Just wondering since grey is a dominant colour and makes a grey to green pairing turn up with grey greens, what the %s are like when you pair a blue to a grey, all grey, more grey than blue???????

there are single factor greys and double factor greys.

 

Single factor, as I understand it, means that the bird has one grey gene and one blue gene.

Double factor means that the bird has two grey genes.

 

Now, when you pair a single factor grey to a blue, then you should get 50% greys split blue and 50% blues.

When you pair a double factor grey to a blue, you will get 100% greys, but all of them will be single factor greys, split blue.

there are single factor greys and double factor greys.

 

Single factor, as I understand it, means that the bird has one grey gene and one blue gene.

Double factor means that the bird has two grey genes.

 

Now, when you pair a single factor grey to a blue, then you should get 50% greys split blue and 50% blues.

When you pair a double factor grey to a blue, you will get 100% greys, but all of them will be single factor greys, split blue.

 

 

I always thought that a grey bird is a blue bird with one or two grey factors, not split to blue as such....?

I agree SJW the grey factor on a blue bird makes the bird grey not split, grey is an added color just like violet.

Agree with SJW & Elly grey added on top.

 

You generally describe a bird that has one copy of a recessive gene as split for as that recessive gene is hidden until there are 2 copies of that gene in a bird.

 

Grey is a dominant gene that alters both blue AND green series birds added ON TOP of the blue genes a bird already has.

 

A single factor grey bird will have 1 gene for grey AND 2 genes for blue (they appear on different alelles). A double factor grey will have 2 grey genes AND 2 blue genes.

A single factor grey green will have 1 gene for grey AND 2 genes for green (or be green split for blue - still visual green). A double factor grey green will have 2 genes for grey AND 2 genes for green (or be green split for blue - still visual green).

 

This is exactly the same for violet.

 

So there are 2 outcomes possible for a grey x blue bird depending on if the grey is single factor or double factor grey.

 

If the grey is double factor then you would get:

100% single factor grey chicks

 

If the grey is single factor then you would get:

50% single factor grey chicks

50% normal blue chicks

Edited August 12, 200915 yr by nubbly5

okay, understood now, the grey goes on top of the other colours.

 

So my results are still correct, if not worded perfectly

okay, understood now, the grey goes on top of the other colours.

 

So my results are still correct, if not worded perfectly

 

 

 

yes apart from the split for blue part..........

So how do you explain the fact that when I bred 2 greys together I got a mauve?

So how do you explain the fact that when I bred 2 greys together I got a mauve?

 

 

I assume they would have been 2 single factor greys, so outcome would have been 25% chance of double factor grey, 50% chance single factor grey and 25% chance blue (mauve in your case)....

2x single factor greys (both birds have one gene for grey and one for non-grey - grey being dominant means that the birds still appear grey but carry the non-grey gene as well) gives you the chance to breed 25% double factor grey, 50% single factor grey and 25% normal blue. Think about each parent bird donating one gene each for the grey factor. So if mum and dad both happen to donate a grey gene each - chick is double factor grey, if mum donates a non-grey gene and dad donates a grey gene then chicks are single factor grey and will appear grey (grey being dominant to non-grey), if mum and dad both donate non-grey genes then babies will be non-grey.

 

The mauve happens due to the dark factor in the bird, irrespective of if the parents are grey or not. Both parents would have had to be carrying at least on dark factor gene but that is often hard to tell in greys.

 

So both parents were single factor grey carrying at least one dark factor gene.

 

Pretty simple genetic outcome.

 

yep SJW beat me to it while I was typing.......

Edited August 12, 200915 yr by nubbly5

yep SJW beat me to it while I was typing.......

 

 

Sorry about that..

 

I'm just constantly amazed by how much you can learn on this site!!

Thanks for explaining that. Much appreciated.