Mixing genitics

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Gshaw
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Joined: 03 Apr 2019, 20:28
Location: Thirlmere NSWouldia

Hi All
As I’m just about to get back into finches after a long break I have been looking at birds (not purchased any as yet ) . I was a little upset at what I witnessed at a bird shop there were blood finches for sale that were black bellied race crossed with white bellied. I’m hoping to breed bloods again but must say very disappointed at what I had seen . Why would anyone cross the two and to me they aren’t worth anything once this has happened. Is this happening due to a lack of gene pool as it’s been 20 years or more since I had both but I always kept them in separate flights. That said I did keep more then one pair of white bellied together as they didn’t show the same aggressive behaviour of black and grey races . Are bloods that rare in our avairys these days
Regards Greg
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Craig52
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39179810_451265135373602_6550249275895316480_n.jpg
G'day Greg, no the reason you get these crosses in WB's and BB crimsons is the lack of or someone using BB hens hoping to get clean WB young. Hens in both grey crowned BB and WB are very hard to identify from each other, some more so than others.
When chasing new blood for my stock i always only purchased good pure WB cocks which are easy to identify. A WB cock will have no dark belly colour and light grey under tail covert feathers with a red wash through it but not always and no black even just one will mean it has BB in it.
In saying that i did get caught out once when purchasing a good WB cock bird were the seller told me the hen had to go with it. It was a BB as after two nests of 5 all 10 young were black and white bellied identified by the cock birds that can't be identified for months are fledging till they moult to adult plumage.
There is a few breeders around with good WB's and you can pm me for a contact if you wish to. Cheers Craig
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Craig52
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And another showing red through the grey under tail
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Gshaw
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Location: Thirlmere NSWouldia

Thanks Craig

I will pm you in a few weeks ( I’m still setting up a couple of avairys to start off with) they are a great bird I had plenty of them 20 years ago before getting out of having birds. The white bellied were a lot easier in my experience to breed and had very little aggression. I’m glad people are still breeding them like yourself. I’ve noticed that people are crossing black and grey strains as well . I think it was easier when I got my first birds as they were from trapped stock and it was easy to see the difference. I had seen birds in the early 80s that looked different to the black and grey race which I was told were a different strain also .
Regards Greg
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