Locally-grown pesticide free spinach!
Beautiful pesticide free radishes!
TIPSSunday: Farmers Markets in our next of the woods, have a number of fresh items such as locally grown spinach and radishes. To freshen the radish tops, I cut them free from the radish and let them set awhile in some ice water.
Monday: Toni Schlott of Canada shared that his birds love non-medicated duck starter. He even adds it to his nestling food.
Tuesday: Connie Gahman, wrote: "My distributor, Lori Castle, brings the sidekick ingredients in from Versal-laga and mixes them by hand. We both worked on putting it together. Lori has more of the individual seeds than I do. Her email is: Birdiebitsnbites@aol.com We both ship products.
QUESTIONS
Thursday
Shawn asks about his new color canaries, can you have an isabel opal pastel?
Wednesday
1. What is non-medicated duck starter?
4 comments:
What is non-medicated duck starter?
Regards,
"Curious"
This is a poultry food that is designed to feed to baby ducks. Feed stores are common sources. I use a similar product Purina Flock Raiser but I will buy some non-medicated duck starter on my nest trip to the feed dealer. All of these products have good formulation for birds.
When I hit post Shawn, I lost where your exact question went...
As I recall, you were asking about isabel opal pastel.
New color canaries can display or genetically carry a number of mutations. Often breeders produce something with multiple mutation when the more attractive bird probably has two with or without mosaic. My favorite opal is Silver Agate Opal. Seeing the charcoal(blue-grey) striation with the absence of brown pigments and is very striking!!
Each mutation has specific genetic traits that effect the birds looks and depending on what other genes that are not expressed but never the less carried, many different offspring may come from the clutch.
Opal is a recessive mutation which is expressed when the genes for opal are inherited independent of the parents sex from both parents. The parents can either be opals or both carrying the opal gene.
When the opal is inherited from both parents, it results in an inhibition of brown pigmentation and the black eumelanin concentrates on the underside of the central feather stem, giving an optical illusion of blue/grey pigmentation. Opals can be identified by the dark pigmentation on the underside of the tail feathers with a light top side.
Isabel reduces the width of the chocolate-brown pigmentation. But with the combination of opal, the brown striations are not able to be expressed although genetically the bird still carries that gene.
The Isabel Opal resembles a clear (lipochrome) bird except for a slight suffusion of eumelanin brown on the tail and wing feathers.
Pastel has a further reducing the intensity of the striations. In combination with isabel further reduction is apparent.
Hi Gorgeous,
Thanks for the information. Most of my birds unfortunately were wrong classed at the Provinicial this weekend, and I asked the judge how a bird could be both pastel and opal at the same time. It appears that the birds I entered as Isabel or Agate opal are actually supposed to be classified as opal pastel here... He then showed me a silver Agate opal and compared this to my supposed Silver Agate opal. Mine although also having the beautiful grey striations, apparently are thinner than on a regular Agate opal, and it is hence called a Silver Agate opal pastel. Now here is where I get confused. Agate pastel, has pitch black striations while Agate opal the grey. I was therefore under the impression that the striations would determine whether the bird is opal of pastel.
My fifes were second best in their classes. My best roller scored 46 while the best in show scored 54. I got third best duet and third best team!
Chat soon.
Shawn
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