Sex of blue cap fledglings

Includes Species Profile
Post Reply
User avatar
SteveP
...............................
...............................
Posts: 68
Joined: 03 Aug 2014, 18:53
Location: penrith nsw

I've just fledged my first 3 blue caps and obviously pretty happy! Just wondering if sexes are easily determined on fledging as with cordons. I bred heaps of cordons and could tell straight away.

The 3 fledglings are extremely well developed and all have very pale blue - less than a hen cordon fledgling would have.

Any advice from those who have bred blue caps would be great.

Thanks
Steve
User avatar
Tiaris
...............................
...............................
Posts: 3517
Joined: 23 Apr 2011, 08:48
Location: Coffs Harbour

Easier than Cordons Steve. If they don't have relatively extensive & bright blue for a fledgling, they are hens. Congratulations.
User avatar
SteveP
...............................
...............................
Posts: 68
Joined: 03 Aug 2014, 18:53
Location: penrith nsw

Thanks Tiaris. 3 hens are a case of good luck then. I've been persisting for a couple of seasons and got some new blood in last year to alternate and make a couple of pairs.

I'm convinced the hen of one pair has some sort of lethal gene as I had her with both cocks (at different times) and she'd lay clutches of 6-7 eggs with 80-90 percent fertility but all would die in the shell about 2/3rds through development despite the parents incubating extremely well. This process occurred 3-4 times each of the last 2 seasons.

Now I'll have some hens for a proven unrelated cock late next season.

Cheers
Steve
User avatar
Tiaris
...............................
...............................
Posts: 3517
Joined: 23 Apr 2011, 08:48
Location: Coffs Harbour

I vaguely recollect, avishoot (forum name). Having a similar issue a few years ago with many fertile rounds not reared so he fostered the eggs of the pair that did this under other pairs which had multiple infertile rounds and was successful in rearing young from them. From the young reared paired with other odd birds he established a productive breeding flock.
User avatar
Tiaris
...............................
...............................
Posts: 3517
Joined: 23 Apr 2011, 08:48
Location: Coffs Harbour

Spare young cocks should be far easier to find than hens. Anyone with them would be more than happy to swap 2 cocks for a hen.
Post Reply

Return to “Blue Capped Cordon”