FINCHforum

I think I know the answer to my question, but is it ever possible for two yellow backed parents to have an offspring other than yellow?
The cock is a single factored yellow.

Hello atarasi,

With a single factor cock you can get green hens.

If the yellows are split to blue you can get silvers of both sexes and blue and green hens.

If the cock is double factor you will never get a blue or green.

Really? I can get a green hen even if the parent hen is yellow?

YES! You sure can get green hens from a pair of yellow backed Gouldians.

My pair of YB's (male is SF) gave me one yellow back hen and FOUR green back hens! The entire clutch was made up of hens and actually their clutch prior to this had one female YB and one female GB. Go figure - no males in either clutch.

Hmmm, that's sorta cool. I might have a YH, WB, GB...but it will be a hen.

For those of you following along in the background (lurkers), you can go to this page:

http://www.finchinfo.com/genetics/lady_ ... colors.php

It should help you understand the discussion.

Hope that was helpful!

So for example, if you have a yellow back male and a yellow hen you can get:

25% Male >> DF Yellow
25% Male >> SF Yellow (green dilute)
25% Female >> Yellow
25% Female >> Green

If he's a DF (double factor) male, though, you get:

50% Male >> DF Yellow
50% Female >> Yellow

Thanks Hilary, that helps a lot. I really need to get a better genetics program. It does ask if the cock is SF or DF yellow, but doesn't show what the offspring would be.

What is the best coupling in getting more dilute yellows?

I also have a DF yellow cock and was a tad disappointed that he couldn't produce any SF cocks.

atarasi wrote:Thanks Hilary, that helps a lot. I really need to get a better genetics program. It does ask if the cock is SF or DF yellow, but doesn't show what the offspring would be.

What is the best coupling in getting more dilute yellows?

I also have a DF yellow cock and was a tad disappointed that he couldn't produce any SF cocks.

Although your question is EXACTLY why I was asking for a reverse forecasting program... if you use the "Genetic Forecaster" by Carlos Matos - you will get the answer to all (most?) Gouldian parent breeding combination results. It's FUN FUN FUN in the sun!

I know Liz, that's why your idea is so brilliant! It's just a matter of a computer wiz to create something like this. Doesn't sound like it would be too difficult especially if they have the information already stored.

The program is already out there - you don't think that I knew the odds of each color just because I'm smart and beautiful, did you? I got my only dilute so far when I bred a dilute to a normal green hen. When I'm back on my own computer I'll see if I can back into other combinations.

Hilary wrote:The program is already out there - you don't think that I knew the odds of each color just because I'm smart and beautiful, did you? I got my only dilute so far when I bred a dilute to a normal green hen. When I'm back on my own computer I'll see if I can back into other combinations.

Well, I know you're smart at least! Liz was really talking about a program that would tell you how to get where you want to be, not necessarily what your current pairing would produce. For example, I'm looking for a YH, WB, BB...what would I breed to potentially get that end result.

I get it now! Question, though. When you say "dilute yellow", are you talking about visually yellow back single factor, or the visually green dilute that occurs when the breast is purple? So many different terms for the same colors! (And no, that isn't an invitation for folks to jump in and start arguing about what are the correct terms, okay?!!)

My definition of a dilute yellow is a SF yellow cock.