What can quail do for you? Part 2: The Curious Cacophony of Colors in Coturnix Quail

The quail I have started raising here on the farm are called Coturnix, or Japanese Laying quail. They are a smaller breed of quail dressing out at 3-5 oz per bird. With a little time, they can be selectively bred to a "Jumbo" size, dressing out at 10-14 oz (Good Examples of "Jumbo" are the Jumbo Brown, and the Texas A&M)! Coturnix quail come in a variety of colors, even though they are the same breed, and you can mix and match your stock to produce color combos of your own!

Here are some of the colors:

Jumbo Brown and - Standard Brown (Aka Pharoah)

Males and Females can be distinguished by the coloration of their chest feathers. Females will have black speckles, and males will have a rich golden rust colored chest. The Jumbo and Standard look exactly the same with the exception of their size. Jumbos have been known to be nearly 14 oz dressed! Also known as Standard Coturnix, or Pharoah.

Golden -

Males and females can be distinguished from their color pattern. The male is lighter while the female is darker and more striated. She also has distinctive brown stripes around the face. Also called Italian and Manchurian.

White and Texas A&M

Good specimens are completely white, other than a black or brown spot on the head. Male and female are identical, although the female is larger. It is common to have patches of black on the head and back. Texas A&M are the Jumbo Version of the white.

Tuxedo -

These are my favorite! Males and Females are indistinguishable. The colour of the back feathers is identical with those of the English Brown, and the white plumage and chest of a White quail. They all have varied markings and truly unique! The ideal ones are clear white face, chest, and belly, with a dark brown back, tail and head. The brown and white feathering is usually neatly outlined, but it is common to find patches of white where the brown should be, and vice versa.

English/American Brown or Range-

Their overall colouring is dark brown, so that some people refer to them as Brown quail. They are not like the Brown Pharoah however. Their Genders look the same and they have all dark feathers. The markings of the English Brown are essentially a lighter brown body colour overlaid with darker-brown, almost black pencilling, along with a certain amount of dark grey feathering on the back on the throat. In America, the English Brown, is also referred to as the British Range, while in the UK,it is referred as the American Range or American Brown! The overall appearance is dark-brown while the striped head markings are similar to other Coturnix breeds. However, the white eyebrow stripe and white throat markings are virtually absent.

There you have it, the main colors of the Coturnix quail. I am currently mixing my birds together to see what wonderful color combos I can get, and perhaps create my own color variation! Other quail farmers have created combos like Cream, Grey, Blue, Grey/Blue, Ginger, Red, and so on. The possibilities are endless for these little guys and I cant wait to see what my hatches look like!

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