Mating Behavior of Japanese Quail

A series of experiments was conducted to establish criteria for characterizing the mating behavior of Japanese quail. A reliable criterion for males consisted of observing the cumulative number of completed matings occurring during eight 8-minute test periods. Males were tested singly in flocks of 3 to 6 females. Using this procedure, the mating activity of 2 groups of males was measured at various intervals from 49 days to approximately one year of age. Mating activity was at its maximum between 70 and 210 days of age, after which it began to decline. This age pattern is consistent with that for general fertility of Japanese quail.