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The ability to distinguish a female quail from a male is very important. Especially if the owner breeds quail to get eggs. In this case, it is imperative that there are more “girls” than “boys” in the herd. To help you shape your herd correctly, follow the tips in this article. How to distinguish quails: females from males.
Difference by sex
Accurate sex determination based on primary characteristics is possible when the bird reaches 3 weeks of age. It is by this age that the final formation of plumage occurs in quails and puberty begins. Before puberty, indirect signs help to establish gender. So, males are less active. Chickens are more mobile and restless.
According to statistics, the probability of the birth of males and females is approximately the same.
After the onset of puberty, the sex of the birds is quite recognizable by plumage:
- Chickens are colored more variegated, feathers on the breast are colored with numerous black dots. The chest plumage of males is one-color;
- The plumage on the head of the cock is more contrasting than that of the females;
- The beak of the quail is somewhat darker than that of the quail, and the areas of the cheeks and goiter, in the “boys”, on the contrary, are painted in a lighter color.
Accurate sex determination by color is possible for the following breeds.
- Estonian.
- Pharaoh.
- Manchu.
- Japanese.
The differences are so obvious that there is no need to wait for the onset of puberty and inspect the bird's cloaca. So, how to determine the sex of quails.
Body type
Males have a larger beak and head than females. Chickens are more gracefully and proportionally folded. Moreover, females are larger than males and weigh more.
Vote
If you are dealing with monochromatic breeds, then it is difficult to recognize the sex of a bird by the color of the plumage. But the "singing voices" of males and females are different. From the age of one and a half months, quails are sung. Of course, the quail is far from an oriole or a nightingale, but the females emit a very pleasant melodic whistle. As for the male, his quail "trills" cannot be called pleasant in any way. This is a loud cry, nothing more.
Secretory glands
Establishing sex along the secretory glands is the surest method. In chicks, the secretory glands are underdeveloped, so it is difficult to determine their sex by this feature. The algorithm for determining the sex of quails for adults is as follows.
- Take the bird in your hand and turn it with its legs up;
- Move the plumage at the cloaca;
- A smooth surface of a dark pink shade without a tubercle indicates a female. The "boys" have quite noticeable tubercles in this area. If you gently press your finger on this growth, a frothy light liquid is released.
Differences in appearance
How to distinguish cockerels from quail hens for "colored" breeds? Novice poultry farmers are wary of breeds whose plumage color is almost identical. These breeds include.
- English quails (black and white).
- Marble breed (mutation of Japanese quails).
- Tuxedo breed.
Although experienced poultry farmers distinguish between the female and the male by the color of the plumage. Consider, using the example of white English quails, the differences between boys and girls. Practice shows that there is nothing complicated here.
English quail: females
Females are much larger than males, have elongated bodies.Near the cloaca in females, the skin is bluish (in males - pink). As for the females english black quail, then their skin near the cloaca is painted in a dark color, and the cloaca is pink and rather wide. In addition, in the chicken, the pubic bones diverge widely to the sides.
English quail: males
"Boys", as befits men, often arrange "duels", fight among themselves. The sounds they make, to put it mildly, do not caress the ear. And you do not need to wait until the male "sings". Males sing almost all the time they are awake. The "singer" starts shouting, and the whole male company supports him. In this way, you can "figure out" even immature individuals.
The same goes for sex determination in all breeds, where males and females are colored approximately the same.
Conclusion
So, here are the main directions in determining the sex of quails.
- Males are brighter than females. Their cloaca is bright pink, and in females it is bluish.
- "Boys" utter a sharp cry, while "girls" quite melodiously "whistle".
- Near the cloaca, males have a gland with a whitish secretion. Females are deprived of this gland.
In the video, the process of determining the sex of quails is shown in great detail:
The practical advice outlined in the article will help you accurately determine the gender of feathered pets. Stick to a specific algorithm and errors will be excluded! After all, the female supplies the owner with eggs for quite a long time. And adult males will replenish your table with delicious dietary meat.
