How to pair up Parrot Finches

[L in Ontario]

I now have 3 pairs of Blue-faced Parrot Finches.

Lutino: 1 male and 1 female
Blue-faced: 2 males and 2 females

One of the Blue-faced females is the daughter to a blue-faced male and a lutino female. The others are unrelated.

Just wondering how best to set them up to get normal, split and lutino babies. I think in order to get lutino chicks I need to pair up the lutinos together - yes?

[annague]

I think Rich or Albert (or someone really good with PF genetics) may need to jump in. I know the cocks have to be split or all lutino for any lutino babies at all but that's about all I can currently contribute.

[L in Ontario]

I tend to agree and I don't know whether either (if any) of the males are split.

[Sally]

When I had my lutino hen, I was told that I should pair her with a BF male, as lutino to lutino was not desirable. You would get 100% lutino with that pairing, but it also weakens the bloodlines. Just as I was told that I should never pair fawn Owl to fawn Owl.

I think a lot of it depends on how long the mutation has been around, as I bred YF Stars together, and they produced beautiful babies. I sold all of them to a friend, and she has been breeding YF to YF, though she is now starting to outcross with RF.

So if you put your lutino male with a BF hen for pair #1, you will get lutino hens and split males.

If you put your lutino hen with a BF male for pair #2, you will get normal hens and split males.

Your other BFs could be paired up for BF chicks. Your one BF hen that is out of a BF male and lutino hen is just BF, hens cannot carry the lutino gene without showing lutino themselves. Only males can be split.

Next generation, you can take your lutino hen chicks from pair #1, and pair them with split male chicks from pair #2.

You can also pair any of your split male chicks with any unrelated BF hens.

Breeding for mutations takes a lot of time.

[CandoAviary]

Once the mutations get established and have diverse lines then maybe it would be safe to breed mutations together but I doubt this will ever happen with the parrot finches. They are just not bred in high enough numbers.
For example,The gouldian mutations have been bred fo so many years with so many outcrosses that you can bred a yellow to a yellow without problems... but at one time it was very risky...just like people say today that blue to blue or silver is risky for the chicks.
( I still prefer to breed dilute to yellow hen with gouldians... the chicks are bigger and healthier + you still get the DF yellows, only better Double factors )
Any mutation is always best bred back to the normal for splits then those offspring bred back to splits or an unrelated lutino PF.
With mutations of any color, lutino, fawns, especially newly derived mutations there will always be a weaker genetic bird compared to the normal equivelent.
I agree with Sally, do not pair your lutinos together. You would get 100% lutino chicks but I would think building a strong genetic line, even if it takes another generation, is the way to go.

[L in Ontario]

Thanks Sally so much for taking the time to explain that and easily so I understand too! Thanks for the tip re the Lutino x Lutino.

I will take your advice and pair them as:

Pair #1- new BF hen with new Lutino male
Pair #2- my Lutino female with my BF male (already paired)
Pair #3- my daughter BF hen with new BF male

Then I can put chicks from Pair #1 with chicks from Pair #2 or #3
And Lutino hen chicks from #1 to split males from #2

I think my head is starting to spin.

Thanks for the confirmation, Candace! The newbies are almost through quarantine!