FINCHforum

Hi all
Two years back I pairs a pastel blue gouldian cock with a normal hen. That year they produced 3 birds - all were cocks.
Straight away I noticed a lighter shade of colouring on their backs.After the molt it was very easy to pick them as splits without looking at leg rings - compared to other blue/split matings.
Last year once mated with blue hens all 3 breed blues and split blue young. Few months later I sold all the blues except these 3 cocks.
looking in the aviary yesterday this young one caught my attention. His father and mother as seen in photo.
I was always under the impression that split blues were impossible to pick from a normal bird - but as shown here - this is not the case.
Any thoughts on this?

The young in question - His nest mate is normal






His parents



Unusual colour on the cock birds back



Front on normal

I'm curious, what are you pointing out in the pictures as split to blue indicators? Your father bird looks like a Single Factor Yellow to me from the picture which would account for the lighter color green on his back.
Beautiful pictures!

Hi
Just pointing out that this cock birds father was a pastel blue and his mother a normal black headed Gouldian. His other 2 brothers have the same color saturation on their backs. Maybe the hen came from yellow bloodline.
Just a bit curious that the young shown ( there are 2 one being a normal green back ) who carries the same light back color as the father - maybe a carrier of blue gene too.
I Wouldn't know about that till I try him next year. To get to the point what if every light coloured bird breed from this trio of cock birds carried the blue gene that could be an interesting task.
To score a split blue young I'm a fair way of the target with a split blue cock and a normal hen mating.
Last week i purchased 3 split blue hens for the boys. Plan to set them up in a couple of weeks.
Gouldians and their genetics maybe anything is possible

Any time you breed a blue pastel with a normal green you will get single factor yellows (also known as Dilutes) That is what your male is.
All of the chicks from this breeding would be split to blue simply because one parent was blue so they got the blue gene.
Very pretty dilute