FINCHforum

I was sitting and thinking about hidden genes in Gouldians and it brought to mind an interesting breeding outcome. I paired a BH, PB, BB to a BH, PB, GB/BB. Here was my outcome. lol
Here is Daddy Gray, on the nest.
I love to share this cause it's so darned adorable And here is one of the little boys all grown up. I had initially thought I somehow got a RH. But the parents, being BH, could only be split for one color and that is Yellow, am I correct?

i dont think so, black can be split red also as far as I know (someone correct me if wrong) and with the blues...rather red or yellow...the head will still appear a salmonish brown color either way. I have a pastel..he doesn't get a beak tip color...not sure on regular bb, but I think they are same way. It is beautiful bird!!!! I hope I get a blue this time, not sure if the hen is split or not, no blue out of first clutch anyway....once again, congrats on the nice gouldian's!

The genetics confuse me :wtf:

RH males can be split to BH and YH
RH hens can only be split to YH

BH can only be split to YH for both sexes

YH males can be spit to BH
YH hens can not be split to anything

So yes Meagan you are right ... YH

Debbie, thank you. I'm going to take note of that little list you gave. Very helpful. Some of you good folks here on the FF could work together to write "Gouldian Genetics for DUMMIES" lol

RH males can be split to BH and YH
RH hens can only be split to YH

BH can only be split to YH for both sexes

YH males can be spit to BH
YH hens can not be split to anything

So yes Meagan you are right ... YH

This may be the first Gouldian genetics bit I've understood to date!
Thank you Debbie!

And Meagan for initiating.
Great pictures and birds btw!

Um... wait a second.
Everyone seems to be missing an extremely important point..

Which is that if both parents are visually BH you CAN NOT get visually red OR yellow headed offspring. It is genetically impossible.

BH is pure recessive which means two BH parents, regardless of whether they're carrying YH, can only produce visual BH offspring.
If they were both split for YH the only thing you could produce is BH YTB offspring, nothing visually orange/yellow.

So - if both mom and dad were BH, then I suspect mom must have had some lingering sperm from a different daddy and your little baby here isn't from BH daddy Gray, but is a product of the milk-man effect.

Sorry..

The only other alternative is if perhaps your hen is a very dirty headed RH or YH which you have mistaken to be BH. Do you have a photo of her by any chance?

nixity wrote: Um... wait a second.
Everyone seems to be missing an extremely important point..

Which is that if both parents are visually BH you CAN NOT get visually red OR yellow headed offspring. It is genetically impossible.

BH is pure recessive which means two BH parents, regardless of whether they're carrying YH, can only produce visual BH offspring.
If they were both split for YH the only thing you could produce is BH YTB offspring, nothing visually orange/yellow.

So - if both mom and dad were BH, then I suspect mom must have had some lingering sperm from a different daddy and your little baby here isn't from BH daddy Gray, but is a product of the milk-man effect.

Sorry..

The only other alternative is if perhaps your hen is a very dirty headed RH or YH which you have mistaken to be BH. Do you have a photo of her by any chance?

No chance of the milk man here. I got her from a friend as a juvie and kept her with other hens until she was old enough to breed. All of my hens are... hens. lol Although maybe you are right that she could be an EXTREME dirty headed YH??? Looks black to me, but I may try and get a pic of her.
So another note to self, two black heads only produce more black heads.

So another note to self, two black heads only produce more black heads.

Just another side note, 2 BH can produce a genetically YH which will visually be a BH with yellow tipped beak (YTB)