Download breeding indian ringneck mutations

BREEDING INDIAN RINGNECK MUTATIONS
by Linda Greeson
The variety of mutations possible to produce with the Indian Ring Necks is really
mind blowing. More mutations have been established in this species than in any
other parakeet other than the Budgerigar. What makes this so exciting is that the
future for originating even more variations from the normal green is wide open. The
possibilities seem almost without limits.
The Lutino and the Blue mutations have become widely available in the USA in the
past ten years, with a consequent drop in price. They are no longer considered rare
mutations.
The Lutino male is a pure, bright, buttercup yellow with pink eyes, flesh colored feet
and legs, and a red bill. His neck ring is a rose color blending to peach. The female is
very similar, except that she lacks the neck ring at maturity.
The plumage of the Blue males shows shades of a delicate powder blue, with the
color most vivid on the crown and forehead. The neck ring is an off white or pale
gray edged with pure white. The bill is red, and the feet and legs gray. The female is
entirely blue with no neck collar. The Blues are still more scarce than the Lutinos,
but becoming increasingly popular.
The Albino mutation is snow white with a pink beak and pink eyes. Both sexes lack
the neck ring entirely. The first Albinos were bred back in the 1960's and are well
established in Australia. They still are proving not as hardy as the others, and more
difficult to rear. The Cream Albino is a bone white with red eyes.
The Gray mutation was first bred in Australia in 1978. Its plumage is in three tones
of silver, gray, and black. It is actually a blue series bird. When bred to a Blue, it
can produce both Blues and Grays. The Gray is a dominant mutation, and when
paired with the original dominant Green produces the Gray Green. This is an
almost khaki colored bird, not nearly as attractive as the others, but useful in
breeding programs.
The Cinnamon mutation is now well established. This bird is a lime yellow with
cinnamon colored flights and tail feathers. There is also a double mutation of
Cinnamon and Blue which produces a soft blue with a cinnamon over wash.
The Turquoise is a green bird with an overlay of fine, soft blue plumage that
changes color depending on the angle of light striking the bird. The effect is almost
iridescent and quite striking.
There are only a few of the Yellow Head mutations in this country. This is a sex
linked mutation and some breeders are working on combining this with the Blues.
One of the newer mutations being established is the beautiful Pied. Jaynee Salan of
California is credited with developing this rare mutation, one of the loveliest being
her Blue Pied. This pattern mutation is inherited the same as a color as a simple
recessive. No two Pieds are ever exactly alike. The patterns of color differ in each
bird, none of the males developing the usual ring collar.
Cobalt Blue, Violet, and Mauve are all exciting color mutations waiting to be
established.
WHY ARE SO MANY MUTATIONS POSSIBLE?
The feather structure of the Ringneck allows us to see both blue and green
pigmentation. The wide variety of mutations being developed in this species is
possible because there are both Blue series birds and Green series birds. The Lutino
is actually an Albino in the Green series bird. In the Blue series the Albino is white.
Some colors are the result of a mutation which prevents the production of a certain
pigment. A bird, normally Green, which is unable to produce yellow pigment results
in a Blue. When a mutation occurs in a Green bird which prevents it from
producing melanin, the result is the all yellow Lutino. Pied birds occur when
scattered areas over the bird's epidermis are unable to produce melanin.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE GENETICS INVOLVED
Some mutations have been known to occur in the wild. There is a chance, about like
winning the big prize in the lottery, that this miraculous thing will occur in your
own aviary. To predict with any accuracy the colors to expect, it is well to work on
obtaining some basic knowledge of bird genetics.
There are three basic modes of inheritance of colors in the Ringneck : sex linked,
recessive, and dominant. Sex linked colors are Lutino, Cinnamon, and Albino.
Recessive colors are Blues and Pieds. Gray is a dominant color which can occur in
single factor and double factor forms.
With sex linked colors the male carries two genes for color and the female only one.
If you breed a sex linked male (such as a Lutino) to any other color female, all of her
female chicks will be the same color as the father. (Lutino) If you breed the sex
linked color male (such as Lutino) to a female that is the same color (such as a
Lutino), all chicks, both male and female, will be the same color. (Lutino)
With recessive colors, such as Pied or Blue you must have the visual color, or a bird
split to that color (carrying a recessive gene for that color) on both sides in order to
produce the color. A Blue cock, mated with a Green split to Blue hen will produce
50% Blue chicks and 50% Green split to Blue.
Many hundreds of combinations are possible with the Ringnecks. They are reliable
breeders and usually make excellent parents. Because they are "non-pair bond"
birds, they do not maintain a close relationship during the year and readily accept a
new mate. The new partners adjust to the change rapidly, although a cock who had
a green partner the previous year may take longer to start courtship with a Blue or
Lutino. Ringnecks often will go to nest as early as eighteen months. This
combination of factors makes for a more rapidly moving breeding program than is
possible in most other species.
When breeding mutations it is often necessary to the program to retain whole
clutches of their young. The best specimens can only be selected after molting has
occurred.
In some cases test mating is the only way to determine if the bird is split for a
desired color. Considerable aviary space, and staying power in the Aviculturist are
requirements.
Because of this it is advisable for a program to be restricted to the production of one
mutation, or at the most two compatible mutations such as the Lutino and the Blue.
Building up a strain of one of the rare mutations can be a long process, but a totally
absorbing and satisfying venture.