Quail Breeding Projects Underway at Forget-Me-Not Quail Farm

At Forget-Me-Not Quail Farm, breeding Coturnix isn’t about breeding for looks alone. It’s about raising healthy, hardy, and productive birds that look good while doing their job. I’ve been working these lines for years, paying attention to size, temperament, color, and how reliably they reproduce those traits.

Some of these projects are still in refinement, while others have reached the point where they consistently produce the kind of birds I’m proud to offer to other small breeders and homesteaders.

What Matters Most in My Breeding Program

I keep my breeding groups small and track every hatch closely so each generation improves on the one before it.

Size & Productivity: Birds that reach or exceed the Jumbo standard (10 ounces by 10 weeks) and lay strong, healthy eggs.
Calm Temperament: Easy-to-handle quail that make everyday care simple and stress-free.
Visual Appeal: Beautiful birds that still earn their keep.
Genetic Stability: Consistent traits and dependable offspring, season after season.

2026 Breeding Lines and Collections

These lines were developed for small homesteaders who want birds that are productive, good-sized, and enjoyable to keep.

Andalusian

Andalusian quail show a gray dilution that can vary from a light grayish tint to a more dark gray tone. You’ll see white wingtips and one or more undiluted patches of base-colored feathers across the body. Because our line carries the gene in its heterozygous form on a variety of bases, the exact shade can differ quite a bit from bird to bird.

Quick Facts

Bird Size: Jumbo
Average Egg Size: 13.6 grams
Feather Sexable: No
Breeds True: No

The Andalusian gene (An) is an incomplete dominant that dilutes plumage when a bird carries one copy. In heterozygous form, the quail show a gray body with one or more undiluted patches. Two copies produce a cream-colored chick, but this form is partially lethal and rarely survives past hatch. When breeding Andalusian to Andalusian, expect a mix of standard-colored chicks, Andalusian chicks, and a percentage that won’t hatch. Andalusian-to–non-Andalusian pairings reliably produce about half Andalusian offspring.

True Black

True Black quail have a deep, uniform black plumage, darker than Tibetan. Our current line produces birds that are almost entirely black with no white bleed-through in about 90% of adult birds, and we continue selecting toward a fully consistent solid black appearance.If you want a color that is bold and dark, this line fits that goal.

Quick Facts

Bird Size: Standard
Average Egg Size: 12.8 grams
Feather Sexable: No
Breeds True: Yes

The genetics behind True Black quail are still not fully understood. We know the color involves Extended Brown, Fawn, and Fee, but these genes alone don’t explain how consistently dark the plumage becomes. There appears to be an additional, undescribed gene (or a specific combination of genes) intensifying the black coloration. Despite the unknowns, the line breeds true, and selecting for birds without white bleed-through continues to strengthen the consistency of the color.

Calico Collection

The Calico Collection includes Calico, Calico Fee, Roux Calico, and Calico Roux Fee, all showing the wider cream-to-yellow striations along the back and reduced overall patterning that sets this line apart. These birds have a softer look than standard Pharaoh, with little to no breast spotting on females, though they can still be sexed by the mask. Depending on the base, you may see darker back markings or added dilution from Fee or Roux. Our birds are all homozygous Calico, so every chick carries the full, visible pattern.

Quick Facts

Bird Size: Jumbo
Average Egg Size: 13 grams
Feather Sexable: Yes
Breeds True: Yes

Calico (Y^ca) is located on the ASIP locus and behaves as a recessive gene in practical breeding. Heterozygous birds show very faint signs (slightly wider back lines and fewer breast spots), but the full Calico pattern only appears in homozygous form. Calico cannot be expressed on Manchurian and shows only a subtle heterozygous effect on Italian due to natural fawn variation.

Celadon Collection

Our Celadon Collection includes quail in several colors (mostly Extended Brown types such as Tibetan and Rosetta, along with Wildtype, Falb Fee, and Tuxedo), but they all lay the same light blue celadon eggs. The eggs can be very pale or a deeper robin’s-egg blue, and some hens lay solid colors while others produce speckled shells. A few of our birds are feather sexable, depending on their plumage type. All are homozygous for the Celadon gene, so every hen in this line lays blue eggs.

Quick Facts

Bird Size: Jumbo
Average Egg Size: 13 grams
Feather Sexable: Some
Breeds True: Yes, for egg color

Celadon (ce) is a fully recessive gene that affects only egg color, not plumage. A hen will either lay blue eggs her entire life or never lay them at all. The gene does not develop over time. It also leaves no physical signs on carriers, and the common myth that “birds with blue inner shells are celadon carriers” is false. Almost all healthy Coturnix have blue inner shells. Because roosters can’t be identified visually, test breeding is the only reliable way to determine carriers, but homozygous celadon hens and roosters will always pass the trait on when paired.

Sparkly Pansy Pearl

Our Sparkly Pansy Pearl line is built on a Pearl base (Fawn + Fee), which produces a range of blacks, whites, and soft grays. Sparkly increases black barring and overall pattern density, while Pansy adds bold blotching and heavier contrast across the feathers, creating a bold, high-contrast appearance. This line is still under development, and Sparkly and Pansy are not yet fully homozygous across the line. As a result, some chicks may express Pansy Fee or Pearl Fee phenotypes instead of the full Sparkly Pansy Pearl look. Fee is homozygous throughout the line, ensuring consistent pigment reduction, and selective breeding is focused on fixing Sparkly and Pansy together on the Pearl base. Our goal is for every chick to reliably express the complete Sparkly Pansy Pearl phenotype by the end of the 2026 season.

Quick Facts

Bird Size: Jumbo
Average Egg Size: 13.6 grams
Feather Sexable: Yes, but difficult
Breeds True: Not at this time

This line combines four active genes: Sparkly (E^S), Pansy (ps), Fawn, and Fee. Sparkly is an incomplete dominant mutation on the MC1R/Extended Brown locus and increases black patterning, while Pansy modifies pattern expression on the same locus, adding bold blotching and heavier contrast when present. Pearl results from the interaction of Fawn and Fee, with Fawn providing the Italian/Manchurian base and Fee removing red and brown pigment, shifting expression toward a grayscale pattern dominated by black and white. In this line, Fee is homozygous, but Sparkly and Pansy are still being stabilized and are not yet fixed in every breeder.

Splash Collection

Splash quail have a scattered, irregular pattern created by patches of color on a mostly white body. Because this mutation can sit on many different base colors, the exact shade of the “splash” will vary, depending on what’s underneath. In homozygous form, most birds develop a colored strip down the back, mottling through the wings, and some color on the head and face, with the breast staying mostly white. Our Splash birds are homozygous and breed true, so the patchy, high-contrast look is consistent in every hatch.

Quick Facts

Bird Size: Jumbo
Average Egg Size: 14 grams
Feather Sexable: No
Breeds True: Yes

Splash is a fully recessive mutation located on the S locus (EDNRB2). It is separate from English White and Tuxedo, but it shares a locus with Dotted White, which means a bird cannot be homozygous Splash and Dotted White at the same time. Chicks often hatch nearly white with small dots of color, then develop more visible patches as they grow, finally molting into the typical Splash pattern. Because the gene is recessive, birds must carry two copies to express the pattern, and pairing two homozygous Splash parents will reliably produce 100% Splash offspring.

Looking for Chicks or Hatching Eggs?

Chicks are hatched on a rolling schedule from March through October. Use the pages below to learn more and check current availability:

Please note: All birds and eggs are pickup only at this time. I do not ship.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose the best quail line for my covey?

Start with your goals. If you want blue eggs, choose the Celadon Collection. If your priority is size and usefulness in the kitchen, most of my lines (Andalusian, Calico Collection, Celadon Collection, Sparkly Pansy Pearl, and Splash) reach Jumbo size. For true-breeding colors with predictable outcomes, go with True Black or Sparkly Pansy Pearl.

Are certain lines better layers or more productive than others?

All of my lines are selected for strong egg production. The Splash Collection tends to lay some of the largest eggs.

Can I mix different color lines in one covey?

Yes, absolutely. They can all be raised together with no issues. Just keep in mind that if you plan to hatch eggs, mixing lines will lead to unpredictable color outcomes. For consistent results, keep your breeding groups separated by line.

Do all your lines breed true?

Not all of them. Calico Collection (for the Calico trait), True Black, Splash Collection (for the Splash trait), and Sparkly Pansy Pearl are true-breeding. Andalusian and the Celadon Collection do not breed true for color, though Celadon does always pass on the blue egg gene when kept homozygous. All lines except True Black reach Jumbo size, but size alone is not a “true-breeding” trait.

What makes a quail “Jumbo”?

“Jumbo” refers to birds that reach roughly 10 ounces around 10 weeks of age. Most of my lines meet that standard, including Andalusian, Calico Collection, Celadon Collection, Sparkly Pansy Pearl, and Splash. True Black is the only standard-sized line I offer.

Why do you only breed heterozygous Andalusians?

Homozygous Andalusians are partially lethal, and most do not survive to hatch or adulthood. To maintain a healthy, stable line, I only breed heterozygous Andalusians, which produce strong, vigorous chicks and the classic gray look people expect from the line.

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