Florida Fancy x CFW: Unexpected results

[Bunny Whisperer]

Hi : ) I have three Zebra chicks and I don't quite know what they are. The mother is CFW Pied and the father is double factor Florida Fancy. I don't know if they are split to anything else. Two of my chicks are light colored but the third turned out to be brown xD Could the male be split to fawn? What puzzles me is that she is so dark as she must be a single factor FF? I'm assuming that the offspring of this pair would be:

25% Single Factor FF Fawn CFW males
25% Single Factor FF CFW males
25% Single Factor FF Fawn females
25% Single Factor FF females

Also only two of my chicks are pied. Which means that my females is probably only split to Pied?

Any ideas? : ) Thanks in advance!

Here are some photos:

[cindy]

the first two pictures it looks like the bird is a Florida silver

the last two looks like it is a fawn split to pied

to better confirm this 100% you need to let them color out

[Smurf]

Had a quick look at the mutation/genetics of the mutations mentioned on efinch website

Florida fancy = autosomal co-dominant which would mean all offspring would be visual SF florida fancies

CFW = sex-linked which would mean from your pairing only the male offspring would be split for CFW

Pied = autosomal recessive wich would mean all chicks would be split for pied if mother is DF or 50% split for pied if mother is SF

From the chicks i'd imagine the parents are splits for unknown or some of above mutations also

[Bunny Whisperer]

Smurf, that's exactly what I figured out : ) I guess I won't find out why she's so dark being a SF FF until they color out xD

[Smurf]

I've never kept zebras before so don't know what fledgling CFW's look like but it does mention that the're dark coloured

http://www.efinch.com/species/cfwzeb.htm

[cindy]

fledgling cfw's look like this... CFW babies have black beaks upon fledging (they are black skinned in the nest), CCFW have pink beaks (pink skinned, light eyes (RED)) FF and FS can have horn or flesh colored beaks in the nest pink skin dark eyes)

I have been working with zebra mutations for many years including all you are discussing and then some.... the top two pics look to be a FS (Florida silver, silver tail markings and the marking in the face)

[Aspen]

Any chance of someone else sneaking in and messing up your genetics? Another male bred the female or someone else laid their egg in that nest? You shouldn't be getting that dark a chick from those parents.

[cindy]

The "dark chick" is fawn, the father is split to fawn (if this is the only mating pair in the cage). If the pair is alone in the cage and dad is split to fawn then the chick is a hen.

[Bunny Whisperer]

That's the only pair of Zebra I have and they're alone in the cage. Cindy, I agree, but she still is too dark for a single factor FF. But maybe she just came out so dark and is still carrying FF gene.

[cindy]

she may be split, they do not always show markers for splits... your birds are still very young, they need to feather out completely and molt to show what they are really carrying gene-wise.

[Bunny Whisperer]

So, the fawn chick started singing, the other two so far are quiet. If the fawn chick is a male that destroys my whole genetic theory xD

[Aspen]

Can you post more pictures of them now? I'm curious what they look like now that they must be more feathered out. And pictures of parents too? This is a mystery and I like to be Sherlock Holmes...

[lovezebs]

Bunny Whisperer

I don't know what they are (genetically speaking), but they are awfully cute.

Elana

[Bunny Whisperer]

Update: It's been a while and all my babies are in full color now. I've had two clutches and the pattern is always the same - suprisingly the dark ones that almost look like NG are males even though they're supposed to carry the CFW gene from their mother.