Bluuuuuueeeee! :))

[Finchy]

I bred my first blue Gouldian! And all more or less by accident...and at the wrong time of year.

I have a handsome split blue cock who finally, finally, chose a wife after two years. So I was not going to stop them, despite the unconventional timing. The lass he chose had a 25% chance of carrying blue herself. Their first bub out of the nest today is blue! Woo hoo! (So what's that probability? My maths head is not working well enough.)

I hope little blue makes it, because he's not getting any special treatment. Just aviary conditions along with everyone else.

[SamDavis]

Congratulations!

Chance of two splits producing a blue X chance that hen is indeed a split
= 25% X 25%
= 1/4 X 1/4
= 1/16

So finchy you're pretty lucky to get one first up!

[Diane]

Well done and good luck.
I know from experience its harder to keep them on the perch.

[finches247]

Congrats Finchy Well Done

[finchbreeder]

Rub some of your luck off on the rest of us. Congratulations.
LML

[Finchy]

Thanks guys .

My luck comprises something like this:

"Oh #$%^* @&^%$ ^&#@# !!! I am never, ever buying a blue Gouldian from anyone again because they all croak! [More swearing, in response to 5 years of failures and $$$ down the drain]. I may never even buy a split again because they, too, are usually genetically impoverished, never truly raised in an outdoor aviary anyway, and weaker than any of my home-grown birds.

Instead I am going to sit back and just wait for the low probability of the few blue genes I know I have lurking in my flock to get it together by chance. I'm not even going to pair known carriers, because that will detract from natural selection."

That's my 'method' .

So now we wait some more, to see whether he will be viable. My fingers are crossed, but I have learned not to attach too much hope to these guys.

[wildbill]

finchy
indeed the blues are touchy. as for the split blues you might have second thoughts if you had viewed mine in -4 over night temps and 6 to 8 max during the day.this winter temp went on for several weeks. out of the 15 young flying from 3 pairs i managed 3 blues including one pastel and 2 normal blues or about one per nest or nil.
now right at the end of the season two hens are with young with 9 or 10 between them. one nest has 2 yellow and 2 greens plus another blue which i found on the floor that had jumped a nest early. couldn't find its nest so i threw it in with the above four young. i dont know what in the other nest colour wise apart from a few heads.its a part open job in thick biddy bush and the only way i picked them up was via torchlight. still being fed so no harm done.
i too was surprised and thought although their rep is bad i think there are bad blues and good blues. -i'm gonna give them another good hit
when it comes to the crunch after all your not putting your life on the line only a few $$$$. when you see that first blue the disappointment from bye-gone days is gone. enjoy the thrill

[Finchy]

Oh wow! I like the sound of that.

Are your aviaries open to the elements? (Me - yes)
Do they have a 'warm room' with IR lamps for Winter? (Me - no, but it rarely gets to 5C here)
Do you use antibiotics? (Me - no)

Maybe I will freshen my blue blood, so to speak, with some of your birdies one day.

[wildbill]

Oh wow! I like the sound of that.

Are your aviaries open to the elements? (Me - yes)
Do they have a 'warm room' with IR lamps for Winter? (Me - no, but it rarely gets to 5C here)
Do you use antibiotics? (Me - no)

not totally
no heat
no

nothing at the moment just trying to build up my stock

[Finchy]

I think I may have a second blue, or something unusual...

The first baby came out of the nest a very pretty silvery/blueish-grey and is now developing blue back feathers and a purple chest. Two other siblings are classic olive-green. A fourth sibling looks just neutral - no green, no nothing. S/he's a kind of non-descript dull greyish colour. I'm wondering whether s/he will turn out to be some kind of seagreen? Or what would you expect from a baby who starts out this colour?

Thanks