I am having a bit of trouble with this new chick's mutation.

[Cannuck2007]

This is Rocky(Grey spilt pied) and Lexi's(grey, pearl)chick. A little over 3 weeks old.

I know he/she is grey, but there are some slightchest spots (pearling) and ticks or stripes on the head, as well as slight spotting in the wings and 2 yellow tail feathers.
I know there has been previous talk of a spotting gene that caused a stir of curiosity and I am wondering if I am seeing this?

Any thoughts??

[srtiels]

Can you post some clearer pix's?...it is hard to see what you are talking about :)

[Cannuck2007]

I hope these are a bit better. He will not hold still, lol!

I have tried to show the head stripes, wing spotting and the chest pattern, I will get a better picture of his chest at the next feeding.

The stripes are a bright yellow as are the spots.

[Cannuck2007]

The wing spots and even the chest pattern would normally suggest to me a pearl cockatiel, however it is the head stripes and the 2 yellow tail feathers that are throwing me off.
Dad is split pied. Paternal Aunt is cinnimon, pearl so it is possible that dad is also split pearl or cinnimon. Mom is a visual grey pearl, no known genetics. The last breeding produced, 2 golden pearls and one very dark charcoal grey. I have one of the pearls from that clutch as well as this baby. The other chick from this clutch was a grey.

I do appreciate any insight :)

[Mythara]

Yellow tailfeathers would suggest pied to me. Are they solid yellow? He/she could be a very lightly pied in that case, which would also explain the yellow else where. The chest spots sound like the ones discussed in this thread: http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=9887

[Cannuck2007]

Yellow tailfeathers would suggest pied to me. Are they solid yellow? He/she could be a very lightly pied in that case, which would also explain the yellow else where. The chest spots sound like the ones discussed in this thread: http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=9887

They are solid yellow with black speckles, I was wondering about it being a very light pied, but the pearling in the wings and the chest spots are throwing me off. Could it also be a very light pearling>
I do remember the spot gene thread and that is another curiosity. I am completely confused now! Just when I thought I was finally getting the hang of tiel mutations and genetics too! Lol!:p

[tielfan]

I can't tell much from the pictures, but it looks to me like there is some ticking (a few light-colored feathers) on the back of the head indicating a pied split.

Do the chest markings look anything like this? This is Pippin, my best-marked spotty chick:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/DSC00138.jpg

The infamous "spot gene" seems to be an unrecognized mutation. Spot gene chicks have a scalloped look on the lower belly caused by a light border on the feathers, and speckling under the front edge of the wing and sometimes all the way across the underwing. They may have spots or stripes on the upper chest, with spots being more common. There's a lot of variation in how well marked the upper chest is. Some of my chicks have the belly scalloping and wing speckling with no upper chest marks at all.

Some chicks will also have "racing stripes" on the side and back of the head. Squeebis had the best head stripes in my bird family, but lost all his spot/stripe markings when he molted into his adult plumage:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/IMG_5032.jpg

Closeup:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/IMG_5032a.jpg

The head stripes are vertical stripes running along the quill. The chest spots consist of one or two "dots" near the tip of the feather.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/DSC00160.jpg

These markings seem to be strongly associated with the whiteface gene, and all my chicks are either whiteface or split to it - their whiteface mother is a spot gene bird.

[srtiels]

From your pix, you have a normal grey split to pied. What you are seeing is the normal markings (wing spots, tail barring, faint banding on lower chest) of a normal grey. The yellow feathers on the back of the head indicate split to pied.

[Cannuck2007]

I can't tell much from the pictures, but it looks to me like there is some ticking (a few light-colored feathers) on the back of the head indicating a pied split.

Do the chest markings look anything like this? This is Pippin, my best-marked spotty chick:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/DSC00138.jpg

The infamous "spot gene" seems to be an unrecognized mutation. Spot gene chicks have a scalloped look on the lower belly caused by a light border on the feathers, and speckling under the front edge of the wing and sometimes all the way across the underwing. They may have spots or stripes on the upper chest, with spots being more common. There's a lot of variation in how well marked the upper chest is. Some of my chicks have the belly scalloping and wing speckling with no upper chest marks at all.

Some chicks will also have "racing stripes" on the side and back of the head. Squeebis had the best head stripes in my bird family, but lost all his spot/stripe markings when he molted into his adult plumage:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/IMG_5032.jpg

Closeup:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/IMG_5032a.jpg

The head stripes are vertical stripes running along the quill. The chest spots consist of one or two "dots" near the tip of the feather.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/ch_tielfan/DSC00160.jpg

These markings seem to be strongly associated with the whiteface gene, and all my chicks are either whiteface or split to it - their whiteface mother is a spot gene bird.

The chest feathers look the same but those throat spots are not there. Everything else is the similiar though.

[Cannuck2007]

From your pix, you have a normal grey split to pied. What you are seeing is the normal markings (wing spots, tail barring, faint banding on lower chest) of a normal grey. The yellow feathers on the back of the head indicate split to pied.

I think you are right. That is what confused me though, their were too many feathers to indicate split pied, but not enough to say pied. Would the wing spots suggest pearls? Or are they on all normal grey babies (I don't remember seeing them before, but this is the first grey baby I have raised so...)

He is a sweetie though and will make a great companion for someone that is for sure!

Thanks for the help!:p

[srtiels]

Yes...the wing spots are on all babies. When split pied the wing spots may be bigger and slitly oblong in shape.