Curly

Curly is a mutation only found in quail that is different from the frizzle seen in chickens. It is a completely recessive gene that causes the feathers to look ruffled through the back and wings (1). The bird will have this ruffled feather look from hatch through maturity, though it will look the most frizzle-like and curly around 10 days of age (1). It was discovered in a lab setting in France by Dr. Minvielle in 2005.

It does not have any health defects like frizzle, and the feathers themselves are completely healthy (1). In fact, the only study done on curly suggests that it improves weight gain and overall size (1), though it is uncertain if that is from the curly gene in particular, or just the line.

It is worth noting that Curly is also different from normal feather damage from breeding. Curly is genetic and the ruffled feathers will stay constant through all of the adult molts, especially the bird is separated from others (1). However, with damage from breeding, the bird will molt out regular, flat feathers when left by themselves. They also will not have curled feathers as chicks. A majority of birds with ruffled feathers will just be from breeding.

It is completely recessive, meaning you cannot tell if a bird has just one copy of curly. It is proven to exist in backyard flocks in Australia and other countries, but no testing has been done to see how common it is in the United States if it is available at all.

The gene symbol is cu and the order of dominance is Curly < Wildtype.

Breeding with Curly:

Curly x Curly = 100% Curly

(cu/cu x cu/cu = 100% cu/cu)

Curly x Wildtype = 100% Carrier

(cu/cu x cu+/cu+ = 100% cu/cu+)

Curly x Carrier = 50% Curly, 50% Carrier

(cu/cu x cu/cu+ = 50% cu/cu, 50% cu/cu+)

Carrier x Carrier = 25% Curly, 50% Carrier, 25% Wildtype

(cu/cu+ x cu/cu+ = 25% cu/cu, 50% cu/cu+, 25% cu+/cu+)

Carrier x Flat = 50% Carrier, 50% Wildtype

(cu/cu+ x cu+/cu+ = 50% cu/cu+, 50% cu+/cu+)