Breeding for Blue Back Gouldians

[MRobinson]

I don't have any Gouldies at the moment but if I get any I would want blue ones...I love the look of the black head blue back ones.

I understand that the blue comes from a recessive gene and that for the blue back to be visual it has to be a double factor (otherwise the other color takes precedence). So here's my question....

If wanting to breed for blue backs wouldn't it make sense to have a blue back male mate with a blue back female? That would insure the offspring get a double factor.

Yet I've heard that this pairing would not be good. Why? What are the pros and cons of pairing a black head blue back male with a blach head blue back female?

Thanks in advance

[![=]

Oh! I have a blue back and a green back that I might have breeding in the future. But I was meant to get two blues... but from this post I'm beginning to think he meant he just didn't have any pairs of greenbacks left. Interested to hear the replies.

[okiebirds]

Im certainly planning on breeding for blue this season. I've heard positives and negatives both on breeding blues to blues though. The breeder I bought my blues from does breed blue to blue but Im hesitant to do it myself and prefer to breed all three of my blues back to split blue mates to increase the strength of the bloodline. Most of my friends and relatives that want chicks want normal colored birds anyway. Im going to be buying 4-5 more birds in the next week or so and plan on buying all blue and maybe a pastel and a silver. If so "maybe" I'll chance a blue to blue pair but not real sure at this time.

Maybe those with actual experience will jump in on the thread and give their opinions as I'm also interested in hearing more about this combination to help me decide if I want to risk it or not.

[CandoAviary]

It is not recommended to breed blue back to blue back beacuse they are a mutation and many times mutations can be somewhat weaker. The double factor can concentrate this weakness.
When you breed a blue back to a green back you will get all babies that are gren split to blue, meaning they carry a green gene and a blue gene.
When you breed 2 split to blues together you will get greens, blues and more split to blues (though you won't be able to tell which young are green and which are split to blue by looking at them...not until you breed them and get blues will you know for sure)
You can also breed a blue to a green split to blue with good results and then they would all be either blue or split to blue.

Some have bred blue to blue but this is best left to breeders who know the backgrounds of the birds and their genetic makeups. Distant and carefully bred blues (with outcrossings to strong green lines regularly) have been done with great success. But since you do not know the background and have no experience in raising gouldian fledglings it would be best to breed with a /blue bird.
Nothing is sadder to watch your fledglings fail to thrive and many blue to blue matings make the young quite weak regarding their immune systems. I have done it only once with blue birds that were both from /blue parents and were good sized, strong birds. Even then the clutch size was small. I prefer to breed blue to /blue.