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I tried a Gouldian genetic calculator and was a little unsure of the meaning when it said 50%.

If we have a Black-headed lilac breasted normal hen and breed it to a Red-headed normal male is it a 50% chance that we will get Red heads or Black heads? This is a future situation. The Red-heads have a clutch that is 15 days old and doing well. The Black-headed female lost her mate a few weeks ago and if we don't get another Black-headed male we were thinking of putting her with a Red-headed male from this clutch if there is one. The birds are not related.

lovezebs wrote: a_gouldian

That's the one I used. Wasn't sure what it was telling me with those results. Is it 50% chance of one or the other? If they are mated will we end up with "clean" colors and not mottled colors, at least for the males. The female red head has red and black coloring on her head (in a symmetrical pattern).

Thanks for the response. I also found this web page which answers my question about the 50%.
http://www.finchinfo.com/genetics/lady_ ... colors.php

All males will be RH/BH and all hens will be RH ... you have a 50% chance each chick will be that color combination.

RedHead/Blackhead is RedHead split to BlackHead so will be visually red with a hidden gene for black.
It doesn't mean red or black head.

debbie276 wrote: All males will be RH/BH and all hens will be RH ... you have a 50% chance each chick will be that color combination.

RedHead/Blackhead is RedHead split to BlackHead so will be visually red with a hidden gene for black.
It doesn't mean red or black head.

Thanks for the reply. I have a hard time understanding Gouldian genetics

Your very welcome
I'm sure in time you will get the hang of their genetics

We currently have 4 chicks that are now 17 days old. The male is red-headed with purple breast, the female is red-headed (dirty) with lilac breast. When I put in in the calculator it says 50% chance of getting a red-head. Does that mean that we could have some black-headed birds? (confused about hidden genes)

You should read a Wikipedia article on dominant and recessive genes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominance_(genetics)

a_gouldian wrote: We currently have 4 chicks that are now 17 days old. The male is red-headed with purple breast, the female is red-headed (dirty) with lilac breast. When I put in in the calculator it says 50% chance of getting a red-head. Does that mean that we could have some black-headed birds? (confused about hidden genes)

The calculators give you the % that each chick has of being that color combination. Seeing how you could have a male or female the percentage will never go higher then 50%.
Chick A has a 50% chance of being a male RH.PB and a 50% chance of being a female RH.PB, and the same for chick B,C and D.

Female gouldians have a lighter breast then males and it is still a PB. A female LB has a very faint pinkish color breast.

The only way to know hidden genes is by knowing the genetics of the parents and/or test breeding.

debbie276 wrote:

a_gouldian wrote: We currently have 4 chicks that are now 17 days old. The male is red-headed with purple breast, the female is red-headed (dirty) with lilac breast. When I put in in the calculator it says 50% chance of getting a red-head. Does that mean that we could have some black-headed birds? (confused about hidden genes)

The calculators give you the % that each chick has of being that color combination. Seeing how you could have a male or female the percentage will never go higher then 50%.
Chick A has a 50% chance of being a male RH.PB and a 50% chance of being a female RH.PB, and the same for chick B,C and D.

Female gouldians have a lighter breast then males and it is still a PB. A female LB has a very faint pinkish color breast.

The only way to know hidden genes is by knowing the genetics of the parents and/or test breeding.

Thanks Debbie. Now I understand the 50%. It sounds like our two females then are purple breasted.

The black headed mutation is a sex linked recessive gene. It can only be carried by the male which is why the cock birds will all be split for black headed but show red headed.

Split red/black headed cocks from the clutch used to breed the following year will produce black headed hens in 50% of their daughters when paired to red headed hens and 50% split (red/black headed) cocks.
i.e.
25% red headed cocks
25% split red/back headed cocks
25% red headed hens
25% black headed hens