08/06/2026
I want to explain why I'm usually reluctant to market any quails as "Jumbos."
Recently, I acquired some quails that were said to be "Jumbo" birds imported from Cameroon. Naturally, I was curious, so I weighed them.
To my surprise, they weighed between 180 and 220 grams — which is already within the weight range of many birds in my current flock. In fact, some of my own birds weigh as much as 250 grams.
The reason for this is simple: for years, I have been breeding very selectively. Any male that matures below 190 grams does not remain in my breeding program. Any female below that benchmark is kept only for table egg production and is not bred. With every generation, I keep raising the standard and selecting the heaviest, healthiest birds for breeding.
What many people don't realize is that "Jumbo" is not a separate species of quail. It is largely the result of consistent selective breeding over multiple generations. Breeders identify larger birds, breed them together, and continue selecting for size generation after generation. Over time, average body weight increases.
So when someone says a bird is "Jumbo," the important question is not the label but the actual weight of the bird.
My goal is to continue improving my flock until my breeding stock consistently averages a minimum of 250 grams by this time next year. Looking at where we are already, I may have been unknowingly working toward what many people would call a Jumbo line all along.
For me, performance matters more than labels. If a bird weighs well, grows well, lays well, and breeds true, that's what counts.
