Silver/blue coturnix quail

[Oob Child]

Sorry for the dumb question. Does this mean that the babies will die young or be born dead or sick? Or does lethal gene mean the silver gene itself dies off and won't continue the silver colour. Sorry I'm new to coturnix...

I don't understand either. When you say 'lethal Gene', do you mean it kills them/means they hatch unhealthy or weak?

 

[Patiocoturnix]

I don't understand either. When you say 'lethal Gene', do you mean it kills them/means they hatch unhealthy or weak?

I think they mean born with defects or what not as they said short legs or tufts so that my guess.

 

[MixedBreed]

I think they mean born with defects or what not as they said short legs or tufts so that my guess.

Okay. Thank you. I wonder if that means pure silvers. A lady near me is selling silvers and certainly no defects in the adults or chicks that I saw. They are so beautiful. But I wonder how she manages all the breeding. (Seems complicated...)

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Okay. Thank you. I wonder if that means pure silvers. A lady near me is selling silvers and certainly no defects in the adults or chicks that I saw. They are so beautiful. But I wonder how she manages all the breeding. (Seems complicated...)

Keep a good silver male with 5 other colours and hatch their eggs. Maybe half will be silver

If you try to breed silver + silver, they will hatch with a lot of defects or even possibly die in the egg before hatching.

 

[Oob Child]

Keep a good silver male with 5 other colours and hatch their eggs. Maybe half will be silver

If you try to breed silver + silver, they will hatch with a lot of defects or even possibly die in the egg before hatching.

That explains it. Everyone just says not to breed silver on silver and doesn't say why.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

That explains it. Everyone just says not to breed silver on silver and doesn't say why.

I believe the same goes for Italian's too.

I see some websites encourage silver to silver breeding but I've never been willing to try it myself, for fear of hatching defective birds in pain.

 

[MixedBreed]

Keep a good silver male with 5 other colours and hatch their eggs. Maybe half will be silver

If you try to breed silver + silver, they will hatch with a lot of defects or even possibly die in the egg before hatching.

Okay, thank you.

 

[MixedBreed]

I believe the same goes for Italian's too.

I see some websites encourage silver to silver breeding but I've never been willing to try it myself, for fear of hatching defective birds in pain.

Are there any other colours that you know of that have this problem? Atm we have chicks (adorable) and want to keep as many as we can (but depends on male/female and temperament): tux, tux-rosetta, rosetta, italian, pearl, calico, whites (we think British white), a light rosetta (not sure what she is), a light tux, and some silvers and silver-tuxes on the way.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Are there any other colours that you know of that have this problem? Atm we have chicks (adorable) and want to keep as many as we can (but depends on male/female and temperament): tux, tux-rosetta, rosetta, italian, pearl, calico, whites (we think British white), a light rosetta (not sure what she is), a light tux, and some silvers and silver-tuxes on the way.

I am only aware of those two.

Lovely mix of colours! Sounds exciting!

 

[Nabiki]

Hi. Why don't you breed silver boys to silver girls?

It's a lethal gene. This means that you will have a higher percentage of eggs that just don't hatch. You will also be likely to get 3-5% albinos. Before you think that albinos are neat, be aware that they often have health issues in addition to almost always being blind. I have yet to hatch an albino that I didn't have to cull.

This is why I don't raise SSCs anymore, despite the fact that they are beautiful birds.