finch master wrote:these are known as bad white breasts,here is one 1 breed a few years ago and the sister to it was pure white
Hi Paul, yes I have seen dirty white breast from mottled blue to purple and even black melanistic dirty birds that always molted out once the bird got it's adult plumage or when the diet/lighting was improved. However this is thought to be an actual start of a genetic mutation. It differs visually from the the unpatterned 'dirty whitebreast' to an area where the color is always in the same location and permanent. The color does not start and fade, It retains/strengthens with the molt and maturity. I know of many that look like yours that always molt into white breast. Did yours retain the blue dirty breast or did it molt out white?
There is no name yet given to this color by the experts... I simply call them blue bars for my own references.
I don't know if you have access to this book or follow these gouldian breeders
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0975081713?tag ... T1JVNBE5Z&
but I copied this from another of my post.
"For those gouldian breeders who have the book 'A Guide to Gouldian Finches and Their Mutations' by Dr. Rob Marshall, Dr. Milton Lewis, Ron Tistram, and Dr. Terry Martin, there is a picture of the blue breast mutation on page 97 that looks just like my 2 boys. It explains the genetic make up of this mutation.
For those that don't have the book the blue color is the result of phaeomelanin(reddish/brown) into eumelanin (black) of the breast area.
So for blue breast you need at least 2 mutations . one gene to convert into eumelanin and another gene to prevent it from being expressed. There could be more at play and they recommend anyone working on this mutation to use white breasted birds."
I don't know if these pictures from this book is anywhere on the web, I will search and if I can find them I will link. I can't scan and post the picture because it is copied righted.
American Pie and his hen, Martha, are on 5 eggs and acting more serious this time. His first attempt was 2 eggs, one infertile and the one tossed, but saved.
