Quail breed identification and temperament differences

[GhostKeeper]

Hello,

I am new to quail farming and forum posting altogether, so please bear with me if I’ve missed something.

I am hoping to gain some insight on the types of quail I’m raising and if it’s the reason for their differences in temperament.

Right now I have one male and three females in a 2ftx3ft cage indoors. I am planning to move them into a large aviary outside once the weather warms consistently, as they are still very young. All of the eggs I’ve received were labeled as Coturnix.

My first hatch was from a batch of ten eggs I got from Amazon, I only managed to hatch a single egg, which I chalk up to my ignorance. This quail is by far my favorite of the flock and she is currently around 5 months old. She has the lighter color and smaller build and her temperament is very noticeably more relaxed than the others. The male even seems totally disinterested in mounting her and the females rarely interact with her at all. She stays on the opposite side of the cage.

The other two females and the male I hatched from a second batch of ten eggs I got from a local farm. Both of these batches were labeled as Coturnix quail, but these quail seem larger, much darker in color, and are absolutely bonkers in comparison. They are currently 2-3 months old. The male is always mounting one of the two females, which I expected, but they jump and run around the cage almost stomping on the older quail. The two females even seem to chase and peck at each other often, but never the older quail.

So from here, I have several questions.
1) Did I end up with completely different breeds of quail?
2) Will this affect any offspring they have, their colors and temperaments, etc? Can they be bred together?
3) Is their difference in temperament due to breed or simply differences in personality?
4) Is the size of their current enclosure the cause of their behavior and should I hasten their transition to the outdoor enclosure?
5) Should I separate the more relaxed quail from the others?
6) Is there any other advice you can offer me?

Thank you for reading, answering any questions, and understanding my ignorance. Their ruffled appearance I believe is due to them molting.

I have specifically started breeding my quail for temperament and friendliness toward people and have had 3 generations of moderate success!

The first little birdie seems to be a wild type, l've had some that are very docile and some that are very rambunctious but only one was ever outwardly aggressive toward other birds.

The last one also seems to be a wild type.

The second image appears to be a rosetta/tibetian color and while they have been some of my most resilient birds, they are not particularly friendly.

The third is some kind of italian fee birdie maybe? I've no experience with them but I have noted that while the tan colors of my flock are the friendliest, the fee types are skittish and small, and any with the scarlet-orange types of colors tend to be very vocal and feisty with me.

To note: this could be entirely based on nurture or nature. The more time you spend with your birds, the less they are skittish. I have a flock of white sparkles that are beautiful and very food-driven. I also have a tan hen that is entirely motivated by affection and attention, and her daughter is entirely motivated by toys. Like any animal, the environment often dictates the outcome!

Hope that helps.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Hello,

I am new to quail farming and forum posting altogether, so please bear with me if I’ve missed something.

I am hoping to gain some insight on the types of quail I’m raising and if it’s the reason for their differences in temperament.

Right now I have one male and three females in a 2ftx3ft cage indoors. I am planning to move them into a large aviary outside once the weather warms consistently, as they are still very young. All of the eggs I’ve received were labeled as Coturnix.

My first hatch was from a batch of ten eggs I got from Amazon, I only managed to hatch a single egg, which I chalk up to my ignorance. This quail is by far my favorite of the flock and she is currently around 5 months old. She has the lighter color and smaller build and her temperament is very noticeably more relaxed than the others. The male even seems totally disinterested in mounting her and the females rarely interact with her at all. She stays on the opposite side of the cage.

The other two females and the male I hatched from a second batch of ten eggs I got from a local farm. Both of these batches were labeled as Coturnix quail, but these quail seem larger, much darker in color, and are absolutely bonkers in comparison. They are currently 2-3 months old. The male is always mounting one of the two females, which I expected, but they jump and run around the cage almost stomping on the older quail. The two females even seem to chase and peck at each other often, but never the older quail.

So from here, I have several questions.
1) Did I end up with completely different breeds of quail?
2) Will this affect any offspring they have, their colors and temperaments, etc? Can they be bred together?
3) Is their difference in temperament due to breed or simply differences in personality?
4) Is the size of their current enclosure the cause of their behavior and should I hasten their transition to the outdoor enclosure?
5) Should I separate the more relaxed quail from the others?
6) Is there any other advice you can offer me?

Thank you for reading, answering any questions, and understanding my ignorance. Their ruffled appearance I believe is due to them molting.

the older light color quail is what would be called Gold Italian. she is still a Coturnix, just a different color.

if you breed an aggressive male, it is likely any sons he has will be the same

my Gold Italian seems more laid back than my other quail, and is mated with less by the roosters. I currently have 7 and 1/2 quail. the Gold Italian is housed with (I think) 3 other female and 2 male. (because one male is too territorial, and is housed alone to prevent him killing his brothers, and that 1/2. she got hurt somehow, and is missing a large chunk of the right side of her butt. so she is also housed alone.)

a bigger house might help, not sure tho, I'm new to quails too.

as long as she isn't in danger (like my 1/2) or causing it (like my aggressive guy) she should be fine.

yes. a 75 pound hog is strong enough to break a cheap Amazon brand coop. not pointing fingers but......... well I wouldn't put it beyond Patricia the Kunekune to taste test my quails. pretty sure that's what happened to the 1/2. needless to say, I stand guard now when the pigs are out.

 

[calicocows]

the older light color quail is what would be called Gold Italian. she is still a Coturnix, just a different color.

if you breed an aggressive male, it is likely any sons he has will be the same

my Gold Italian seems more laid back than my other quail, and is mated with less by the roosters. I currently have 7 and 1/2 quail. the Gold Italian is housed with (I think) 3 other female and 2 male. (because one male is too territorial, and is housed alone to prevent him killing his brothers, and that 1/2. she got hurt somehow, and is missing a large chunk of the right side of her butt. so she is also housed alone.)

a bigger house might help, not sure tho, I'm new to quails too.

as long as she isn't in danger (like my 1/2) or causing it (like my aggressive guy) she should be fine.

yes. a 75 pound hog is strong enough to break a cheap Amazon brand coop. not pointing fingers but......... well I wouldn't put it beyond Patricia the Kunekune to taste test my quails. pretty sure that's what happened to the 1/2. needless to say, I stand guard now when the pigs are out.

the recommended ratio is 4 to 6 hens per rooster, so having 4 hens and 2 roos together might be part of your problem. i believe it's possible to have multiple roos in the same enclosure if it is large and full of hiding spots and there are enough hens.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

the recommended ratio is 4 to 6 hens per rooster, so having 4 hens and 2 roos together might be part of your problem. i believe it's possible to have multiple roos in the same enclosure if it is large and full of hiding spots and there are enough hens.

I think I heard one of my celadon crowing…….. the nearest place to get quail pullets is an hour away, so I’m going to monitor them for now…… if I do have another rooster though, I’m going to sell him.

 

[GhostKeeper]

the older light color quail is what would be called Gold Italian. she is still a Coturnix, just a different color.

if you breed an aggressive male, it is likely any sons he has will be the same

my Gold Italian seems more laid back than my other quail, and is mated with less by the roosters. I currently have 7 and 1/2 quail. the Gold Italian is housed with (I think) 3 other female and 2 male. (because one male is too territorial, and is housed alone to prevent him killing his brothers, and that 1/2. she got hurt somehow, and is missing a large chunk of the right side of her butt. so she is also housed alone.)

a bigger house might help, not sure tho, I'm new to quails too.

as long as she isn't in danger (like my 1/2) or causing it (like my aggressive guy) she should be fine.

yes. a 75 pound hog is strong enough to break a cheap Amazon brand coop. not pointing fingers but......... well I wouldn't put it beyond Patricia the Kunekune to taste test my quails. pretty sure that's what happened to the 1/2. needless to say, I stand guard now when the pigs are out.

Oh that's good for me to know! I'll see about working some of the gold italian genes in here. I wonder if they're in the same strands as my tans..