Hen genetics

[monotwine]

Thanks all.

Well I am just going to buy birds I like the look of and then try pair up same head colours. If I get splits then that will be a bonus.
I suppose I can play in the future with breeding specific things once I have a few generations of known parentage. Even then I could be surprised.

[GOULDYGIRL]

that's the best thing. Buy birds that are visually appealing to you and go from there.

You can still get varieties or have a good idea what you can expect just going by body and breast colors.

With splits, unless you know the breeder and he breeds for specific mutations then you will never know for sure.

I got very lucky when I bought my pastel male Jinx. I was on the hunt for split to blue hens and bought two different ones from people I didn't know on the internet. One hen the person wasn't sure if she was split or not, so that was a wonderful surprise to produce my first blue baby.

Best wishes on your first pair , it won't be your last, lol!

Renee

[CandoAviary]

Buy birds that are visually appealing to you and go from there.

Best wishes on your first pair , it won't be your last, lol!

I agree on both statements whole heartedly Genetics are what they are and with experience will come easier to grasp, at least it has been for me.
Though I often wonder.... where did the first mutation come from? It wasn't from a split genetic bird...it was from a mutated gene. So who is to say that you wouldn't have a normal/wild genetic gouldian that had a mutated gene on it's own without creating yourself by breeding mutated genetic birds. Just like an albino deer can be born to totally normaled colored deer in the wild. If you captured the deer and bred it extensively you could create more...or at least deer that carried the albino gene. But the mutation was created on it's own to start with and not by us humans

I still own gouldians because I find the colors appealing to my eyes, the personalities endearing, and the ease of their management....
It really doesn't matter if I understand why they are the color they are.... what matters to me is they dazzle my eyes with their colors