Just wondering how early can you tell what mutation your chicks will be?

 

I know with Ino's and others you can tell because of the eyes and opaline you can tell because it has white down, but what about normals/spangles/pieds and the others??

From your signature... it looks like the front one will be a spangle. ... got more pics for us Jimmy?

You can tell once they very first begin to feather up.

 

Spangles - look at the first 2 tail feathers coming through. If they are light and the rest of the them are dark, then you will most probably have a spangle.

 

Pieds - the skin markings are the indicator. Under the feathers, markings on the skin sometimes match the feather markings. So a chick that is pink with dark patches all over is probably going to be pied.

 

Others will add more, but that is just some methods that have worked for me.

pretty much learn from observing the mutations you place together and watching the chicks develop

i remember daz once saying df spangles are also born with pink eyes

but i dont know

cin chicks eyes are red for five days then darken

pieds have a white spot on their pink skin on back of head

yellow face usually have a darkning around the top of cere a week into being born

and along top of wing all away along

you just get usto what you breed and it comes natrally after a bit

From your signature... it looks like the front one will be a spangle. ... got more pics for us Jimmy?

 

I took a heap of photo's and only about 4 came out clear... they didn't like the idea of keeping still...

 

 

 

 

if you look really closly jimmy you can see on the blue based chicks wing feathers just under where the white is showing through a tint of black almost a grey shade

that their is a sure sighn to see if its a spangle as spangles have the white then the black on each feather , spangle

my guess from that picture

"Is it just me, or do you feel a supernatural presence here too?"

its a pretty freaky photo isn't it :rofl: Most of it is out of focus but for some reason I like it...

 

GB so you would say the blue is a spangle and the green is a normal?

 

I didn't realise that the pied marking is displayed on the skin of chicks... is it a major change or just a slight change?

Edited April 1, 200916 yr by JimmyBanks

It can be a major change, dark patches on light pink skin.

hmm interesting, thanks. :rofl:

Pied chicks are super easy to see. You can tell a pied before its feathers even start to grow.. here is one

 

I feel both your chicks are spangle at the moment, more feather showing though will get a better indication - they are definitely not pied though hehe.

Edited April 1, 200916 yr by **Liv**

Oh wow that is a major, MAJOR, difference!!

 

Definitely not pieds :rofl:

i will say to spangles

can you take some more photos - this time of their bums and the feathers that are just beginning to come through there.

hmm I might be able to get over to MB's some time next week... Unless MB reads this and can take some herself

aww, They are super cute JB! I think they are both spangle's too

Look I have a picture to show a pied chick

 

so how can you tell if a bird will be grey? do they look any different to a blue at pin feather stage?

do we know parents?

sure do...

 

The mum

 

 

The dad

 

Hi Jimmy Banks, will you be entering your signature photo in budgie of the month? Its the wildest picture., keep up the good work. Hears to baby photos...

I entered one but I can't remember which one I entered... hopefully its that one

thansk Jimmy, saddly i get all the birds mixed up with all the posts.

 

you could tell for sure by now just by looking at the middle two tail feathers. clear (yellow or white) - spangle, black - not spangle

but what would the difference be between a grey and a blue bird at this age? is it possible to tell?

not from my knowledge, the down are both grey and the pins would be dark to start with