parents must be split for something...

[colorin]

isn't it thrilling?
I can't wait for them to colour up and see whether there are any other "surprises" coming up.
A couple of chicks still look kind of "pale" compared to the others. I wonder whether they are diluted...

A friend of mine is selling one of his cocks. A yellow DF/BH/PC that might be split for blue. I wonder whether it would make a good "husband" for my RH yellow hen... if I'm not wrong all chicks would be yellow, cocks being RH and hens BH. is that right?

[nixity]

Correct Cocks would be RH/BH which is nice, too, cause then you can get both head colors if paired to a BH hen

[colorin]

well, CandoAviary was right (unless genetics are playing tricks on me) as those two "paler green backs" chicks are definitely dilutes!!
Their mother must have been fooling around with the cock next door (a diluted)
this is one of those "paler green backs" (OH-PC). Clearly a diluted

[CandoAviary]

And what a beautiful Dilute he is
Those hens will play around if given half the chance
I love dilutes because when paired they can add such diversity to clutches and they can also be great for increasing the size of your gouldians when going for silvers or even yellows

[annague]

Beautiful, Colorin!!

[MLaRue]

He is a beautiful male even if he was the result of a "fling"

[colorin]

I'm keeping the yellow hen and I'm also keeping this diluted, but, of course, they are step-siblings (or half-siblings, or whatever you may call it)
so I have to be careful next breeding season, and either place the hen or the cock, as they might "like" each other.. and I guess it's not a good idea to mix "blood"

I thought that if you paired them up in separate cages and they liked each other, once place in the colony-breeding aviary, they would stick to their mates

I have to work out next pairs very carefully...

[debbie276]

I thought that if you paired them up in separate cages and they liked each other, once place in the colony-breeding aviary, they would stick to their mates

If they pair up themselves I think you've got a much better chance of them staying together then if you pair them up. There is no guarantee that no hanky panky is going on but I do find that my pairs stay together year after year in the aviary.

[CandoAviary]

Most will pair up and share a nest together and raise a clutch. It may appear to be a monogoumous pair but you can never trust appearances. I have put bonded pairs, even ones that had bred and raised clutches in cages, together in a community aviary..... thinking that they would stick with their partners... From what I observed it looked like they were stuck together like glue... but that sure didn't explain some of the mutations that came from those nest... there was hanky panky going on when my back was turned
If you are not worried about pure genetics this method is fine, but if you are breeding for specific lineage and mutations never mix pairs to make sure of your lineage records..

My parrot finches are the worst ever to hanky panky, even right in front of me. Then they go back to their nest like they were there all along ... I now only put one pair of parrot finches per aviary because they are so promiscuous

[colorin]

Hopefully, the pair that "produced" my OH yellow hen will stick together next season... what I don't know is how hens manage to have these "flings"... I've never seen them doing anything outside the nests! does the "lover" go into the hen's nest in front of her mate's nose??

We women ought to learn from these hens

[colorin]

A pic of that OH diluted and one of his brothers, a RH diluted!



and one question:
When a hen has a "fling" with a certain cock... does it mean that all chicks from that clutch will be that cock offspring or could they be fathered by different cocks?

[lovemyfinch]

Handsome boys

[debbie276]

Very pretty, they are gonna be lookers when they finish molting!

[colorin]

they have all gone through their moult, and this is how they've turned out:
OH diluted:


black headed OH:


normal OH:

[debbie276]

Beautiful birds just as we suspected