Aussie Finch Forum

Hi all, just after some experienced finch lovers opinions on what they prefer/or which out of the 2 are easier to keep?

What do you have to begin with? And are we talking Gouldians or what here?
LML

What do you have to begin with? And are we talking Gouldians or what here?
LML

Sorry, should have been more specific Im deciding on whether to buy a couple of pairs of Splits to Blue or straight normals pairs?

"Split to's" are birds carrying a recessive gene for a different characteristic, this characteristic can range from feather colour to feather pattern to crests to ....

You need two "split to's" or a split and a bird showing that characteristic to produce young with that characteristic.

So the real question is do you want mutations to appear in your offspring. In fairness to those down the line, any offspring generated from two split to's must be sold as possible splits for (insert mutation here)?

So the real question is do you want mutations to appear in your offspring

The answer is yes. If I'm buying two split to blues, then Im definitely expecting a Blue at some point in the offspring. Apologies for miss-referencing or misusing certain terms. But Im new to the hobby and asking you all for some much needed advice?

Apart from cost, you are better then to have one mutant and one split bird, that way you know all offspring are splits. If you have two splits then the young are effectively normal, you cannot identify which ones are split and which ones aren't.

Split + Split will yield (on average)
25% non split normals
50% normals split to (in this case) blue
25% mutants.

Murphy's law says that 175% of the 50% birds you sell will be splits and 175% of the birds you keep won't be .

Murphy's law says that 175% of the 50% birds you sell will be splits and 175% of the birds you keep won't be

Now that is funny! And very true! This will be painful and probably sound slightly foolish to many others, but lets say I have a Split to blue, guaranteed, that looks like this: Split to blue in black,yellow and red with a purple chest. What mutation would you match this bird to?

new to finch wrote:

Murphy's law says that 175% of the 50% birds you sell will be splits and 175% of the birds you keep won't be

Now that is funny! And very true! This will be painful and probably sound slightly foolish to many others, but lets say I have a Split to blue, guaranteed, that looks like this: Split to blue in black,yellow and red with a purple chest. What mutation would you match this bird to?

the best pairing would be to a blue backed gouldian, giving you blue babies and split blue babies.

If you check out this topic there are links to several genetic forecasters, these will help visualize your expected results from different pairings.
The Carlos Matos forecaster is my favourite, this one can be used off line.
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As you are new to finches generally.......
While the white chest mutation, and the yellow backed mutations are now well established and can do well for those new to finches and new to gouldians, the blue, as many of the breeders will tell you is a whole other story. They can be fine one minute and the next you have a dead finch.
I have seen this on a personal basis with my first home bred blue..... 9am a perfectly healthy looking bird, by 4pm it was dead on the floor. All the other clutch mates, splits and other wise have gone on to moult out into their adult colours without problem.
The dedicated breeders are making great strides with this mutation but its not a mutation to be taken on lightly in your first venture with finches. They need all the requirements of the normal gouldian...and then more.
Having said the above I also have a blue cock bird I bought and he has never missed a beat and is going through his second moult and starting to look great again. Hoping for good things from him this coming season.

The biggest considerations with all Gouldians are wind protection all year round and lots of green seeding grasses while breeding. Or I think they are anyway. Good luck with whatever you decide.
LML