I just ran into a friend of mine, who I only recently realized used to breed and show budgies on a very large scale. (he had a few hundred birds). He told me about how he somehow bred a completely grey budgie, no white, no markings, cheek spots, or anything. (is that even possible, I have never heard of such a mutation?)

He had been expecting albinos from the pairing that got the grey. He bred it later with another bird, and got one bird that was completely grey again, with one red feather. I know this guy and he wouldn't lie about that, plus, it was born like that. (ie, when it grew feathers, it had one red one)

 

He bred this one with another bird, and got a bird with a red chest and legs. Sadly, someone destroyed the aviaries and let all the birds out a while later, he then gave up breeding budgies...but is this possible?? I've heard it's not even genetically possible to get a budgie with any red on it..let alone a heap of feathers..

Edited November 25, 200816 yr by Neat

I'd have to say he may be over exaggerating a few broken blood feather stains or something as i don't believe it's possible

Grey bird, pretty much yes, many mutations when put together can look like that...

Edited November 25, 200816 yr by Neat

Form my very limited knowledge I would say it wasn't possible... but you know the guy and you would know if he is honest or not. Who knows maybe it did happen.

Did he have photos? Personally if I had bred a bird with red feathers I'd be snapping away with the camera going through roll after roll of film

I'd have to say he may be over exadurating a few broken blood feather stains or something as i don't beleive it's possible

Grey bird, pretty much yes, many mutations when put together can look like that...

 

 

It is kind of hard to mistake blood with actual red feathers though..And it was born that way, when it got its feathers some were red...

 

And I don't think he has any pics, not sure though, going to ask him when I see him next.

I wonder what he means by red, too.... like, whether it's a bright red like a king parrot, or if it maybe had a pinkish hue or something?

 

I have to say... I remain skeptical, although I believe you when you say you trust the guy and don't think he's making it up. I just think he's got something mistaken in the whole story.

Yes, anything is possible. But proof of something new and unusual is always desired, otherwise it is just urban myth...

My kelpie is 'red and tan' but red actually means a reddy shade of brown, could it have been a very reddish cinnamon...

Yeah I didn't think it was possible...but he did tell me exactly what he bred with what to get that bird, so it might be worth trying sometime..though the likelyhood of me finding a new mutation is very low..Next time I see him I'll ask for a photo and/or some more details about the bird.

Frankly if he had bred a bird with any part of it being red at all, he would know what value that discovery would have on the budgie world and not only would have documented it by photographs but would have had witnesses to say YES it did happen.

Frankly if he had bred a bird with any part of it being red at all, he would know what value that discovery would have on the budgie world and not only would have documented it by photographs but would have had witnesses to say YES it did happen.

 

Okay. As I've said, I'll ask for photos of it, and if he has any I promise I'll post them here.

He did belong to a budgie club, and the members knew about the bird. It was actually one of them that wanted to know how he got the bird, and apparently was the one who freed all of his birds..not sure about that though. :party0011:

I have to agree with KAZ 100% here.

 

Is it possible that cinnamon on grey looks kind of reddish?

 

Maybe he gave it that "bird feather colour enhancer" that claims to "enhance the red colour in budgies, canaries and finches".

Frankly if he had bred a bird with any part of it being red at all, he would know what value that discovery would have on the budgie world and not only would have documented it by photographs but would have had witnesses to say YES it did happen.

 

 

I agree. There was a bloke here in sydney that used to own a pet shop, and used to breed budgies in the back of there bird shop. he bred a black budgie, and there were alot of offers thrown around.

The bird ended up going to Don bourke, along with the parents that bred it. Not sure if anything was ever written about this. I actually saw the bird, but to me it just looked really ugly, with really weird markings. Must admit had never seen anything like it, this is going back years ago. Maybe 5 years.

Edited November 24, 200816 yr by Hills

I agree here with everyone. A grey budgie with no white or yellow? Not possible people have been trying to do it for years. Red is not in their genetic make-up for some reason.

I didn't think that even a grey cinnamon would have the cinnamon colour in the body feathers as well, which could lead to him thinking it was red..Don't cinnamon's just have that colour in their wings feathers?

I don't think he gave the birds any 'colour enhancing' stuff, seeing as it was only one budgie in a couple of clutches that got the red feathers..not even its siblings..

 

About a whole grey budgie..isn't that possible by combining varous mutations?

It would still have a white face though, you could have a grey greywing which would have a basically all grey body but it would still have a white face like the 'black' one shown above unless it was carrying the other black budgie mutation shown in the second picture but just in the greywing form BUT that mutation has only cropped up overseas as far as we know

It would still have a white face though, you could have a grey greywing which would have a basically all grey body but it would still have a white face like the 'black' one shown above unless it was carrying the other black budgie mutation shown in the second picture but just in the greywing form BUT that mutation has only cropped up overseas as far as we know

 

 

So it is possible..soo there is a very small chance he could have gotten a completely grey bird..I'll be seeing him in about a week so I'll ask a lot of questions about this bird..He did say it had no cheek patches, but didn't mention whether or not it had any white face..

 

Anyway, I'm going to give it a try (getting a red budgie) though it may or may not be possible..it's worth a try isn't it? (I don't care if it's a 'waste of time trying', because I would breed my birds anyway, the only thing different I would be doing was trying to get a red budgie) Chances are infintesimal (sp?) that I would find a new mutation..fun finding out though.

These mutations are the sort of thing which just crop up accidentally, it's what you do with them if they do crop up that makes the difference

These mutations are the sort of thing which just crop up accidentally, it's what you do with them if they do crop up that makes the difference

 

 

Okay. He told me exactly what he paired with what to get the grey bird, and to get the 'red' bird..and he kept huge logs of his bird's pairings etc..so that would help wouldn't it?

Not really no, if it's true it would most likely have been a lucky pairing of two birds that both carried the mutation or a point mutation that occured when the egg was fertilised.

Not really no, if it's true it would most likely have been a lucky pairing of two birds that both carried the mutation or a point mutation that occured when the egg was fertilised.

 

Oh well...at least if this red budgie was a true red budgie, then we know it's possible..somehow..

You never know, all it takes is someone to breed the right two birds together and you end up with a new mutation.

A small amount of red melanin must be present to produce violet, or even cinnamon, on a budgie so theoretically a mutation with red in it could happen one day. I doubt that it has happened yet because I'm sure that any budgie breeder who produced a budgie with red on it would know the significance and spread the word very quickly.

 

I believe a budgie that is completely grey, green, blue or even black will probably happen sometime

A small amount of red melanin must be present to produce violet, or even cinnamon, on a budgie so theoretically a mutation with red in it could happen one day. I doubt that it has happened yet because I'm sure that any budgie breeder who produced a budgie with red on it would know the significance and spread the word very quickly.

 

I believe a budgie that is completely grey, green, blue or even black will probably happen sometime

 

 

Okay so really, it is possible, and there is a chance he really did have a red budgie?

 

And is there also a chance that, knowing the history of the birds who had the red one, you could breed another? Ie, the particular mutation he bred that bird with the one red feather with could have helped produce a more red bird? (just a guess here)

Edited November 24, 200816 yr by Jen144