Albino Quail?

[CoturnixKid]

Two weeks ago I hatched 22 new quail chicks. I had ordered these eggs from a breeder who had many fancy coturnix varieties, but no Texas A&M. When three of the chicks hatched out white, I was confused, but I figured maybe it was some sort of recessive gene. As they grew older and started to feather out, one of the three white quail grew dark pin feathers, the other two grew white ones. When I was bringing them to their temporary brooder in the barn, I noticed the two white ones had reddish eyes. Are they albino? They don't like bright light, so they are hard to get a good picture of.

 

[sourland]

They sure look like albinos. If their eyes are indeed pink, they are albinos.

 

[BaJa]

that's an albino. red eyes and pink legs/beak.

 

[CoturnixKid]

Awesome! I can't believe I hatched two in the same batch. If they are male and female, what are my chances of making more?

 

[JaeG]

I've had white quail with blue irises and red pupils, but they still had some coloured spots in their white feathers. But if yours have no coloured spots once fully feathered then I'd say they are albino. You will need to keep them out of direct sunlight as in light eyed birds it can cause cataracts and blindness. Don't keep them under a bright brooder light either. They seem to pop up occasionally and there's been the odd one shared on here. Thanks for sharing yours. So cute!

I'm not sure how hearty they'd be if you tried to breed them especially seeing as they are very likely related. It would be better to find two separate, unrelated birds to partner them with and then breed their resulting offspring together but it will take a bit of experimenting to figure out who's carrying what genes. And the albino birds may still be weaker than their normal counterparts.

 

[CoturnixKid]

They are cute little guys, but yes, they are a bit frail compared to their hatchmates. They tend to stick together, away from the other birds.

I think they'll do well in the barn, I'll probably keep them there. It's plenty dark for them.

I think the other one, not pictured, may be blind in one eye. It's pupil is orangish and it is very easy to catch, if it's facing right.

 

[CoturnixKid]

Little update on the darlings! Both are still kicking, doing pretty well but still small and feathering slow. I'm pretty sure both are mostly blind. I'm going to post some pics later

 

[JaeG]

Glad to hear they are doing well (for albinos). Can't wait to see some photos.

 

[CoturnixKid]

As I was taking photos I noticed something strange. Both of their faces differ greatly. One having very big eyes and a short face, the other having small eyes and a long face.

 

[Dayrel]

Awesome! I can't believe I hatched two in the same batch. If they are male and female, what are my chances of making more?

Nice looking birds.

Albinism is a recessive trait. If you breed the same parents, you will likely get at least some more albino chicks.

If you are thinking about breeding the two albinos, that would certainly produce more. However, as you've already noticed, albinos often have various physical problems. Breeding a related pair would significantly increase the risk to the next generation. Breeding an entirely unrelated pair would be significantly less likely to pass on serious problems.

If you search the web, you'll see lots of discussions about breeding various albino animals. The rules above hold across different species.