Genetics Tutorial

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Getting Started with Breeding Ringnecks

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First of all you need to pick the right cage. Ringnecks require a minimum cage size of 24in x 24in x 48in. The front of the cage should be 24x24 with feeding stations. The depth should be 48inches with the nest box installed outside at the back of the cage. There should be a perch about 1.5-2in in diameter 6-8in from the back wall and just below the opening to the nest box. The logic behind such a setup is that the nest box should be farthest from human approach during feeding times. Birds feels secure in such an environment and are more likely to breed. The illustration below shows this setup. The mesh used for the cage should be rectangular weld mesh and not expanded metal mesh as shown in the picture. The nest box should be filled with white pine shavings 3in deep. The cage should be protected from direct wind and prolonged exposure to sun. While sunlight is great for birds, a shaded area in the cage should always be available to them. Once you have the setup in place, you ...
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Breeding Alexandrine Mutations: The Lutino

Introduction The Alexandrine is a beautiful bird similar in appearance to the Indian Ringneck. The characteristics that distinguish an alexandrine from an Indian Ringneck include red-brown shoulder patches, a wider neck ring and larger size. While the Indian Ringneck is available in several color mutations the Alexandrine is generally available only in the normal green. It is possible to produce Alexandrine  colour  mutations by hybridizing the Alexandrine with the Indian Ringneck. Such a program however requires a long term commitment, space and responsible breeding practices to be successful and to preserve the purity of both species. In this article a breeding program is outlined that breeds a sex-linked mutation such as Lutino into the Alexandrines. To start the breeding program you need a good normal Alexandrine and a Lutino Ringneck. There are two options at the start of the program. 1) A Lutino Ringneck cock paired to a normal Alexandrine hen 2) Normal Alex...
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5.1 The Genetic Calculator

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In the last chapter we used the Punnett squares method to predict outcome in cases where birds were carrying multiple mutations. We saw that the Punnett squares method increased in complexity as the number of mutations in the parents increased. If the parents have a single mutant gene the Punnet Squares method has 4 cells. With two mutant genes involved, it can have up to 16 cells and with three the number could go up to 64. We therefore need a simpler method to work out the outcomes in such cases. Fortunately, there are genetic calculators that can be used in such cases. Here we will discuss the use of Gencalc ( http://www.gencalc.com/ ). If you have understood what we discussed in earlier chapters, then this should be very simple for you. Even if you got lost somewhere along the way it should still be possible for you to learn to use the genetic calculator.  On the main page, select the species that you want to work with. This will open up the calculator page for that speci...
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