Gould baby mouth nodules...

[Meagan83]

What are the differences in nodule color? I have two babies that I'm certain will be yellow, but I want to be sure. Could they be dilute? What color are the nodules according to the body colors?

[L in Ontario]

Centre (middle) nodules are as follows on Lady Gouldian chicks (correct me if I'm wrong) -

Green, yellow & dilute babies - yellow centre nodules
Blue, Pastel & Silver babies - white centre nodules

[Meagan83]

So with yellow center nodules, I will not be able to tell of it's dilute or yellow.

[nixity]

If you get a GOOD clear shot of the mouth gaping open to beg when the chicks are about 1-3 days old and you have a normal to compare to, you can ID "SF Yellows" (so visually yellow, or visually dilute, they are both the same) by looking at the outer nodules (as opposed to the middle to ID blue babies) and the inner mouth markings.

The outer nodules will have a lighter color ring around them (dark black/blue on normals and blues) and the inner color mouth markings will also be lighter.

This also happens with SF Pastel Blues (Pastel and Visually Silver).
Unfortunately, when they get past 3 or so days, it's almost impossible for me to tell a dilute from a normal until they begin to feather out.
The WB SF Yellows (visually yellow) and WB SF Pastel Blues (visually Silver) are a bit easier because the flesh on their wings remains light in color telling you they will pin out yellow or white so they're a little easier to spot after the 3 day mark.

The three "non-blue" babies in this shot are all "SF Yellow" - two are LB visual yellows, the third is a PB visual Dilute.
http://www.gouldiansgalore.net/Photo_Al ... es_JPG.jpg

You can see they all physically look identical. It was when they got older and I noted the flesh color on the wings that I realized the two would actually be yellow in color. But if you think about it, they are "genetically" the same in terms of all three being SF Yellow so it makes sense they'd look similar as babies.

This is the same clutch at an older age (I lost one of the blues early on):
http://www.gouldiansgalore.net/Photo_Al ... 03_JPG.jpg

Also: DF Yellow babies and Yellow female babies will always have very pink eyes and yellow skin, so they are pretty easy to ID:
Two yellows and one normal:
http://www.gouldiansgalore.net/Photo_Al ... 01_JPG.jpg
Four yellows, 2 normals, 1 dilute:
http://www.gouldiansgalore.net/Photo_Al ... 02_JPG.jpg

And if you want to read up more - I have an entire section dedicated to ID'ing the mutations in the nest ;)
http://www.gouldiansgalore.net/mutations.html

[Meagan83]

Mine have quills and the tips of some feathers are showing. They look yellowish cream to me, but their heads look sort of tan-ish. I was not sure if dilutes in their juvie quills/plumage would appear more yellowish or more of the greenish...
I originally had 3, but one died. They all looked the same exact color to me. But I could not believe that I would get 3 yellow females. I don't have that sort of luck usually.... I get lots of males.

[Meagan83]

What do you think they look like?

[Meagan83]

Okay, so I found this site that gives great info and pics to show the difference in babies this age, check it out.
http://www.pamperedpeeps.com/dilute.htm
So I guess I have 2 yellow girls then? But my biggest has a darker head that their yellows do... I'm really confused.

[L in Ontario]

Their heads can get darker as they age.

[nixity]

What are the parents?

They are both for sure yellow.
My guess is that the light headed one is a girl, and the darker head one is a Lilac or WB SF Yellow boy
The other thing that makes me think the darker head one is a male SF Yellow is the beak. SF Yellow males will always have dark beaks, while females and DF Yellow males will generally have more pink beaks

[Meagan83]

Tiffany, thanks! You made my day. I was thinking SF yellow male also, but doesn't that only happen if they have a white breast? Both parents have purple breast, although I suppose they could be split for white breast? Here are the Parents.

[nixity]

My guess is they must be split for white and/or lilac

[Meagan83]

[Meagan83]

Definitely both yellows.
Aren't they cuties? My cam batteries died so this is from my cell.

[lovemyfinch]

Beautiful

[nixity]

Congrats
I would also bet my paycheck the one on the left is a boy, and the one on the right is a girl!!