Shaft-tail genetics
- atarasi
- Weaning
- Posts: 1643
- Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:50 pm
- Location: Washington state, USA
Shaft-tail genetics
I have a pair of normals. It appears that one of the chicks is fawn. I thought that all this time it was a society until the bib appeared. I thought only a fawn can be produced with a fawn and a normal that is carrying the fawn gene. I guess I'm wrong, right? Just a little shocked it's not a society.
- dfcauley
- Molting
- Posts: 6892
- Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:28 am
- Location: Carrollton, Georgia
Re: Shaft-tail genetics
I have had those surprises before. I thought I had shaftails and they ended up raising two society finches one time. I guess they laid eggs in the wrong nest. 

Donna
- williep
- 1 Egg Laid
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:42 am
- Location: South Africa
atarasi, it might be that your "normal" pair are actually splits for fawn which can produce fawn offspring. I've found that happen quite often as breeders who use the split breeding practice end up with a lot of excess splits which are then sold as normals and we end up buying them. Where did you acquire the pair?
- atarasi
- Weaning
- Posts: 1643
- Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:50 pm
- Location: Washington state, USA
Sorry Willie, I guess I missed your reply...
I purchased this pair from a pet shop. <gulp> I know. I know. It's a mom and pop shop and they buy their birds from other local breeders. The cock has a tan leg band and know now why the breeder put that on him. There was a fawn hen in the cage. For all I know, my pair are brother and sister. I could be wrong because the leg bands are different. The hen has a blue split leg band and a green aluminum band that is crimped. The cock just has the tan split band.
I purchased this pair from a pet shop. <gulp> I know. I know. It's a mom and pop shop and they buy their birds from other local breeders. The cock has a tan leg band and know now why the breeder put that on him. There was a fawn hen in the cage. For all I know, my pair are brother and sister. I could be wrong because the leg bands are different. The hen has a blue split leg band and a green aluminum band that is crimped. The cock just has the tan split band.
- williep
- 1 Egg Laid
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:42 am
- Location: South Africa
Well, either way you ended up with a fawn which should be good news. Around here they sell for about $15 a pair more than normals.
I've found that pet shop birds are sometimes related as they normally originate from the same breeder, this is especially true when the pet shop is quite small. Whenever I buy a bird from a pet shop I normally try and swop the one with an existing pair or buy another pair from another petshop. If the shop only has 6 birds it's looking for trouble but if there are 20+ the odds of getting a related pair are so slim.
I've found that pet shop birds are sometimes related as they normally originate from the same breeder, this is especially true when the pet shop is quite small. Whenever I buy a bird from a pet shop I normally try and swop the one with an existing pair or buy another pair from another petshop. If the shop only has 6 birds it's looking for trouble but if there are 20+ the odds of getting a related pair are so slim.
- lea
- Flirty Bird
- Posts: 216
- Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Lithuania
Re: Shaft-tail genetics
maybe i can ask here
what i will get, if i'll pair fawn male+isabelle female?
thanks

what i will get, if i'll pair fawn male+isabelle female?
thanks

- cindy
- Bird Brain
- Posts: 18754
- Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:33 pm
- Location: west central Florida
Re: Shaft-tail genetics
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