THE SCOPE INOS CAN OFFER BEGINNERS AND CHAMPIONS ALIKE

by Clive Wakeman

 

By the term inos, I mean of course albino, the white bird with red eyes (the ino of the blue series) and lutino, the yellow bird with red eyes (the ino of the green series).  For the purpose of this article I refer to the sex-linked variety of inos and not the recessive variety, which to all intents and purposes died out many years ago, giving way to the popular and easier to reproduce variety that we commonly see today.  Of course, it is very possible that the recessive genes are still carried in their hidden form, by birds of other colours, but because of their recessive nature, the gene would have to be carried by birds of both sexes to reproduce its own kind. 

 

The term sex-linked means the variety and sex of the bird in question are directly linked and covers, not only albinos and lutinos, but also lacewings, cinnamons, opalines and opaline cinnamons.  For instance, an albino cock with a normal hen will produce all normal split cocks and albino hens.  The reverse pairing, normal cocks to ino hens produces all normal cocks, split ino, and normal hens – no visual inos.  Obviously, ino to ino produces 100% ino youngsters.  Bearing in mind this basic mode of inheritance of the ino family, we can then introduce splits, normal cock birds which carry the ino factor to improve the size, shape, head feather, style and feather qualities.  Only cocks can be split, carrying the ino gene in the hidden form, hens are either ino or normal they cannot be split.

 

I must say now that I believe the best bird to improve ino stock is another quality ino but that’s the tricky bit.  A bird of suitable quality is not always available.  However, birds of other varieties may be more readily available and because of the nature of our inos, more or les being all one colour, yellow or white, birds with certain faults such as small spots multi-spots, flecking etc can still make good outcrosses for inos.  This is where the beginner and champion alike can take advantage and capitalize on birds that may otherwise be passed over.

 

The champion with his well-established stud may have a few nice large but badly flecked opaline hens for instance.  As the ino masks other colours it will also mask flecking.  Or perhaps a small spotted or shallow masked bird with nice style and shapely head could be found as spots are of no consequence to the production of our inos.  Now the beginner may not have spare birds of this caliber at hand but it is much easier and cheaper to purchase that a good all rounder to improve other varieties.  What is needed is length, shoulder and good size and shape of head and feather direction and blow.  Colour of course is so important.  We want snow-white albinos and hot coloured lutinos but what outcrosses will affect the ino family in this respect?

 

To start with a good grey that is split red-eye is a firm favorite and hard to beat to improve all qualities in the albino.  But a word of warning try to acquire a grey that is not split blue as well as this can lead to colouring on the rump backs and tail.  It’s the same with green split lutinos.  Light green has improved the size, shape and head quality of lutinos time and time again but has often left a green sheen spoiling the colour and contrast of lutinos.  It takes a few seasons to breed out the unwanted sheen and if you are not careful you could end up back where you started.  I believe that answer lies in using dark factor birds as outcrosses.

 

A good dark green or an olive leaves far less sheen than a light green but it is not so easy to find suitable dark greens.  I have used cobalts and mauves effectively to improve size and head, overall length and feather direction, blow etc without leaving an unwanted sheen.  There is certainly nothing wrong with greys to improve albinos but I have found using grey-greens with lutinos dulls the colour and to be avoided.  However, if I considered the bird to be the right choice in every other respect I would still use it and keep the best-coloured birds to concentrate on improving the colour in future pairings.  It’s all about what’s available to work with but I do feel that dark factor outcrosses, particularly hens, are often overlooked when in fact they could be put to good use in ino production.

 

Last but by no meant lease, there are some very good quality yellows and whites of course.  They make excellent outcrosses for inos.  However, I do feel dark factor birds that would make good outcrosses are far more readily available but never considered in ino production as it may not be seen as quite the done thing.  Try it, it does work!