Our line of Japanese Quails occasionally produces “Cinnamon” or “Red-Eye” offspring. One of our hens, “Phoenix,” was hatched with a red eye condition. Her feathers are not white, but her eyes are slightly red, and she appears to have about 50–60% vision. We currently do not have any male quails showing this condition, yet from time to time, a small number of chicks hatch with this mutation. These can vary:
Please note
We thought the odd quail was albino hence video below caption “Albino” however this is incorrect. After looking into it we’ve discovered it’s actually the ‘Cinnamon’ mutation of Japanese quail. The Cinnamon variety shows lighter colouration and red eyes when hatched, and is inherited as a recessive gene. We’ve learnt something new everyday! 😊
Original article reference:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237187038_Cinnamon_A_mutant_of_Japanese_quail
Some hatch completely yellow (white) with bright red eyes while others hatch with light markings on their back and less vivid red eyes, often with slightly better vision.
They can be recognized by their typical “head bobbing” motion as they try to see or feel objects around them. In their early days, they may be slower to start eating and drinking compared to normal chicks, as they take time to adjust to their limited vision. We encourage allowing these little ones to learn and adapt naturally rather than giving too much assistance. With time, they usually figure out their own way of getting around and thrive just like their siblings. By around 6–8 weeks of age, they generally reach a similar size to the others, and their head-bobbing becomes much less noticeable—often only visible if you’re looking closely.
We do not intentionally breed for this trait. Our Japanese Quail group consists of three different bloodlines, and at this stage, we are not entirely sure which birds carry the recessive gene responsible for this mutation. We can confirm, however, that in our line, this trait is not sex-linked—we’ve had both males and females hatch with it.
If you happen to hatch one of these special quails, we hope you’ll cherish their unique beauty and treat them just like any other quail. They might seem a little clumsy at first, but they are just as wonderful and full of personality as the rest!
