Cinnamon makes sexing easy

Due to the sex-linked inheritance of cinnamon, both cinnamon opalines on the right will be hens, the green opalines (a third is at the other end of the nest box) will be cocks.

Assuming dad is not split for yellow (he may be);

Red fronted cinnamon / opaline cock x red fronted yellow opaline hen gives;

Cocks

50% Green opaline / yellow cinnamon

50% Green /yellow cinnamon opaline

Hens

50% Cinnamon / yellow

50% Cinnamon opaline / yellow

All red fronted. But why some are more red than others...I don't know.

Male Bengalese song

I've swapped one of my hen bengalese for two males.  I've now got two true pairs and this time they are each in separate aviaries.

Fawn hen and pearl cock on right

Albino pair

Some argue that red eyed birds should not be paired together, however they are both strong birds so their chicks should be healthy, either way they picked each other.

Both males have been singing to prove that they are indeed males.

Red backed opaline turks

The amount of red varies considerably between the young opaline turks.  I believe this is because the red is not a major gene mutation like yellow or opaline, but a minor gene mutation that can influence the colour of the major gene mutation by varying amounts between individuals.  

 



Sexing the yellow opaline turquoisine -beak colour

I've got a new yellow opaline turk hen (2010). She's very similar to my other yellow opaline turk that I got a month or so back, apart from she has a much lighter beak. This lead me to believe that the darker beak bird may be a cock.  This seamed to fit as pictures generally show yellow opaline cocks with darker beaks than hens. Also the hen I lost this year had a lighter beak than the cock.

Latest new hen (light beak)

Previous new hen. Is this a cock? (dark beak, some red on head and darker blue)

My opaline yellow cock (dark beak) and opaline yellow hen that died this year (light beak)

I thought I was on to something with the beak colour, however I've just got the DNA results for the new dark coloured beak bird and it is a hen.  I suppose its beak is not as dark as those of the known yellow and yellow opaline cocks, so there may still be something in it.

One thing is for sure the yellow 'hen' I also got this year is definitely a cock (also dark beak)....

And the cinnamon that I bred this year is a cock (dark beak)....

So I'm going into the winter with 4 cocks and 3 hens. I had intended to have more hens than cocks.  The other cock, is my reliable red fronted normal (dark beak)....

and my cinnamon yellow hen (oh, it also has a darkish beak)...

Opaline yellow cock and young cinnamon cock (dad and mum above)



Nest box camera

As you will have seen on 'nest box live' I'm trying out a new nest box this year.  It's horizontal rather than vertical with a wireless camera mounted to the side.

It doesn't have 'windows' like my other box with camera (below) and therefore relies only on infra red., but the angle gives a good picture without excessive brightness from the infra red light.

Vertical box with 'windows'

The turqs are nesting in the horizontal box and the bourkes in the vertical box.



Bourkes - update

It hasn't been the best eggs to hatch ratio.  I thought Pinky and Perky's 8 eggs to 3 chicks was poor, but Rocky and Rosie had 9 eggs to 1 chick...some how I don't think all the eggs have been incubated properly despite me removing the clear ones.  Still, overall that's 4 chicks more than the turks!

Rocky and Rosie.

I can tell one of Pinky's chicks is a Rubino because it has pale eye-lids or red eyes (the one being fed below).  This is the ino which will combine with rosa to give a rubino and because of the sex-linked inheritance I know it will be a hen.  The other two, with dark eyes, will be visually rosa cocks split rubino.

2011 breeding season

We've had a few mild days recently and with the daylight hours now getting longer the birds are getting ready for the breeding season.  The bourkes especially have shown an interest and as Rocky and Rosie are in the inside shed cage I've decided to introduce the nest box early. During March I'll be getting the rest of the pairs started, although I know we'll get another cold spell before spring has sprung.
My breeding plan for this year is:-

2011 Breeding plan Turquoisines Rudolph Red fronted normal / cinnamon yellow opaline Goldie Red fronted yellow opaline Cocks (all red fronted):- Hens (all redfronted):- 25% opaline    2/3 split cinnamon yellow    1/3 split yellow 25% normal    2/3 split yellow opaline    1/3 split cinnamon yellow opaline 25% yellow    2/3 split opaline    1/3 split cinnamon opaline 25% yellow opaline    2/3 split cinnamon    1/3 no split 16.75% normal    all split yellow 16.75% yellow    no split 16.75% cinnamon yellow opaline    no split 16.75% cinnamon opaline    all split yellow 8.25% cinnamon    all split yellow 8.25% cinnamon yellow    no split 8.25% opaline    all split yellow 8.25% yellow opaline   no split Comments: Any cinnamon offspring will have dark plum red eyes and will be hens. Scar Red fronted yellow opaline  Ruby Red fronted normal / yellow Cocks (all red fronted):- Hens (all redfronted):- 50% normal    1/2 split yellow opaline    1/2 split yellow 50% yellow    1/2 split yellow opaline    1/2 split yellow 50% opaline    all split yellow 50% yellow opaline    no split Comments:Any opline offspring will be hens. These birds are young and may not breed till later on in the year. www.nestboxcameras.com Bourkes Pinky Rubino (ino opaline) Perky Rosa (opaline) Cocks  Hens  100 %  rosa    all split ino 100% rubino     no split Comments:All rubino offspring will be hens. All rosa offspring will cocks, Rocky Rosa (opaline) Rosie Rosa(opaline) Cocks  Hens  100% rosa 100% rosa Comments:

I've named the new yellow opaline cock Scar and the normal hen Ruby.
The two youngsters I've kept from last year, probably won't be breeding this year, they are named as follows:-

Phoenix: Cinnamon yellow opaline hen

Flame: Opaline / yellow cock (I think)

I won't be breeding these together as they are brother and sister, but assuming I've got them sexed right I'll probably later split up Scar and Ruby to make unrelated pairs.

I've had the birds in their breeding areas for a few weeks now.  Rudolph and Goldie, together with Pinky and Perky are the green aviary.  Rocky and Rosie are in the small shed cage and Scar and Ruby are in the big shed cage.  Meanwhile, Phoenix and Flame are in the brown aviary.

Lighting

During the winter months I use energy saving light bulbs in the aviaries to increase the short days.  These are on a timer and come on a couple of hours before sunrise and switch off a few hours after dawn. I find that the birds will get up in the morning to feed with the light, however they will still roost at dusk despite the light.  I therefore no longer bother with the lights in an evening.  A big problem with my aviaries, indeed my whole garden, is that they get very little sunlight during winter.  Birds need the sun for the UV rays which in turn provide vitamin B, which is required for the absorption of calcium to maintain healthy bone and feather growth.  For this reason I am now intend to use full spectrum light bulbs which you can now get reasonably cheap as energy saving bulbs. 

Bourkes courtship display

Rosa and rubino bourkes are notoriously difficult to sex, unlike normals which can be sexed easily by the hens having an under the wing stripe.  In rosa's both cocks and hens have the stripe.
To be sure the only way is to see the cock bird displaying.  I managed to catch my rubino doing this, it wasn't easy as he would stop every time when he saw me filming.

This rubino was bought as a hen and it took me a long time to find out that he was in fact a cock. The problem was that a cock bird will rarely display if he's with another more dominant male, he will even act hen like, allowing the dominant cock bird to feed them.

My turqs have started another clutch....so far two eggs.

The previous two turq chicks are now independent and have been moved to the brown aviary, the cock bird is starting to get his red chest now.

I also have Mr Burns and Marge (seagreen and lutino splendids) now together in this aviary in one last attempt to breed my remaining splendids this year.  Lisa the white breasted blue splendid was just not interested at all.

The bourkes chicks are growing fast and are just starting to open their eyes.