This is a Jumbo (bred to be large) Pharaoh quail hen. We currently sell quail chicks and hatching eggs, and our Stellar Jumbo Pharaohs are a very popular breed with our customers. My covey had already been selectively bred for an easy disposition, which made breeding for additional traits easier. While I breed many quail for different reasons, my prime focuses are body size, egg size, color, and growth rate. However, the more I have successfully bred birds for specific traits, the more interested I’ve become in growing larger birds to create a dual-purpose (meat and egg) covey. I enjoyed having pets when I started, and Stella was the foundation of my current stock. Currently I’m interested in homesteading and self-sufficiency, using Coturnix quail as a food source rather than breeding pets.
A decade of breeding later, my goals have changed. Stella passed on at the very old age of seven (an average life span is 3 to 4 years). The offspring made wonderful pets, and that was my primary goal. I wanted calm birds and a peaceful covey, so I kept the most docile males and bred them with docile females.
Photo by author.Īt first, I was just breeding for disposition. My Jumbo Pharaoh line is in its 43 rd generation of selective breeding, and I add new blood every few generations to avoid issues with undesirable genetic mutations.Įnglish White breed. If you want to add new blood (new stock breeding) into the line (which is considered a good practice), you introduce new birds with the desired traits into your breeding program. In line breeding, you breed sons with their mothers or fathers to their daughters, thus continuing a specific genetic line. There are two overall ways to breed for specific traits: line breeding and new stock breeding. Offspring with the desired trait (feather pattern, size, disposition) are kept for future breeding the chicks without those traits are culled. This might be certain feather color patterns, heights, or bill sizes. You begin with a parent pair who have traits you’re interested in passing on to their offspring. Selective breeding can be done with any poultry species. Stella next to offspring. Photo by author.
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