since some breeds have a completely gray-brown or white plumage, which makes it impossible to determine the gender.
Vote
Another method for distinguishing between males and females is to listen to the voice. More beautiful melodic sounds are given out by girls. In boys, the voice is not too pleasant, and the sounds can be described with the word "hysterical." The voice in full force is manifested in these birds from 1.5 months of age. Unlike chicks, the behavior of adult birds changes radically. Now females are more quiet and complaisant, and males are more vociferous, restless and pugnacious.
Important! To create a successful and prolific couple, you need to select a male and a female from different herds. In birds from one brood, the number of fertilized eggs will be lower.
Gender characteristics
One of the surest methods is to determine the presence of the secretory gland. It must be sought between the tail and the anus. If, turning the bird upside down and spreading the feathers apart from the anus, there is nothing more, then this is a female. If it is palpable or clearly distinguish a tubercle, then in front of you is a male.
When pressed on the gland, a liquid in the form of a white foam will come out of it. This method can be applied when the bird turns 40 days old. Perepelovody argue that gender can be determined by the color of the skin in the cloaca area. For girls it is blue-gray, for boys it is pink. It is also necessary to know that upon reaching puberty, the males actively jump on the hens, trying to climb on top of them.
Did you know? Five quail eggs contain 5 times more potassium, 4.5 times more iron, 2.5 times more vitamins B1 and B2 than in one chicken egg.
Differences in different breeds
There are several breeds of quail in which sexual dimorphism is clearly visible in the color of plumage. When purchasing such birds, the question is how to find out where the boy is and where the girl is, not even at a young age. However, there are few such breeds.
Pharaoh
This breed is meat. Its representatives grow large and have a mass of 280 g (male) and 350 g (females). The color of the pharaohs is the same with other thoroughbred quails - Japanese and Estonian, and is very similar to wild relatives, so they are often confused. It is not easy to distinguish between chickens and males, but it is possible.
Feathers of hens are painted more colorful and contrast. In the plumage of cockerels there are even, light colors. Their chest is almost plain, yellowish or reddish. In hens, it is strewn with dark spots. The males have a dark mask on their heads. Their beaks are painted in a darker shade.
Important! You need to purchase birds at well-established poultry farms. This is the only way to be sure of the health and quality of quail. Also, specialists on farms can help pick up the chicks of the required sex.
Texas
This is a highly productive meat breed. Representatives of the female sex reach a mass of 450–480 g, males weigh 350–370 g each. The color of the birds is snow-white with rare dark spots. Sexual dimorphism in the color is not expressed, therefore, to determine the sex, other methods should be used: look for the secretory gland, look at the sizes of individuals, pay attention to voice and behavior.
Estonian
Estonian quails are very similar to the pharaohs. Their gender can be determined by the same signs:
- lighter breasts and less colorful plumage in males;
- the presence of a dark mask on the head of males;
- a larger head compared to the body in males;
- large sizes in females.
Manchurian
Manchurian quail has yellow and brown feathers on the body, which alternate with each other and give the color a golden hue. This is an egg breed, therefore, the determination of sex when buying is very important.
Some differences between males and hens are in the color of plumage. Like other “colored” breeds, the male is faded and plain, with a dark mask on his head. He is active, chasing females, can drive them into a corner, jump from above, scream hysterically for a long time. Females are passive, graceful, they have a colorful plumage, in which there are more dark spots.
Tuxedo
Tuxedo quails are also referred to as colored breeds. They have a beautiful plumage, which is especially to the liking of those who have birds with a decorative purpose. They have white breasts and a dark brown back. It is quite difficult to determine the gender by the plumage, therefore, in order to recognize males and hens, they first look at their sizes - females in adulthood reach 160 g, males are smaller, up to 140 g. Then they listen to their voices, observe the behavior, and then go on to search for the secretory gland.
Did you know? At different times, quail was used for various purposes - they were kept as songbirds, staged bird battles with them, eaten. In Turkestan, quail fights were a kind of national sport.
In addition to all of the above symptoms, experienced poultry farmers use another one - the width of the pubic bones. Upon reaching 2 months of age, the bird must be picked up and turned over. Then feel the bones near the cloaca. If they are widely spaced, then most likely this is a female - such a structure is necessary for successful egg production. The narrow location of the pubic bones indicates that it is a rooster.
So, it is possible to determine the gender of quail by several signs: the exterior, voice, and the presence of the secretory gland. Pronounced sexual dimorphism in the plumage is inherent in several breeds. Therefore, if the purchase of individuals of only a certain gender is required, then representatives of the Estonian, Japanese, Manchurian, tuxedo or Pharaoh breed should be preferred.
