Wildlife December into Spring 2008

[dominique]

wild but born in captivity, a male of Carolin Duck  Albinos look at me as to tell : When the snow will come here, I will become invisible ! Lucky view for laugh of the cold time !!!

[Maggi Young]

That is one handsome duck. Will he find a wife of the usual colured feathers?

[dominique]

Yes Maggi,
We have found it a white female too. We wait for babies this next spring (I hope !)

[Maggi Young]

Great news...

we'll be looking out for that news .....

[mark smyth]

Dominique is this your duck? I used to breed birds. Never breed albino with albino.

[Maggi Young]

Why? Is there a weakness in the genes?

[Lesley Cox]

"There's a little white duck, sittin' n the water.
A little white duck, doin' what 'e oughter....."

Do you remember Burl Ives?

[Maggi Young]

Lesley, who could forget him?

[David Nicholson]

Do you remember Burl Ives?

Before my time!

[Lesley Cox]

I'll believe you David. Millions wouldn't!

[Maggi Young]

David, you're fibbing!

[David Nicholson]

 

[mark smyth]

yes the genes are weak to produce a yellow (lutino) or white (albino) bird. The way to 'fix' the colour is to breed the male with a normal female. This will produce, depending if the gene is normal and not sex-linked, normal looking birds that will carry the albino gene. Half the genes will be normal and half will be albino. The albino colour is masked by the dominant normal gene. The resulting young have to be paired together or back with the father to produce albino birds but because of the way the genes meet some of the duckings will be normal, normal but carrying the albino gene and albinos. Here endeth the lesson

[Maggi Young]

depending if the is normal and not sex-linked

 depending on the WHAT is normal? Words missed out , I think....

[mark smyth]

oops the missing word is gene