Gouldian head colors

[paul-inAZ]

My specific question is about red and yellow head colors in female Gouldians. We all know that these colors in hens can range from pure red or orange all the way to almost all black with only a few patches of color.

What is your experience with breeding? Will a hen with a lot of black in the head color produce chicks that also have considerable black? Conversely, will one with clear color tend to produce chicks with similar color?

I know the genetics of head colors so that is not the question. Many genes also have variable expressivity. My Q: is about the variable expressivity of head color and whether a hen's coloration is mostly replicated OR is the expressivity of head coloration random and variable from generation to generation?

[Babs _Owner]

paul-inAZ

You already know for example if a hen has even 1 red feather in the head, it is a "redhead".

Most of my hen's start out mottled. But by the 2-3 years after several molts, their head color becomes larger and cleaner.

Hammy (my hand tamed) was a mottled headed redhead.......she is now completely uniform in head color at 4 years old (I'll try and get a picture before-after when I have time).

Brat's who is bh/yh . Her daughter is a flawless redhead on her very first adult molt.

So my answer would be it is random.

[paul-inAZ]

Babs:
I'm curious about the variable expressivity of the RH and YH in progeny.
If a RH hen starts out pretty dark and molts out to be a clear RH will her F1 or F2 generation follow the same pattern?
Conversely, if a RH starts life clear will her progeny do the same?

Interesting that this variable expressivity is a feature of the females.

[wilkifam]

Males from "Dirty Masked" hens, never seem to have a problem, and are always good looking clean masked birds. I've never had it passed on to female babies either.

[mickilee]

Please contact me ASAP if you or anyone in Virginia area has a female gouldian. I'm searching for a female for my lonely male. Have a nesting pair so he's odd man out Colors don't matter! I was a loving and devoted breeder for many years but age is limiting me and I'm down to my last 3 birds with no intention of breeding again. Even tried to reach out to people I've sold to in the past with no luck since no one wants to part with a female. My birds are in a huge flight cage and he just looks so lonely since the other 2 are together. Any help is appreciated.

[wilkifam]

Please contact me ASAP if you or anyone in Virginia area has a female gouldian. I'm searching for a female for my lonely male. Have a nesting pair so he's odd man out Colors don't matter! I was a loving and devoted breeder for many years but age is limiting me and I'm down to my last 3 birds with no intention of breeding again. Even tried to reach out to people I've sold to in the past with no luck since no one wants to part with a female. My birds are in a huge flight cage and he just looks so lonely since the other 2 are together. Any help is appreciated.

Mikilee, I have hens, and can ship. Let me know if you are interested.

[Babs _Owner]

paul-inAZ

Sorry so long getting back on this. Honestly I think it's completely random. All my females have "cleaned up" after several molts.

I would have to have more pairs that have the same head color to be sure, but I have to let the females pick their mate.....and so far they always pick a different head color.

You could experiment with pairs that have the exact head color.......but then there are always those "splits". I have yet to have a gouldian that didn't have a split of something.

[paul-inAZ]

Babs: you are right about about birds with splits. Many cage birds have been so cross bred that there is no longer anything like a genetically 'pure' wild colored bird with no splits. You'd probably have to catch a wild Gouldian in OZ [illegal there] to find an example.

None of us have enough pairs to make statistically significant studies of head color and mate selection. Mine are all paired selectively [by me] so I'm truly in the dark on this as far as personal experience.

There have been a few excellent studies. Head color influences more than mate selection. This one looked at color influence on mate selection and things like sex distribution in the chicks produced and more. A fairly comprehensive and really nice study worth reading.
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2 ... -drives-m/

Then it gets fancier -[functional MRIs on birds??] with this look at which side of the brain males use in selecting mates:
https://phys.org/news/2012-10-male-goul ... -side.html
Molecular biologists are doing some really exotic work at the sub-chromosomal level but that stuff is over my head.