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The ability to distinguish a female quail from a male is very important. Especially if the owner breeds quails for eggs. In this case, it is imperative that there are more “girls” than “boys” in the herd. So that you can properly form a herd, use the tips outlined in this article. How to distinguish quails: females from males.
Gender difference
An accurate sex determination by primary signs is possible when the bird reaches the age of 3 weeks. It is at this age that the final formation of plumage occurs in quails and puberty occurs. Before the onset of puberty, indirect signs help to establish the sex. 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 birds is quite recognizable by plumage:
- Chickens are colored more variegated, on the breast feathers are painted with numerous black dots. The chest plumage of males is one-color;
- The plumage on the head of the cockerel is more contrasting than that of females;
- The beak of a quail is somewhat darker than that of a 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.
- Manchurian.
- Japanese.
The differences are so obvious that there is no need to wait until 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 proportionately folded. The females are larger than the 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 sing. Of course, a 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. It’s a loud cry, nothing more.
secretory glands
Sex determination by secretory glands is the surest method. In chicks, the secretory glands are underdeveloped, so it is difficult to determine their gender on this basis. The algorithm for determining the sex of quails for adults is as follows.
- Take the bird in your hand and turn it over with its paws up;
- Spread the plumage at the cloaca;
- A smooth surface of a dark pink hue without a tubercle indicates a female. The “boys” in this area have quite noticeable growths-tubercles. If you gently press your finger on this growth, a foamy 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 are.
- English quails (black and white).
- Marble breed (mutation of Japanese quail).
- Tuxedo breed.
Although experienced poultry farmers distinguish between female and male by the color of their 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 and have elongated bodies. Near the cloaca in chickens, the skin is colored bluish (in males it is pink). As for the females of the English black quail, their skin near the cloaca is colored dark, and the cloaca is pink and rather wide. In addition, in a chicken, the pubic bones diverge widely to the sides.
English quail: males
“Boys”, as befits men, often arrange “duels”, fight among themselves. The sounds that they make, to put it mildly, do not caress the ear. Moreover, you do not need to wait until the male “sings”. Males sing almost all the time they are awake. “Singer” starts screaming, and the whole male company supports him. Thus, you can “calculate” even immature individuals.
The same applies to sex determination in all breeds, where males and females are colored approximately the same.
Conclusion
So, here are the main directions in determining the gender of quails.
- Males are brighter than females. Their cloaca is bright pink, while in females it is bluish.
- The “boys” make a sharp cry, while the “girls” “whistle” rather melodicly.
- Near the cloaca, males have a gland with a whitish secret. Females lack this gland.
The video shows the process of determining the sex of quails in great detail:
The practical tips outlined in the article will help you accurately determine the gender of feathered pets. Stick to a certain 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.