Borne Free Eclectically

08/11/2024

I apologize that I am not paying attention to this page. There are things happening in my family that are of extreme importance. Please, I hope you understand.

06/09/2024

Now I’m concerned why this person thinks they have no vowel in the name KandJ

I have no vowels in my name 😂

06/09/2024

05/18/2024

Quail Sizes

I frequently get asked if X color of quail can be jumbo.

The answer - every time - is yes!

Any color or pattern or Coturnix quail can be jumbo! Colors are just that - colors - and don’t (usually) impact the size of the bird. (I say usually, as homozygous Silver/Andalusian has lethal issues that produce a failure-to-thrive bird that is unlikely to ever reach jumbo size).

There are a couple of ways you can reach jumbo size with a certain color.

First, you can outcross. You can take a color and breed it to a jumbo line. The offspring will vary in sizes. Select the largest offspring and go from there.

This is how jumbo Gingers were bred. Ginger birds were bred to the jumbo Brown line and selected for size.

The second way you can create a jumbo line takes a bit more time but is totally acheivable. You can select for larger birds without outcrossing. You can keep your line pure, but just select larger and larger birds each generation.

This is exactly how I was able to increase the size of my Black line from 4-5oz to 9-11oz. Years of careful selection!

The opposite can also hold true. I decided to make my own line of bantams. So I started carefully selecting the smallest, healthiest birds from a line. I’m still working on them, but after a couple of years, I am now producing birds averaging 5oz. They’re still not as small as I want them to be, so I will keep selecting towards smaller and smaller birds.

Our bantams are currently Wildtype, Tuxedo, and English White.

Our jumbos are currently Brown (Wildtype with SLB), Pansy, Ginger, Pearl Fee, Manchurian, Tibetan, Sparkly in various colors, and English White - with more jumbos in the works!