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Determining the sex of quails can be done and luckily it is fairly simple. You will be able to quickly discover the sex of your quail using one of the methods below.
Steps
If you have a mixed breed/mixed colour quail (like the Texas Quail), you cannot use the colour and pattern on the breast to determine its sex. Instead, you have to examine its underside.
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Securely hold the quail's body. Make sure not to hold the quail by its legs, as the legs are very fragile. Have a gentle but firm grip on your quail, and then turn it upside-down.
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Examine the cloaca. Blow the feathers underneath the tail to expose the cloaca. You may already be able to see a small bulge (if so, it is a male).
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Press the cloaca. If you can't see a bulge just by looking at the cloaca, place one finger above the opening of the cloaca and put another finger below the opening. Gently press down. If a bulge pops up, then it's a male. White foam may also come out of the cloaca when you press it, which also indicates that it's a male. If there is no bulge and no foam when you press the cloaca, the quail is a female. [2] X Research source
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Male and female quails often have a difference in behaviour whether it is towards each over, during mating season or a common personality.
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Observe the quail's behaviour. Male quails tend to be more aggressive towards each over whilst the female is more calm.
- Male quails will attack each over unless they are in a large space with lots of hiding spots. To see if they do attack, place them in a small box (but big enough for them to move around) and watch them for a minute or two. If they are males one should attack the other, if so remove them straight away to prevent serious injuries.
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Listen to your quail. Male quails will often call to the female quails but sometimes the female has a call that sounds similar in some breeds of quails (usually to call to her chicks). [3] X Research source
- Male quails will be loud and call a lot during mating season. Whilst calling the male will reach up as if stretching and then call. Male quails are even said to 'growl' during mating season.
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Watch your quails during mating season. The female often builds the nest and feeds the chicks depending on the breed of quail you have. Sometimes the male will build the nest and feed the chicks so you shouldn't rely on this method. [4] X Research source
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Sometimes the sex of your quail can easily be determined by their feathers and this method can be used on most breeds of quails.
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Examine the feathers during mating season. Female quails usually have a loss of feathers on their head and back due to mating. [5] X Research source
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Look at the difference between each quail. Male quails usually have brighter and more colourful feathers around their back, neck and head whilst the female quails are usually a plain colour.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhen is the breeding season for quails?Community AnswerThere is no specific breeding season for domesticated quail, though some people believe quail tend to become broody during March. Quail breed all year-round and also lay eggs al year-round. All eggs are fertile as long as a male is kept with a female.
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QuestionHow many females/males do I need together to make fertilised eggs?Community AnswerYou can easily keep one male with one female and they will lay fertilised eggs. But many people like keeping a ratio of one male to every three or so females to reduce stress of too much breeding.
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QuestionWhich food is most suitable for Indian quails?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererA game-bird feed is most suitable for quails.
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Tips
- You will only be able to use the speckle/colouration method if the quail is 2-3 weeks old or more, otherwise it will not be feathered enough.Thanks
- The underside method can only be done if it is mating season which is usually during spring or summer.Thanks
- If foam comes out of the cloaca, but you don't see a bulge, it is likely that you have a female quail who has recently mated and still has foam residue from the male inside her cloaca.Thanks
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About This Article
Article Summary
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To determine the sex of a quail, first look at the quail’s breast feathers. Males usually have dark-colored reddish-brown breasts, whereas the females have much lighter-colored pale brown breasts. Then, if you can pick up the quail, carefully turn the quail upside down. Blow a small amount of air on the quail’s underside to expose the cloaca, or the exit hole. Using 2 fingers, press down above and below the opening. If a small bulge pops up, it’s a male. If not, it’s a female. To learn how to tell the sex of a quail by watching its behavior, continue reading!
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- "i have recently purchased twenty Texas quail, all identical. The tips on behavior of males solved the problem instantly. Many thanks." ..." more
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"i have recently purchased twenty Texas quail, all identical. The tips on behavior of males solved the problem instantly. Many thanks."
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