# It takes a village to raise a child



## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I have a few love triangles in my aviary this year. This is the result of one of them. A wf split to pied male, a pied cinnamon wf male, and a split to pied lutino pearl hen. They were all in the box together sharing eggs until #2 hatched, now the hen takes a break during the day. I see a cinnamon baby in there so it looks like Topaz is a daddy after all.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Congratulations on the new chicks. The middle one in the last pix looks like it may be a cinnamon. From the genetics they may give you some pied


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

srtiels said:


> Congratulations on the new chicks. The middle one in the last pix looks like it may be a cinnamon. From the genetics they may give you some pied


That's what I was thinking, too. I was going to mention the cinnamon baby, but forgot. Daddy has only two pied feathers, so it will be interesting to see how pied they may be.

edit: I guess I did mention it, lol


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

One of the eggs that was damaged that I'd thought was dead ended up hatching today, so that makes 4 so far. This gives me hope for the other damaged egg hatching in two days. We'll see what happens.


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## Cryren8972 (Oct 3, 2007)

I looked very closely, but I'm stumped at how you can tell the baby is cinnamon. I would love to know how to tell...I had some cinnamon babies in a clutch this year, and it would have been neat to know that right away. =)


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*I looked very closely, but I'm stumped at how you can tell the baby is cinnamon.*

LOL....I takes practice and you have to know what to look for. It is most evident the first day of hatch. Within a few days the eyes look normal. Look at these pix, and then go back and look at the pix that Mentha posted and then you can easily spot the cinnamon


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Mentha, may I save your pix? It is a very clear and perfect pix showing a cinnamon to a normal eye colored hatch. If so I would also like to include it in a book I am working on, and add your name or screen name as owner of the photo...TIA


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Yes, you may  credit Rhonda Grace. I may not be the best photographer, but you're welcome to any pictures you find you can use.


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## Cryren8972 (Oct 3, 2007)

If I saw the plum colored eyes at first, I would assume lutino. I didn't realize that cinnamon was an albino mutation. Or am I making an assumption again? LOL!


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

There are no albino cockatiels yet, the closest is a lutino white face, which is an all white bird, Lutino would have to have two lutino genes to make it white. Lutino would be a cotton candy pink, cinnamon's eyes are darker.


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## Cryren8972 (Oct 3, 2007)

Having no clue that a cinnamon baby would have the plum colored eyes, I would still have mistaken them for a lutino. And been surprised when I saw cinnamon feathers. LOL! Now I want to see one in person!!! =) Thanks for the lesson, amazing pictures!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*I would still have mistaken them for a lutino.*
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LOL....that is what happened to me the first time I seen those eyes when I did a nestbox check. I thought it was a lutino, and I knew there was no lutino in the background. A few days later I looked and I could not find the red eyed baby yet there were the same amount of babies in the box, non missing. What the heck? When they feathered out one was a cinnamon. When the pair had a 2nd clutched I marked the red eyed baby and took a pix of the eyes and watched and noticed within days it changed colored and feathered up cinnamon. All cinnamon babies will start with the light plum colored eyes when they hatch out, that turn black/dark grey within days.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Mentha...Thank You!...I will add your name to the pix  It is a great pix, and the colors are just right to see the difference in eye color.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*I didn't realize that cinnamon was an albino mutation.*
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What cinnamon is is a *melanin altering* mutation. Melanin is the dark/black pigments and mutations such as Lutino, Cinnamon , Emerald, Fallow and Recessive Silver have reduced or altered dark pigments. This altered melanin can affect eye color and also the pigment colors on the skin and feet.


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## Cryren8972 (Oct 3, 2007)

Hm...genetics fascinates me, partly because the more I learn, the more there is to learn. Lutino is an absence of melanin isn't it? Or am I mistaken? So cinnamon is more of a faded melanin. Very interesting. I'm now fighting the urge to research blue eyes, fair skin, etc. LOL. Only because it's late, and such a search would keep me up most of the night. Once I get started, I have a hard time stopping.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*I'm now fighting the urge to research blue eyes*
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Interestingly, blue eyes can occur with cockatiels....especially some lutino that are split to pied or pied and WF....


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Genetics has always fascinated me, the first time I made a punnet square I saw whole new avenues opening up. I started researching pigeon genetics before cockatiels. That's even harder.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*I started researching pigeon genetics before cockatiels. That's even harder.*

I had heard that. It is interesting the genetics of various species. 

How are the little ones doing?


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

They are doing great  My two older ones have been growing so much I've cut back their feedings twice in three days. I was afraid growing 10 grams in a day might have adverse effects on their systems after a while. They don't seem to be starving either, they are not begging like my Kaytee babies would. I am much happier with ZuPreem.


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

great to hear babies are doing so well


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Just pulled the babies for feeding, they were soiling the eggs that were in there with them. I have two cinnamons (female) and two greys (male). That makes my total babies this year 3 males & 3 females. There is a little stunting on the two younger ones and a 35 gram difference between the largest & smallest. They weigh 75 g, 75 g, 45 g, & 40 g.


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