Peter Finn

Yeah,I've got it now!Thanks!!The Black-Cheek is such an attractive mutation in my opinion,hopefully I can improve the type and size in the birds that I've got!I'm expecting it to take a while,but maybe,in a few generations,I'll get somewhere!At least I have some good Normal cocks to use in this programme....short of good Normal hens,but that's often the case,regardless of what we're trying to breed!I'm going to try to breed a line as free of Fawn as possible,which will hopefully make things easier!!Thanks for your advise...much appreciated!I did get the first bit,it was the last bit,that I didn't quite understand...it never occurred to me that the markings of the teardrops,could be an indication of flank colouring!!I love this challenge...there's so much to learn!The bird genetics are so different to what I'm used to in mammal genetics!!!Cheers,Peter.

Hi Trevor,thanks for that...so you advise pairing all of them to Normals,I get that...what I'm a bit confused about,is that the offspring from no.3 X Normal,and no.4 X Normal,will still be splits,so I won't be able to see whether the black flanks are coming through....as they'll all be splits!Am I getting it wrong?I'm sorry,I think I'm getting the last bit muddled!

Hi there,a recessive gene,like BB,can be carried for many years.if a parent carries a recessive gene,50% of its offspring could inherit it even if the other parent doesn't.When I was breeding cats many years ago,I had a recessive gene crop up,from a nephew X aunt mating(the gene being lilac colour),and the nearest relative to these parents that could have passed it on,were over 14 generations back!So in theory,that BB gene could very well have been there a long time!Strangely enough,I've got a BC Pied hen,from Peter Cannan,and got her brother too(but no sign of him even being a carrier!),and I spoke to him about this.He checked back in is records,and they go back to 1983...and no BC!But she is definitely a Black-Cheek,and Peter said that he knew that Alan Dunsford(whose Pied line it was originally),HAD used Black-Cheeks in the Pied line in the beginning!So somewhere along the line,that has been passed on....but there's just as much chance that her brother doesn't carry it!Every generation,there's a 50% chance,that it will be passed on,but there's also a 50% chance,that it will be lost!It really is hit and miss,but it's possible.There are cases of mixed race twins being born in humans,where one twin is white,and the other is mixed race....and nobody knows how many generations ago,there was a black ancestor...there was actually a TV programme about it recently.I went to school with two Scottish kids,both from white Scottish families,with good Scottish names,and in both families,one of the children had afro hair!It turned out that the missing back ancestor in both cases went all the way back to the slave-trade in the West Indies,sometime in the 1700s!!!Genetics is absolutely fascinating!

Hi there,I was wondering if anyone could give me an answer about a question that I have regarding the flank colouring of Black-Cheek Zebras?I know that the Black-Cheek should have black and white spotted flanks,but some birds(cocks obviously)can have the reddish colouring of the Normal in the flanks;I realise that this is a fault,and was wondering how easy it is to breed this out.I have a decent Black-Cheek cock,with some red/chestnut colouring to his flanks,and a Black-Cheek sister to this bird;I also have a lesser quality Black-Cheek cock,but with the correct Black and white spotting to his flanks,and a Black-Cheek sister of his too.I am planning to outcross these birds to Normals anyway,simply to add size and type,but was wondering whether I should exclude the birds with the faulty flank colouring from the breeding programme,or whether it will correct itself when outcrossed to Normals?Anyone out there any ideas/experience of this with their Black-Cheek breeding? Thanks.

Hi Chris,just had a look at your gallery,and you've got some very decent birds there,even for rare varieties...but I'm not a judge,so don't take my word for it!But I do like them.As for the question of what to pair your BBOB cock to,if you have good BBsplits,that's what I'd pair them to...it'll give BB/OB of both sexes;I have read that OBhens are rather rare,for some reason,and many OB breeders,certainly according to Garrie Landry(USA),do all their OB breeding that way.As for your question about the depth of colouration of your males,I would imagine that the deeper colouration is the most preferable,in exhibition terms,but I've never shown any birds before,so you'd best read the Standards on ZFS site,or speak to one of the guys that regularly do well with their Normals,such as Dave Huntington,but there are definitely others on this forum,I just don't know them because I don't show and am new myself!Just make sure though,that it's not a LightBack!They are paler orange markings.This forum is crammed with knowledgeable people,that are very willing to give advice...I've learned lots,simply by reading the e-mails!Peter.

Hi,rare variety mutations aside,the simple use of the mainstream colours,Fawn and CFW,will reduce the number of Normal coloured hens produced by a Normal Grey cock...if he is split for both these sex-linked colours,only 1 in 3 of his daughters will be Normal....the colour of his sons will depend on the mothers colouring.It's almost a self perpetuating situation,as in the same way that using Normals to improve the colouring in CFWs will work well,it also results in more Normal cocks split for CFW....and so it goes on.Ricky Thomas,who recently suffered the tragedy of his stud catching fire,although I don't know him,I do know he was concentrating on breeding a line of as pure Normal as possible...and although I cannot speak for him,I wouldn't be at all surprised if these sex-linked colours were still cropping up,many generations later!I have experienced a recessive gene(not quite the same as a sex-linked one,but similar,in that it's not dominant)cropping-up,totally unexpected,after 14 generations,in cat breeding,when a nephew/niece mating was done!

Sorry to hear that...if it's any consolation,this sort of thing always seems to happen to the best ones...it is the case with many species,I've bred Persian cats and pedigree guinea-pigs over the years,and this does seem to happen.But,the important thing to remember,is that the genes to produce that lovely little chick,are still in the parents,and just because it happened once,doesn't mean it'll happen again.Even if you don't get something as good next time,it is very valuable as breeding stock,so don't despair,repeat the pairing when the parents are ready,and don't be in a hurry to sell off the chicks,even if they are not as good as this one you've just lost!There's every chance that those quality genes will resurface...Good Luck!Peter.

A lovely little chick,presumably hen,very promising with a little beak and head features...definitely one to be proud of...hope she matures to her potential,and she has an equally good brother for show partner!Well done and good luck with her,she's beautiful!Peter.