Hi

 

Im having trouble with grey budgies. I have read that grey chicks can be bred from 2 blues, but grey cannot be split, so how is this possible?

I thought grey was an adding factor that goes over the previous mutation, eg:

Grey turns a green into a grey green

Grey turns a blue into a grey

 

Am I wrong? How does grey work?

Any articles or information is greatly appreciated.

Courtesy of Daz's Master Breeder Doc:

The Dominant and Recessive Character (Colour)

The colour genes are either "dominant" (e.g. green) or "recessive" (e.g., blue). A bird carrying the dominant gene on one half of the chromosome pair will be coloured as if it was carried on both halves. The recessive colours will only show themselves if they are carried on both halves of the chromosome pairs. The colour genes can be carried in a number of different chromosome pairs. A bird can then be one dominant colour (such as Grey) and carry in its genetic make-up one or more recessive colours in a hidden form, but not vice-versa. Thus, one can say that in the simplest form of interaction of two dissimilar alleles, one is dominant and the other recessive, that is, the dominant allele controls the character.

 

For instance, when the green gene (i.e., the gene with the code for green feathers) and the blue gene are on allele pair, the bird is green because the green gene is dominant with respect to the blue gene. Because of the interaction of dissimilar alleles, a bird's physical make-up (its phenotype) may be different from its genetic make-up (its genotype).

 

 

 

The Grey Factor and Its Dominance

by Gordon and Sylvia Hallam

Our own colour preference as far as Budgerigars go is the Light Green. Why then do we only have four or five in our stud? There is nothing more satisfying for us, indeed for many Budgerigar enthusiasts than a really quality, typy, stylish Light Green, displaying good colour and in the peak of condition. We ask again why are there so few of our favourite colour in our stud? The answer lies in the dominance of the grey factor in the development of our strain of Budgerigars.

 

We do not seek particular colours, notwithstanding the above,already expressed, preference. Our aim is, and always has been, to breed outstanding show specimens. To that end, colour is largely irrelevant. It simply has been our experience that by breeding Light Green to Light Green we have lost size. Without the Grey factor we get quality face, but the birds lack body or, where they possess sufficient body, they lack the face required. It may not be so for everyone, and here we must recognise that the Snell stud has produced top class Light Greens for many, many years. However it certainly has not been true for us. If we have a nest of youngsters containing Greys, Grey Greens, Blues and Light Greens inevitably the Grey Greens are best followed by the Greys with the others in third place.

Edited January 8, 200916 yr by renee

Im having trouble with grey budgies. I have read that grey chicks can be bred from 2 blues, but grey cannot be split, so how is this possible? When grey is on a white based budgie (blue) then the bird is grey but on a yellow based (it creates a grey green)

I thought grey was an adding factor that goes over the previous mutation, eg:

Grey turns a green into a grey green

Grey turns a blue into a grey

this is correct

Im having trouble with grey budgies. I have read that grey chicks can be bred from 2 blues, but grey cannot be split, so how is this possible? When grey is on a white based budgie (blue) then the bird is grey but on a yellow based (it creates a grey green)

I thought grey was an adding factor that goes over the previous mutation, eg:

Grey turns a green into a grey green

Grey turns a blue into a grey

this is correct

 

Correct, it is a modifyer and as you said changes the background of the birds colour . If you keep pairing the grey or grey green together you will double up on the grey factor making it stronger , Violet works in the same way by modifying the background colour.

Correct, it is a modifyer and as you said changes the background of the birds colour . If you keep pairing the grey or grey green together you will double up on the grey factor making it stronger , Violet works in the same way by modifying the background colour.

 

So if one was to continually breed greys to grey, would every generation get darker?

Correct, it is a modifyer and as you said changes the background of the birds colour . If you keep pairing the grey or grey green together you will double up on the grey factor making it stronger , Violet works in the same way by modifying the background colour.

 

So if one was to continually breed greys to grey, would every generation get darker?

Yes to a point, If you look at a grey bred from a blue you can see the blue sheen in the grey it is a different colour and if you pair grey greens together the grey will become more intense in the feather and there will be less green feather.

Hi all.

 

I still struggle to understand how a grey can be bred from 2 blues, Wouldnt the 2 blues have to be showing grey for this to happen?

How can 2 standing blue budgies, that are NOT grey, produce grey babies. Please excuse my stupidity if I have missed somthing here

 

 

Also, When pairing say a.. light green to a skyblue. All chicks are light green, but how many are split skyblue? is it all the chicks? or only some? What determines this?

 

Thankyou.

I still struggle to understand how a grey can be bred from 2 blues, Wouldnt the 2 blues have to be showing grey for this to happen? There is the "rare" recessive grey gene that the blue is actually split for grey but this is very uncommon, it happened here 1x on the board so far.

As for the grey gene doubling up it means that if you pair greys together you will get a Double Factor Grey not a Single Factor Grey. So if you pair 2 Double Factor Greys you won't get darker and darker they will be darker greys but they will be Double Factors & if they have any dark factors it can make it even darker also. This is also true with the violet gene too.

 

Also, When pairing say a.. light green to a skyblue. All chicks are light green, but how many are split skyblue? is it all the chicks? or only some? What determines this?

 

You would have 50% Greens split to blue and 50% blues. To figure it out you have to do a table so example:

 

G = Green

b = blue

 

Gb = Green split to Blue

bb - blue (can't be split but they carry 2 genes just like the bird above)

 

G b

b

b

 

This is your table above then you have to combine the genes from the 2 birds together you do that by going diagonal.

 

G b

b Gb bb

b Gb bb

 

Gb = Green split to blue

bb = blue

 

I hope that makes sense.

 

Thankyou.

You could breed a recessive grey from 2 blues if they were split for rec grey but this mutation is quite rare. The common grey is dominant so it can only be bred from another grey. Breeding 2 greys together will produce about 25% double factor grey but unless you introduce some dark factor the grey could still be light. The best way to produce darker greys is to pair the grey to a mauve (2 dark factors)

The thing I don't get with the grey and violet gene is this. Where did it come from? Like it must of come from somewhere, the chances of going out to the outback and finding a grey green I imagine would be very low... yet I've read some people refuse to put greys into their stud because it tends to take over... (I don't know if their fears are justified or not)

Grey is a dominant gene and when you get Double Factors it does take over because the % get higher. All mutations are exactly that a "surprise" mutation that just happened and then breeders built off of it like any type of breeding in any type of animal. You don't see blue budgies either ...it was a fluke of nature and the person who got the surprise in the nest went with it.

In a 'moment' I had I paried my grey spangle to a blue normal- hoping the end result was some blues, spangle or not.

Last clutch all greys

I have his mum- a grey green spangle, looking at my records his father was also a grey green. So that would mean he is a grey bred from greens. I wont be getting any blues from him will I?

A grey bred from blue/grey pairing would? Does the fact he had 2 green parents carry?

 

 

Does it make a difference having a grey bred from greens and a grey bred from blues?

When breeding two blues together, some people also mistake mauve for grey.

In a 'moment' I had I paried my grey spangle to a blue normal- hoping the end result was some blues, spangle or not.

Last clutch all greys Your grey may be a double factor grey so that means the whole clutch would be grey split to blue.

 

I have his mum- a grey green spangle, looking at my records his father was also a grey green. So that would mean he is a grey bred from greens. I wont be getting any blues from him will I? Not really it depends if they are a double factor grey or a single factor grey if both are single factor greys you have a 50% chance of blues IF the parents are split for the blue gene. Remember grey is an added gene it doesn't denote that they are carrying the blue gene they still have to be split for blue.

A grey bred from blue/grey pairing would? Does the fact he had 2 green parents carry? Genes can be hidden unless you breed these 2 birds several times you can't say they are not split for blue because genes can hid for a couple generations and then pop out.

 

Does it make a difference having a grey bred from greens and a grey bred from blues? I wouldn't think so because grey is grey and is just added to the bird's body coloring, how dark is determined by dark factors and if they are a double or a single factor.

When breeding two blues together, some people also mistake mauve for grey.

This was my suggestion to Pearce when I was speaking with him and he said he had a grey from two blues. I thought it must be a mauve.

Pearce...post the piks so we can see

Isn't he on holidays now?

Hi

 

The budgies all turned out to be blue, I must be colourblind or somthing because I am sure atleast one had grey feathers. This is all still good information I needed to know so thankyou very much all.

 

I have another question.

Is it possible to get grey babies from a grey green hen and skyblue male? If so how does it work?

yes, if the grey green is split for blue you could get grey babies...

So, If i bred Sam and Laila.. what would i get? There are photo's of both of them floating around the board..

Maybe start a new topic and ask there sunshine... I will look for your birds pictures..

Edited January 13, 200916 yr by JimmyBanks

okay Thankyou Jimmy.

I have a green female ,and a yellow male , and they gave me ,a yellow baby bird ,and a grey one , i didn't understand from where the grey one came from