Our first clutch... need help confirming mutations please...

[des68]

Hi - another silly question from a cockatiel breeding noob... But, our first clutch is feathering out nicely now and my suspicion that one is a pearl has been confirmed... Yeah! We have named her Daisy! She was our little surprise since the parents are a rescue pied and a grey with visible split to pied marking on his head.

Now, our "little grey"'s is feathering out and we just started wondering if s/he is "grey" or cinnamon? I'm attaching a couple of pics, but compared to his pied sister we noticed that his "grey" was so much lighter and, today, it seems kind of brownish. I'm attaching a pic of him/her with his/her father for comparison, though I had some trouble getting daddy to stand still for the photo op you'll get the idea.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[atvchick95]

you have 2 cinnamons 1 pearl and 2 grey

cinnamon is sex linked and since mom isn't visual dad is split and they're girls

[Solace.]

^ What atv said.

Your Cinnamon looks a bit like my Theo when she was a baby.

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/32/l_abc5d8b9cdb4097c02a0864708eda28e.jpg

Beautiful babies though, congrats. :)

[srtiels]

Hi...Nice babies.

The one in the front is a pearl pied (female), and in the back is a cinnamon (female) and a light pied (???)

[xxxSpikexxx]

I know, I know you have really cute baby tiels :love:

[sweetrsue]

I think srtiels has nailed it. The one Cinnamon is pictured in both pics.

[des68]

Now we are really surprised. The "grey" is actually the dad - my pics were confusing, sorry. We have 3 babies total, all in the one picture. The one that looks "grey" is lightly pied but not visible in that photo... I was trying to show the "cinnamon's" feathering... So, it seems... one cinnamon, one light pied, and one pearl pied... When we thought maybe some pied if we were lucky, and normal greys. What fun the first clutch is when you don't have any idea what is going to show up!

They are lovely, thanks. We are very happy that all is going well so far.... despite our stumbles through the process. Good thing mom and dad are competent and know what to do! :blush:

[sweetrsue]

You can see the pied feathers on the babies head! You right about how unexpected the results of breeding can be. I've adopted a new saying. Breeding Cockatiels is like a box of chocolates. You know the rest~

[srtiels]

Yes...but the thing that makes them definitely pied is any solid light colored feathers to the tail and the wing flights. Many times splits will have the pied colored crest and some light feathers to the head/neck, and are only splits. In order to be a pied it must have at least 1 or more wing flights or tail feathers.

I love working with splits and normal greys because it is always a surprise on what the babies are. Some of my plainest pairs give me an interesting variety of colors.

[sweetrsue]

I have a gray male and a Cinnamon hen that first time out gave me Three gray babies, one Cinnamon and one Cinnamon Pearl. Nice surprise!

[srtiels]

Yes it is :)

Did you notice the eyes upon hatch? The first time I got Cinnamons I was totally surprised. I didn't know the splits of the male, and there was a new hatchling that reddish/pink colored eye buds. I thought...cool a lutino. 2 days later I checked again and all the babies were dark eyed. I paniced wondering where the lutino baby was, but there were no babies missing. Mystery was solved once it was feathered.
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http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/Mousebirds-and-more/Other%20birds/20080206_1288.jpg

[milleradah]

they are so cute!!!!!!!!

[des68]

My next dilemma I can see is going to be parting with them.... I'm not sure I should be a bird breeder... They are just so lovely I don't want to give them up!

[huskymom]

just don´t... keep them all.... I´m not helping ain´t I hehehe

[atvchick95]

Yes it is :)

Did you notice the eyes upon hatch? The first time I got Cinnamons I was totally surprised. I didn't know the splits of the male, and there was a new hatchling that reddish/pink colored eye buds. I thought...cool a lutino. 2 days later I checked again and all the babies were dark eyed. I paniced wondering where the lutino baby was, but there were no babies missing. Mystery was solved once it was feathered.
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http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/Mousebirds-and-more/Other%20birds/20080206_1288.jpg



i knew my birds were odd - none of my cinnamon babies have ever had light eyes then go dark, they've all been born with dark eyes

i've had 2 cinnamon pearls, and a white face cinnamon pearl

does it make a difference they're not just plain cinnamon?

[srtiels]

I don't think it makes any difference as to the mutation of cinnamon on the color upon hatch. I have also noticed that cinnamons have dark eyes, but when you shine a flashlight on their eyes indirectly the pupil (center) reflects back a maroone/burgendy color. This also sometines seen with split to cinnamon.

[tielfan]

i knew my birds were odd - none of my cinnamon babies have ever had light eyes then go dark, they've all been born with dark eyes

i've had 2 cinnamon pearls, and a white face cinnamon pearl

does it make a difference they're not just plain cinnamon?

I think it just depends on the individual bird. Some look more red, some look more dark, and some look purple. I can't tell whether my chicks are grey or cinnamon until they feather out, because their eye color at birth looks the same to me. My cinnamon chicks are either split whiteface or actual whiteface, but have no other mutations or known splits.

[atvchick95]

all my cinnamons have had black eyes.

The pair that gives me the cinnamon Pearls, WF Cinnamon Pearls are starting to lay eggs now - i'll be sure to check closely when/if they hatch... but i'm pretty sure all their eyes last season were black. i know Pooh's are black and Sadies as well. at least they look black to me..

[des68]

Okay, who, again, said keep them all!!! lol... I was just lying on the floor with the babies and parents while they explored a sprig of millet and practised flapping their wings... I just hope I can find them homes where they are as loved as they are here!

As for the cinnamon's eyes... I didn't know about the colour different during the first 2 weeks until I came across that somewhere recently... too late... but I might be able to check back on some pics I took to try to tell... I'll know to look for it next time...