Bobwhite vs Coturnix

[diplomat019]

Can someone tell me the visable difference to tell the two apart. And do coturnix recall/do well for training purposes ? Thanks.

[gotpointers]

There are so many variations being bred its really hard to give a direct answer. Given a choice you're much better off training with bobwhites. Think of a courtunix more as a chicken than a gamebird. There are some like the Tibetan that are a bit more like a bobwhite if raised properly. I've never tried them in a recall pen. But they're great on the grill or roaster oven. But if that's all you've got to train with they're better than nothing at all.

[diplomat019]

thanks. coturnix are easier to come by. and there is a live poultry shop by me, but the owners jet say "quail" thats why i wanted to know if there was a visible difference. they look like bobwhite but I'm not totally sure.

[Sharon]

They look very different from each other imo... especially the heads and body shape

Here's some pics.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_bobwhite/id

https://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=n ... rnix+quail

(I wouldn't use quail in early training of a young dog.)

[gotpointers]

thanks. coturnix are easier to come by. and there is a live poultry shop by me, but the owners jet say "quail" thats why i wanted to know if there was a visible difference. they look like bobwhite but I'm not totally sure.

Sharon's Google search will help if you run into Jumbo Brown's and plain northern. Variants can throw a loop. Sharon can you ID these without help?

[gotpointers]

They look very different from each other imo... especially the heads and body shape

Here's some pics.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_bobwhite/id

https://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=n ... rnix+quail

(I wouldn't use quail in early training of a young dog.)

Please enlighten me about the reason to not use quail in the early training of a young dog.

[diplomat019]

sharon. are u meaning to not use quail and use hard flying pigeons instead? thats what i took from your comment. i dont have a pigeon coop and i built a mini johnny house. my dog is 1 now (still a puppy i guess). but why not quail? ive been to navhda training, trained with my breeder and they both used quail, and I used quail last summer. seemed to be ok.

[Sharon]

Those are white birds.
I assume you are saying that there are many different kinds of quail . This is very true. Where I live not hard to see the difference between a bobwhite and a coturix.

I prefer hard flying pigeons when starting bird training ( assuming wild aren't available). I don't want a bird caught. I want that burst of flight flying hard away, not a bird fluttering into the next bush. I don't shackle the bird in any way - cheap training fee imo . I do use a launcher so I have more control than using a dizzied bird.
I use quail for a more steady , more mature dog.
Not to say that is the only way to do it, but that has always been best for me. ( Never try to enlighten anyone. )
I'm surprised NAVHDA uses quail initially.

[gotpointers]

Those are white birds.
I assume you are saying that there are many different kinds of quail . This is very true. Where I live not hard to see the difference between a bobwhite and a coturix.

I prefer hard flying pigeons when starting bird training ( assuming wild aren't available). I don't want a bird caught. I want that burst of flight flying hard away, not a bird fluttering into the next bush. I don't shackle the bird in any way - cheap training fee imo . I do use a launcher so I have more control than using a dizzied bird.
I use quail for a more steady , more mature dog.
Not to say that is the only way to do it, but that has always been best for me. ( Never try to enlighten anyone. )
I'm surprised NAVHDA uses quail initially.

The white birds in the first picture are Texas A&M coturnix. And bobwhites are in the second. That's why I didn't want to give him a direct answer. Male wild bobwhites are pretty easy to id but in a pen at a supplier someone could easily mistake a jumbo brown coturnix with a bobwhite hen.

Many start with quail to avoid wing slap on a dizzied pigeon. And launchers tend to start a young, green or soft dog to start blinking birds. I always check cord a dog to avoid a bird being caught. I've seen too many ruined with launchers, juice and wing slap even with paid trainer's. Setters are slower to mature and I really need to proceeded with caution.

[Sharon]

What ever works for you , you should absolutely do. I've been in dogs for 50 +years and I know what works for me.
Different strokes for different folks.