how the ........

[Mickp]

here are a couple of pics of a young gouldian in one of my aviaries.
parents are cock - rh pb gb, hen - bh pb gb
grandparents cock - rh pb gb, hen - rh pb gb
great grandparents were also rh pb gb
but this youngster is totally different
there is no green on it any where

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[Page0044]

Hi Mick looks like your getting better at taking pics very unusual color, all most looks like a silver

[cranberry]

Nice one Mick? Could be a mutation or might just moult into green. Who knows?

[gomer]

Looks like a blue or pastel to me.Going by nixitys excellent site.http://www.gouldiansgalore.net/index.html

[Diane]

looks like one or two of your birds has been hiding their light under a feather!

Im guessing that one is a keeper?

[nixity]

Thanks gomer ;)

I would guess it's a blue - very interesting your birds have kept it hidden for so long

[finchbreeder]

I would say one of those cases of recessive genes on both sides that just haven't shown up and chose now to do so. OR OF COURSE it could be a spontanious mutation. After all how do we think the first of anything different came to be?
Looking forward to regular pics.
LML

[Mickp]

caught up the 5 fledglings from this same nest today, to put leg rings on them.
turns out that 4 of the 5 are blues
knowing nothing about genetics I guess the 5th must be a split
parents are sitting om a new clutch of 6 eggs already

[cranberry]

Absolutely amazing that it would be hidden for so many generations. Congratulations!

[Diane]

Yes your 5th would most probably be a split.

Not the correct terms but easy enough to understand

A bird needs the 2 blue genes to be visually blue.

In my understanding the

Visual blues have inherited 1 blue gene from each normal looking parent bird = 2 blue genes = 1 visually blue bird

Any normal babies produced from this same clutch have a chance of carrying 1 of the blue genes
1 blue gene = the bird looks normal but COULD be carrying one blue gene =/blue

Assuming the normal baby was carrying the 1 blue gene was later bred to another normal they would produce normal looking babies but SOME of them would carry the 1 blue gene.

If the normal baby was bred with a blue or a normal known to carry the blue gene then the subsequent babies would be a combination of visual blue and blue gene carriers. As some would get a copy of the blue gene from each parent and end up being visually blue others would only get 1 blue gene and be split to blue.

There are some percentages involved but I dont know how that would work especially after reading Micks post of the parentage of the birds. Just goes to show how random genetics can be.

Im sure nixity will be able to correct me if Im wrong.