Aussie Finch Forum

I hand fed a Zebra Finch (see photos) that I am told is a Fawn Charcoal and therefore its male parent will be a Charcoal. I only have one Charcoal Zebra and as far as I know it was not in a position to be its father (the Fawn Charcoal was found on the floor after I had removed the Charcoal from the cage - but that's another story). My issue is that I was about to place the Fawn with a female from the Male Charcoal and would prefer to have a non related mate. I see there are some experts in Zebs here so maybe someone could tell me if the above is true.....thanks

Timing would be the question. Could he have fertalised the hen before leaving the avairy? Remember she can have laid several days later and still have used his sperm.
LML

I only had three pairs in the aviary along with a mix of DBs, Ruddies, Painteds, Cubans, Chest Nuts. One pair were a normal male [son of charcoal male) plus grey female and a pair of creams with male that is copy of male in photo with fawn charcoal. The only one with young was the Charcoal male and mate who were removed some time earlier. I did have another pair which was the hybrid in my avatar and a cream female but discounted them as they had been sitting on eggs forever and I assumed he was non fertile anyway. My own theory is that he came from a DB nest because somehow an egg from the old charcoal pair got into a DB nest before I removed them. Anyway I just want confirmation that the parent was a definite Charcoal male so I do not pair him with a female relation. He is special to me because of his start in life. see my video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AwtVgtL_dc

Well with the first pair you mentioned, ''One pair were a normal male [son of charcoal male) plus grey female '' - the male will be split for charcoal. If the female was also split to charcoal then that pair could have produced the bird in question.

Thanks for the info...I think I am beginning to understand the possibilities.....

If the male is a fawn, so his mother must be a fawn and the father at least a split fawn.
The "creams" that you mentioned are the fawn pastels right? If so, the mother must be the "cream" hen, who's also a split fawn and the father the grey male split charcoal, and therefore split fawn too.

I know this comes as a late reply.
But just my 2 cents worth.

Fawn is a Sex Linked Colour - To get a Fawn Male you need to have Fawn in both parents.... Mum has to be Fawn,.... as hens cannot be split fawn. And the Father can either be visually Fawn or split to Fawn.
To get Fawn hens the Father just has to carry the Fawn either viaually or split.

I have not seen other pictures of your birds... but there is the possibility that the creams mention in the post above must be a pale fawn then.
Therefore a parent of your boy.

Charcoal is a recessive colour so it also needs to be on both sides to occur in chicks. Parents can be either visually Charcoal or Split.

I was lucky with one male to find this all out... He was a grey pied, I paired him to a Pied Charcoal Hen..... i got from this a nest of Charcoal Pieds.....3 Grey and 2 Fawn! So my boy was hiding the Charcoal and the Fawn genes.

Hope this helps.