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Quail Color Genetics Calculator

Pick two varieties by name — Celadon, Rosetta, Tibetan, Italian, Tuxedo, Roux — and see exactly what the hatch looks like, including the genes the chicks carry without showing. Or switch to a single-gene mode and set alleles yourself for recessive, dominant, incomplete-dominant and sex-linked (Z) traits. Free, no signup.

Pick two named Coturnix varieties and get the odds — no genotype notation needed. This is the mode most keepers want.

Shareable page for this pairing: /tools/color-genetics-calculator/italian-x-pharaoh

This pairing gives you 50% Italian / Manchurian gold and 50% Pharaoh (wild-type brown).

What the chicks look like

  • Italian / Manchurian gold50%
  • Pharaoh (wild-type brown)50%

Punnett square

Yellow

Yy+
y+Y/y+y+/y+
y+Y/y+y+/y+

Dominant and homozygous-lethal. One copy gives the gold Italian / Manchurian look; chicks that inherit it from both parents die in the shell, so every living gold bird carries exactly one copy.

The wild type — no color mutations at all. Every other variety is described by how it changes Pharaoh. Yellow heterozygote. No living Italian is homozygous, because double-Yellow embryos die in the shell.

Coturnix color mutations — quick reference

Inheritance modes commonly reported by breeders. Coturnix genetics are debated and vary by line — verify against your own stock before relying on predictions.

Color / mutationUsually reported asNotes
PharaohWild-typeBrown base color; reference for the others.
Italian (Golden)Dominant (incomplete)Homozygous often pale/weak; lethality reported by some — use the lethal option.
TuxedoRecessiveWhite bib/belly patterning.
English WhiteRecessiveWhite plumage; can carry color underneath.
TibetanDominantDarker; homozygous lethality reported by some breeders.
Roux (Fawn)RecessiveReddish-fawn dilution.
RosettaDominantOften combined with other colors.
Range / Dotted WhiteRecessiveWhite with colored flecks.

Every pairing, already worked out

The odds for each of these are on their own page, with the Punnett square, what the chicks carry invisibly, and what it means for the next generation.

Varieties whose inheritance genuinely varies by line — Scarlett, the Fee dilutes, Andalusian, Sparkly, Range, and the jumbo size lines — deliberately have no pairing page. Pick them in the calculator above and it will tell you why instead of inventing a percentage.

How to use it

Start with the inheritance mode for the trait you're pairing for — most Coturnix color mutations are recessive (Tuxedo, English White, Roux), a few are dominant (Rosetta), and some report homozygous lethality (Italian, Tibetan) which the dominant mode can model. Set each parent's genotype and read the phenotype odds. Genetics vary by line, so treat the percentages as a starting point and verify against your own stock.

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Track your real pairings in Quail Keeper Max

Save each bird's genotype, build 4-generation pedigrees, and let the app predict every hatch from your actual flock — not just a one-off pairing.

See Breeding & Genetics →