JAPANESE QUAIL (Wild Coturnix) Ofers New Game Bird Possibility
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Oblonga, that was recently shown to be the culture of cotton and olives in the San ment of Plant Pathology, University of resistant to verticillium wilt, was chal- Joaquin Valley indicate that culture of California, Davis; and G. S. Sibbett is lenged with both strains in greenhouse other perennial and annual crops suscep- Tulare County Farm Advisor, University evaluations. Although a resistant root- tible to verticillium should be more criti- of California Agricultural Extension Ser- stock, (to which susceptible commercial cally evaluated in the future. vice. Diana Fogle gave technical assis- olive varieties may be grafted) is avail- W. C. Schnuthorst is Principal Re- tance, and Jefl Hall provided photo- able, measures also are needed that will search Plant Pathologist, Cotton Cordage graphic assistance. John Whisler provided prevent spread of the disease within Fibers Branch, Plant Science Research Manzanillo olive plants for greenhouse established groves. Division, USDA, and Lecturer and Asso- tests. One isolate of V. albo-atrum from The disease problems associated with ciate in the Experiment Station, Depart- olives was provided by A. V.Ravenscroft. Importation of wild strain JAPANESE QUAIL (wild coturnix) ofers new game bird possibility W. 0. WILSON * B. ANDERSON ' T. D. SIOPES BODY WEIGHTS OF WILD AND DOMESTICATED STRAINS OF COTURNIX AT DIFFERENT AGES (MEAN AND STANDARD ERROR) Domestic coturnix, or Japanese quail, have Median age Non-layers been used for research in several disci- Day old 1 week 8 weeks at sexual at 9 weeks plines at the Avian Sciences Department, maturity of age Davis, since 1957-including investiga- 9 9 9 days % Females wild 6.4 t .16 14.9 f .42 104.2 iz 2.7 59 50 tions in environmental physiology, nutri- Females tame 6.2 f 20 20.0 f 1.73 139.2 -+ 3.2 44 0 tion, genetics, cancer, environmental toxi- Males wild 5.6 f 20 13.8 & 30 92.6 f 2.2 co!ogy, and embryology. The small, fast- Males tame 6.2 k .ll 12.6 f 1.47 108.8 f 4.0 maturing birds allow savings in research time and money. Studies reported here physiological research and photoperiodic tempts to establish it as a game bird. In show differences in viability, hatchability, studies) . Experimental results with repro- 1957 over 200,000 coturnix were reared fertility, egg production and weight and duction may be obtained more quickly and released by the Missouri Conserva- age at sexual maturity between the re- with coturnix as they mature in five to tion Commission. After hundreds of thou- sands of birds had been imported by cently imported wild species and the do- six weeks after hatching-as compared with chickens which require five months many states, it became established only in mesticated coturnix-leading to specula- to mature. In production, domesticated Hawaii on the islands of Maui, Kauai and tion that the bird might still be established coturnix lay as many eggs per year as Hawaii. The state has open season on as a game bird in this country, despite pre- most chickens. Because the egg size is coturnix with a bag limit of fifteen. vious unsuccessful attempts with the do- relatively much larger than chickens, the At the Toyohashi Quail Farming Co- mesticated strains. coturnix, (laying at 75% production operating Association in Japan, coturnix rate) produces eggs equivalent to body females have a productive life of one year weight every 19 days. and produce at an 80% rate during this time. The eggs are packed in cartons of The quail Coturnix coturnix has a long 'STICATED COTURNIX or Japanese 10 eggs for retail sale to be cooked and life history depicted in both Egyptian DO""quail have been used as the pilot ani- served in many ways. From May to No- hieroglyphics and references in the Old mal for research in several disciplines vember is a period of low egg prices, and since 1957 in the Aviah Sciences Depart- Testament. Since ancient times the quail some of the eggs produced during this ment at Davis. The small birds weigh have been kept under domestication in period are saved for incubation. It nor- approximately one quarter of a pound, Japan. Their meat and eggs, both of eco- mally takes 40 days to reach sexual ma- and cost much less to feed the numbers nomic value, were easily grown. When turity under artificial light at night. The of birds required to produce statistically wild, the birds' diet consisted of seeds and Toyohashi Association reported a grow- significant results. Their size also allows insects injurious to agriculture. ing mortality of from 5 to 20%, hatcha- the use of very small growing chambers, In the United States a number of im- bility of 60 to 70% and fertility of 75 taking up much less space than is needed portations of coturnix (starting in about to 90%. The Japanese sell both young for chickens or turkeys (particularly in 1870) were made in unsuccessful at- fryers and adult birds for meat. CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE, JULY, 1971 5 Female coturnix from wild (left) and domesticated (right) strains. Male coturnix from wild (left) and domesticated (right) strains. Rough Wire spacing in cages is 1 x 2 inches. plumage of wild birds is from escape attempts. Random breeding flock Differences between the body size and the 16 and 35 grams for the males and fe- A random breeding flock of coturnix mature weights of the wild line bred in males, respective. The table shows the has been kept at the University of Califor- the laboratory were 97.6 g for females and body weights of the wild and tame cotur- nia since 1967. These birds have shown 92.6 g for males, as compared with 93.4 g nix for the first six weeks. considerable variation in their gonadal for wild bred females and 83.0 g for A few quail showed sexual dimorphism photoperiodic response. The large varia- males. The shank length of captured birds after only 11 days, however, the popula- bility in response required that many was consistently longer than that of the tion as a whole required three weeks. more birds be used in experimental laboratory strain. There appeared to be no difference in the onset of sexual dimorphism between the groups so that significant results could Domesticated quail be obtained. For this reason it was de- two strains. Wild strain birds were sirable to obtain new and less domesti- Domesticated quail attained sexual slightly lighter in color than were birds cated stocks that would be more photo- maturity at an average of 48.3 days, of the domestic strain. Sexual maturity responsive. Eggs were obtained from wild whereas wild strains matured at 117.0 of both wild and domestic strains was stock and their backcrosses through the days. Twenty weeks after hatching all obtained in the sixth and eighth weeks. courtesy of K. Sakai and T. Kawahara of females in the domesticated strain were The median age of females at sexual ma- the Japanese National Institute of Ge- laying but 47% of the wild line females turity differed by 2 weeks from wild and netics, in Mishima, Japan. The eggs were were not laying. Viability; hatchability, domestic strains (for those birds that flown to Hawaii in April 1970, where fertility, egg production rate and egg laid eggs). However, among non-laying they were hatched, brooded, and reared weight of the wild strain was poorer than females, half of the wild population were at the University of Hawaii's Waialee Re. that of the domestic strain. These results not mature at nine weeks of age but all search Farm on Oahu. The eggs of this suggested that there are distinct differ- of the control females were. Results of generation were shipped to the Avian Sci- ences in genetic constitutions between behavioral observations showed a rest- ences Department at UC Davis where they wild and domesticated quail. Such differ- lessness and tendency towards flight in have been hatched and the young studied. ences may be produced in the course of the wild strain as compared with the The data on the wild stock in a Cali- domestication though the mechanisms are much more docile domestic strain. The fornia environment differs somewhat not yet known. wild strain birds were also more vocal. from the results published by researchers Fifty wild coturnix from the National After seeing the wild strain of coturnix at the National Institute of Genetics of Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan in feral conditions, and observing their Japan-when comparing the productive were compared with 31 UCD line 908 wildness in the laboratory, there appears traits in wild and domesticated quail. coturnix in 1970 at Davis. All were to be a possiblity of establishing this Nearly 300 wild quail were captured near brooded under the same conditions: same strain as a game bird in California. It is the foot of Mt. Fuji and successfully prop- diet, temperature (23OC), and photo- possible that the strains previously re- agated. F, hybrids between wild and do- period (16L:8D). Observations recorded leased were domesticated strains. Pres- mesticated strains and backcrosses to the included: weekly body weight (individ- ently, these birds are being kept in out- parental strains were bred for the experi- ual), color and appearance of sexual door pens to see if they will nest and rear ment. dimorphism, sexual maturity and be- their young (previously tested laboratory The wild strain was found to be consist- havior traits. The results from these ob- quail did not). ently different than the domesticated line servations made over a period of about W. 0. Wilson is Podtry Physiologist, in most of the traits studied.