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The very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) is an important multifunctional receptor and plays a key role in chicken reproduction. This study is designed to investigate the effect of variants in the VLDLR gene on quail laying traits. Two quail populations were studied – yellow feather quail and chestnut feather quail; 384 individuals per breed were used. The laying traits (the weight of the first egg, the age of the first egg, egg weight, the weight of 20-week-old and the egg number of 20-week-old) were measured and recorded. The polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was developed to genotype those individuals. The results showed two novel polymorphisms, i.e. two linkage variations in intron 11 of the VLDLR gene (363T > C and 392C > T). They are associated with the weight of the first egg, the age of the first egg and egg number of 20-week-old in yellow feather and chestnut feather quail. The two variations in intron 11 of VLDLR may be linked with potential major loci or genes affecting some laying traits.