Red throat Parrot Finch - beaks

[L in Ontario]

Here's a couple of pics of my latest hatchlings - born a couple of days ago. I post the second pic only as their beaks interested me. Two have black on the tips and the third has only yellow. Any reasoning for the difference?

The cock is a pied Red throat and the hen is a Seagreen. They have given me a pied Red throat in the first clutch and two Seagreens (no pied feathers as yet) in the second clutch. This is their third clutch. Funny how the number of chicks = the clutch number too.

[lovemyfinch]

Can`t help with the question at hand Liz, but I just love looking at healthy, well fed chicks Congrats

[CandoAviary]

Beauties
Here is a past post about the pied's beak colors... I know Misty posted one on young nest colors ..I'll try and find that one too.
http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5 ... ellow+beak

[L in Ontario]

Thanks Candace!! So the two hatchlings with black tipped beaks should be 'normals' and the one with the all yellow beak should be a pied finch. How intriguing!!

[annague]

Cool pictures -- gorgeous babies... seems like your numbers of pieds is off according to the genetic forecasters, though... I'm wondering if ANY of the forecasters are correct on the PF's....

[ikhom]

I thought that a pied mutation creates random discolored spots. Do all Red throat Parrot Finches with a pied mutation have light colored top beaks?

Cool pictures -- gorgeous babies... seems like your numbers of pieds is off according to the genetic forecasters, though... I'm wondering if ANY of the forecasters are correct on the PF's....

2 pied out of 6 is not bad at all. We have to wait until the next clutch to get even better results.
Liz, beautiful chicks!

[L in Ontario]

I thought that a pied mutation creates random discolored spots. Do all Red throat Parrot Finches with a pied mutation have light colored top beaks?

Cool pictures -- gorgeous babies... seems like your numbers of pieds is off according to the genetic forecasters, though... I'm wondering if ANY of the forecasters are correct on the PF's....

2 pied out of 6 is not bad at all. We have to wait until the next clutch to get even better results.
Liz, beautiful chicks!

Thanks Igor!

It sounds like papa is split to Seagreen since I have two seagreens from him in the last clutch and neither are showing any pied feathering yet. I wonder how many of these chicks will be Red Throats and how many will be Seagreen?

[monotwine]

Congrats on the hatchlings. They look great!

I would like to see all these young ones that don't display pied a few years down the line. I still strongly suspect that pied comes through even if they have a half portion of it genetically. Or alternatively it shows up in their young.
I've even had normals 3 years down the line go lightly pied. Rather dissapointing when you not trying to achieve pieds.
I've only had a few pairs breeding worth of experience though, so it will be great to see others experiences and clutches.

[L in Ontario]

I read of others having the pied gene show up when the finch is 2+ years old - what gives with that? I would have thought it would show up in the first year... It sure would be a surprise to only see it that much later.

[annague]

I am starting to think it depends on the sex as well as the individual bird. I have 2 hens from an extremely heavy pied pair of RTPF's (Hot Tamale and Chili Pepper). Chili was bred by me and he is about 1.5 years old and heavy pied already and has been since his first molt (I'll see if I can take and post a photo of what he looks like now).

His daughters -- the 2 hens referred to above (Fiesta and Salsa are their names) are only now showing very light mottling (for Fiesta) and Salsa only has one feather that is sort of lighter colored. They were hatched last October so not a year old yet. Nonetheless, very strange considering that these 2 come from at least 3 generations of heavy pieds... I would think they would be showing more yellow like their father did at their age.

Ikhom, your forecaster is always VERY accurate -- I'm just referring to general forecasters and pie-ing as well as knowledge that is out there about pied RT PF's...

I'm still trying to figure all this out -- but it helps to have others who are also breeding the pied RT's with their Seagreens and normal, we can all compare notes.

[CandoAviary]

I read of others having the pied gene show up when the finch is 2+ years old - what gives with that? I would have thought it would show up in the first year... It sure would be a surprise to only see it that much later.

I have had this happen, which is quite frustrating when you are trying to not have pieds. I had a green that showed one yellow speck on his neck the next year... thought maybe feather damage...nope...next molt he had another one and the original spot was larger...... the offspring that I kept did the same thing.... bummer as I wanted pure greens

I was under the impression that pied was dominant.... wouldn't all pied crossing have some pied to them. I am still confused.

Also, no such thing as split to pied...right?

[annague]

To have such a varied degree of the pied mutation in offspring (whether parents are normal or heavy pied) makes it confusing to try to figure out what different pairs of RTPF's will throw.

Truthfully, I love the normals and the Seagreens too but if I'm expecting pieds from a pairing I'd like to know if I will get them for sure.

[L in Ontario]

Truthfully, I love the normals and the Seagreens too but if I'm expecting pieds from a pairing I'd like to know if I will get them for sure.

Sooner rather than later would be good too! If I had a bird that didn't show any pied feathers for more than 2 years - I'd swear on a stack of bibles that it is normal. And then for it to go and get pied feathers in the third year...

[annague]

LOL! I'm with you, Liz! And, honestly, I have to think that if a PF waits that long to molt into a few pied feathers thats not really the sort of 'heavy pied' bird I was expecting or hoping for! (I think that it might be considered 'lightly pied' though.)