location 4
Meelferoz777 wrote:I find it funny that most people oppose mule breeding when they are advocates for colour mutation breeding.
Who can buy a normal zebra finch these days and be 100% percent sure its not split for one of many other colour mutations??
we aren't all as fortunate...
Thanks, I agree totally.west finch wrote:Well put elferoz777
Mutations are a far bigger problem in my books , not many people out there playing with birds in a small back yard aviary take the time to research how the mutation they have in there latest acquisition is going to be carried on to the next generation of birds they breed . To me this is just as big a problem as exporting the foreign species we keep in our aviaries and the subsequent loss of genetic diversity that we can never replace.At least if you pair up that Green singer with a canary this year to produce mules . the progeny can never breed but the next year you can pair that singer to another singer and produce pure birds so nothing is lost.Having said that i do not breed mules and have phased out mutations from my flock ( with the exception of the Gouldian’s , don’t think they will be lost to aviculture in the short term the market is nearing saturation, but i maintain a flock of pure Gould's )And to play around with genetics that’s why I breed my Glosters . Not every one has the same goals in aviculture as long as no birds are hurt or lost for the future we have to respect there individuality .
Well put West finch, i know of a few Maltese people in Adelaide breeding mules and i really dont have a problem with it, its not a massive part of finch keeping in this country and for those with different backgrounds it seems to be almost a culturally significant part of keeping birds. I`m not sure how damaging freighting out foreign birds actually is, if people are generally freighting young birds then we actaully havent lost any genetic diversity, unless none of those offspring are ever for sale here ?west finch wrote:Well put elferoz777
Mutations are a far bigger problem in my books , not many people out there playing with birds in a small back yard aviary take the time to research how the mutation they have in there latest acquisition is going to be carried on to the next generation of birds they breed . To me this is just as big a problem as exporting the foreign species we keep in our aviaries and the subsequent loss of genetic diversity that we can never replace.At least if you pair up that Green singer with a canary this year to produce mules . the progeny can never breed but the next year you can pair that singer to another singer and produce pure birds so nothing is lost.Having said that i do not breed mules and have phased out mutations from my flock ( with the exception of the Gouldian’s , don’t think they will be lost to aviculture in the short term the market is nearing saturation, but i maintain a flock of pure Gould's )And to play around with genetics that’s why I breed my Glosters . Not every one has the same goals in aviculture as long as no birds are hurt or lost for the future we have to respect there individuality .
Orix we agree 100% on this .And this is what appears to be happening .E Orix wrote: By the way I am not a fan of Mutation breeding if it destroys our population of the normal coloured
species.
Orix the majority of people in Australia will ( in my humble opinion) be using for producing mules ether Gold finches or Green finches both can be legally trapped from wild populations ( A luxury the Europeans my no longer have as you stated ) so I don’t have a problem with that . I think not many will be using Chaffinches , Himalayan or oriental green finches ( to high $ value ) and the chances of crossing a green singer and a canary are not high ( my opinion ) But this is what the forum is about learning and debating the merits of different avicultural practices .E Orix wrote:Just because the Europeans do it as the norm doesn't sit well here.Remember they have access to new
wild caught stock which helps greatly in the status of a specie WE DON'T. As the supply in Europe of wild caught species dries up
it will be interesting to see what the reaction will be then.
By the way a Canary as we know it is not a wild specie as is a Bengalese both were developed for a purpose so crossing and fiddling won't hurt,
but putting a pure specie to a Canary
Sorry but you get my no vote.
Yes it’s always the unscrupulous , unethical and greedy that ruin it for the wider group .E Orix wrote: Years ago a breeder of European extract mated a Green Singer to a very small White Canary(border I think)
The resultant young were sold off as Serins at a high price,that is another reason.
I am sure that the breeders of Red Siskins would love it if several people started using the cockbirds to breed F1's Once again years ago when there were few Red Siskins around hybrids were sold off as pure birds.
I know its only a few bad apples but I am still unconvinced that it's a good or even a reasonable practice.
