ButtonNomies
Songster
- Jul 17, 2022
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- 707
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I've noticed a lot of posts asking for people to help sex their buttons. So I thought I'd make this thread to help. Please feel free to add to it if u think I've missed anything.
The only type of button quail that cannot be feather sexed are pure whites and some splashes. Most tuxedos or pied have pigment around the vent and flanks which is essential for sexing ur quail. With pure whites or birds without any colour around their bottom half (from mid back to tail) u will have to wait until eggs do or do not show up.
Chicks can be sexed from around 3 weeks old (if they're male) u will have to wait longer to be sure of a female. Usually around 6 weeks u should know for sure.
From 3 weeks onwards males start to "rust up" as I like to call it. This means they start to get red feathers. Not golden, a very definate rust red. Theyre distinctive in the darker more traditional colours yet with silver varieties they "blush up" rather than rust. The feathers that would be red in their traditional counterparts coming out a diluter blush/peachy colour.
Because of these red feathers u can identify male birds pretty early on.
Females tend to keep u guessing until about 6 weeks onwards when u will start to notice a breakage in their colour patterns. Where a Male will solid out in his colours a females colour will break apart, becoming speckled versions of the males, usually with lighter chest areas. When this starts to happen as they come into their adult feathers, with no red or blush feathers showing up its a pretty good bet u have a female.
Warning, Males can be very late rusting up, and sometime their rust is so minute u think ur eyes are playing tricks on you. If u are still unsure or have a weird colour varient that doesn't track with this then ask for additional help or wait til eggs do or don't appear.
Male silver with a large amount of blush feathering.
Female silver
Male Darth
Female Darth
Male Tux
Female Tux
Please feel free to add on piks of other varieties if u wish. I dont have any cinnamon but I know the colouring varies similarly to the silvers between males and females.
Hope this helps xx
The only type of button quail that cannot be feather sexed are pure whites and some splashes. Most tuxedos or pied have pigment around the vent and flanks which is essential for sexing ur quail. With pure whites or birds without any colour around their bottom half (from mid back to tail) u will have to wait until eggs do or do not show up.
Chicks can be sexed from around 3 weeks old (if they're male) u will have to wait longer to be sure of a female. Usually around 6 weeks u should know for sure.
From 3 weeks onwards males start to "rust up" as I like to call it. This means they start to get red feathers. Not golden, a very definate rust red. Theyre distinctive in the darker more traditional colours yet with silver varieties they "blush up" rather than rust. The feathers that would be red in their traditional counterparts coming out a diluter blush/peachy colour.
Because of these red feathers u can identify male birds pretty early on.
Females tend to keep u guessing until about 6 weeks onwards when u will start to notice a breakage in their colour patterns. Where a Male will solid out in his colours a females colour will break apart, becoming speckled versions of the males, usually with lighter chest areas. When this starts to happen as they come into their adult feathers, with no red or blush feathers showing up its a pretty good bet u have a female.
Warning, Males can be very late rusting up, and sometime their rust is so minute u think ur eyes are playing tricks on you. If u are still unsure or have a weird colour varient that doesn't track with this then ask for additional help or wait til eggs do or don't appear.
Male silver with a large amount of blush feathering.
Female silver
Male Darth
Female Darth
Male Tux
Female Tux
Please feel free to add on piks of other varieties if u wish. I dont have any cinnamon but I know the colouring varies similarly to the silvers between males and females.
Hope this helps xx
