The first to domesticate quail were the Chinese, but they were bred as beautiful songbirds. Later, the fashion for quail breeding passed to Japan, where, according to legend, thanks to the meat of these birds, the emperor was able to recover from tuberculosis. It was thanks to this recovery that quails began to be bred all over the world. However, for proper reproduction, you need to know how to tell the male from the female.
Instructions
Step 1
The Japanese quail is the most common domesticated quail species. It is appreciated for dietary meat and healthy and tasty eggs, so there are two main subspecies of Japanese quail - egg and broiler (meat). It has been so domesticated that the conditions of detention in captivity are incredibly simplified. In practice, they can be kept at home, but for this it is necessary to correctly determine the sex of the chick. This can be done only three weeks after birth, and the coloring of the chicks will help with this. So, in males, feathers on the throat and head are rusty-brown, and on the breast it is lighter, light brown, without inclusions. In females, the plumage of the front of the carcass is lighter; small blotches of a darker color can be seen on the chest.
Step 2
The Estonian quail is one of the most popular egg and meat breeds in Russia, it turned out thanks to the crossing of several breeds: Pharaoh, Japanese and English quail. However, the Japanese breed had the greatest influence on the coloring. This breed has a lot of differences between male and female in appearance. So, in the male, the goiter and cheeks are light brown, three light stripes can be seen on the head, the beak is curved, it has a dark brown tint, with a pale yellow tip. The difference between females is in the light plumage of the breast, there is also a yellowish speck of goiter, and the beak has a uniform brown-gray color.
Step 3
English white quail - this breed was bred in England and at the moment is quite promising. These quails are bred to get good eggs, but the carcasses also have an attractive presentation. Many poultry breeders love white quail for the sharp contrast between white plumage and black eyes. How to determine the sex of a white quail? This can be done only after seven to eight weeks after birth, because these breeds have too little demorphism. Like most quail breeds, females weigh more than males. So, an adult female usually weighs 160-180 g, in contrast to males, whose weight fluctuates between 140 and 160 grams. In addition, you can distinguish a male from a female by color. Females have pure white plumage, while males have several dark specks on their heads.
Step 4
There is another gender difference - the cloaca. If you carefully examine the cloaca of the male, you will notice that it is pink, there is a small tubercle, which the females do not have, and the cloaca of the female half of the quail is paler, almost light blue. By the way, if you press on the tubercle, a frothy liquid will appear. By the differences in the color of the cloaca and the presence of a tubercle, one can distinguish a male from a female quail of almost any breed. And it works well for breeds that do not have differences in plumage, such as the tuxedo quail.
