I really like quail for soft hackles. I tie a few fibers for the tail and dub a small body. Then I wrap a quail feather for the hackle. If the feathers is too big, pull some fibers off and tie them in at the head. Try to loose wrap them and get them to go around the hook. This is a little more difficult as you will want to snip the butts of the fibers at the head once you have them tied in.
Bob