Identification of Sex of Day-Old Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) by Cloacal Examination

Abstract

EARLY determination of the sex of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) is desirable when these birds are raised for experimental purposes. Sexual dimorphism does not become obvious until the contour feathers emerge when the quail are 2 to 3 weeks of age. The birds usually are sexed by the difference in color of the breast feathers, the male having brownish-red feathers and the female characteristically having tan (gray) feathers with black speckles. In some mutant stocks, color of the feathers remains identical in both sexes even after sexual maturity, e.g., the “ghost bar mutant” and other types of albinos. In these stocks, identification of the sex is possible by observing the development of the cloacal gland after the birds were 4 weeks of age. This gland is located in the dorsal wall of the cloaca and becomes hypertrophic in sexually active males. The above two methods are not satisfactory for …