genetic question just out of curiosity.

[pinkdevil]

Before I ask my question, please no arguements on right or wrong as we all have our own personal opinion on the matter of cross breeding and mutations etc....thanks

After reading a recently re-actived thread on breeding different sub species of birds, my partner and I were talking on the subject.

Shane was telling me about a local guy who is breeding the, (apparently), first lutino alexandrine in Australia by crossing a IRN with an Alex, and using 2 sets of parents. Crossing coloured chicks over the oposite parents and so forth. A claim is being made eventually a pure lutino Alex will result.

Now I am not good with genetics, but to us it seems that once a IRN gene has been introduced to an Alex, it will NOT be a pure Alex, ever.
Is this correct or is it possible that the IRN will be bred out and left with a pure lutino Alex?

[xx_sheena_xx]

techniqually they shouldnt be able to call it a pure alex
but once only alex have been used for breeding for lots of generations of the bird (not sure how many) they then can call it a pure alex

[smallworld]

You kinda answered that question yourself with the post about snakes. They first generation offspring are neither parent type. They would be a hybrid.

How ever if generation 1 is bred with say an IRN again, then the offspring would have a more IRN genome and if with an Alex, then a more Alexandrine genome. But it still technically cannot be called more of one than the other. Because somewhere in its genetic make up is an imported gene.

I know alexandrines and IRNs are closely related, but I do not know how much of their genetics differs. If after x number of breedings with say only an Alexandrine, there is no gene in the offspring that you could relate it to an IRN, then I guess you could call it an Alexandrine.

But this is a little tricky, because most hybrids from birds, tend to be sterile. So breeding the first generation of offspring is almost a near impossibility, unless you're lucky enough to get one that isnt sterile.

Thats my opnion, hope it helps you and Shane

[Coastal-Birds]

Hi all.
Here in oz there is a breeder with many Alexandrine mutations.
They all have come from breeding ringnecks to alexandrines then upto 10 years of crossing young back and forth to get a full size Alex mutation.
I personally only know a of a few pairs of blue alexandrines that are the real deal imported many years back.
Heres a link for all to the Australian breeder and theres a few pics of his colours and you will see the size differnce.

http://www.alexandrineparrotmutations.com.au/

[DivineDomain]

The colored hybrid Alex/ringnecks in the link Coastal-Birds provided are beautiful but they still don't look the real deal.
Pretty though but shouldn't be called pure Alexandrines

[pinkdevil]

It will be interesting to see how this person goes with his breeding.

He was making the claim that he would end up with pure Lutino Alex by the time he was finished, and we couldn't understand by introducing another bird how it could be pure. Unless over generations the 'impure' part was eventually bred out.

Oh well, guess we will see in a few years.