Hybrids!?

[bicmeister]

So I have heard various things about hybrid ekkies. Any one want to share their opinion? Why do some people hate them and others don't really care? Also, how is their coloring?

 

[stephwin]

I wouldn’t necessarily say I hate them or anyone that breeds them. I think we all know that it's so hard to tell purebreds apart from one another that it is even harder to tell crossbreds apart. And because of that many people have inadvertently bred one subspecies to another when maybe they thought they were breeding two purebreds of the same subspecies. Sometimes others maybe didn’t care that they were breeding two subspecies or thought that the customer they were selling the birds to didn’t care either.

I’m a big horse person and love reading up about particular breeds and how they have developed over the centuries. Some people believe in mixing particular horse breeds in order to get the best of both breeds; others believe in keeping the lines pure and only breeding the best of the breed. There are many different reasons behind both of these opinions and some people really have a strong opinion one way or another.

I think the thing to be cautious about when breeding this species is to be aware that it is so easy to mix the subspecies and not realize it, and if people are lackadaisical about breeding any Eclectus to any other Eclectus eventually certain subspecies will no longer exist. Or they will be somewhat rare and hard to find. I personally believe that for the Eclectus they should maintain as many pure birds as possible just so that we can maintain the separate subspecies. But I don’t believe a crossbred bird is in any way inferior to a purebred. You really can’t go wrong with any type of Ekkie.

As for horses, I really don’t care either way. But maybe that’s because there are so many horses in general, so many different breeds, and most of the breeds have established a strict stud book in order to keep a small population purebred.

Here are a couple of links you might find informative. The first is a tail feather identification page, including feathers or known crossbreds. The second is Graham Taylor’s opinion on crossbreds. He is very well known in the Ekkie world.

The Eclectus Parrot - Graham Taylor (Australia)
The Eclectus Parrot - Graham Taylor (Australia)

 

[stephwin]

Nevermind, I figured it out!

 

[amsue0222]

I can see how some people can "accidentally" breed hybrids- As I am researching birds - the EKKIES all kind of looked the same to me- until I really looked into the different species. Someone that hasn't done a lot of research would think that they were all the same.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I think its absolutely irresponsible for breeders to breed ekkie hybrids. Shame on the breeder that allowed it to happen!

 

[bicmeister]

i do want a purebred SI male and i've already placed a deposit for a SI male, but my breeder just told me that both chicks recently hatched were female. i have decided to wait a little longer since he has a SI pair currently breeding at the moment.

i ask because he has a pair of hybrid eggs, and he knows their history (one is a pure SI and one is a red sided and vos mix). he told me he didn't want to separate them because apparently they are/have been in love for some time. personally, i think he is a great breeder and have heard soo many wonderful things about him on AA so i have no qualms. i like him so much that i'm still waiting for one of his birds.

So the question is really: if the time comes and one of the hybrid babies is male, should i even consider that baby? or would that just promote the breeding of more hybrids? furthermore, should the baby be offered at the same price as a purebred? i'm assuming not.....

 

[Bokkapooh]

There is no need to actually breed this hybrid pair of his just because they are in love. Keep them together for the sake of it. But ekkies cannot afford to be hybrid since the outcome often looks like one of the two parents subspecies. I personally would suggest waiting for his purebred babies to be ready.

 

[sodakat]

That pair (SI male X RedSided/Vos female) produces really nice babies and David is an outstanding handfeeder and baby wrangler. Nothing wrong with a cross when you are told that's what you are buying. He knows his stuff and is one of a handful of Eclectus breeders we know we can recommend.

 

[bicmeister]

That pair (SI male X RedSided/Vos female) produces really nice babies and David is an outstanding handfeeder and baby wrangler. Nothing wrong with a cross when you are told that's what you are buying. He knows his stuff and is one of a handful of Eclectus breeders we know we can recommend.

Have you had any of his babies?

I really want to have one of his babies...from what I hear and have experienced so far, he is awesome! He has no lied or tried to cheat me or pressure me into buying a female even though I don't want one.

 

[sodakat]

Have you had any of his babies?

I really want to have one of his babies...from what I hear and have experienced so far, he is awesome! He has no lied or tried to cheat me or pressure me into buying a female even though I don't want one.

No, I don't have any of his babies. I know him from a list I belong to. He is funny, has integrity, and is devoted to Eclectus.

 

[Monica]

Behaviorally or personality wise, there shouldn't be anything wrong with hybrids. In fact, if the parents are closely enough related, the hybrid offspring will be genetically healthier than both parents. It's when the parent species are too far apart that health issues arise. Hybrids are naturally occurring as well, although we can debate all year long as to whether those hybrids were the result of human encroachment or not.

I love hybrids! I love looking at them and seeing just how closely some of these species are! However, I do not own a hybrid and not sure if I'd actually ever buy one either. I'm all for the pure species and being able to know what I have. If someone is going to breed hybrids, I'd honestly hope they do so responsibly and sell the offspring as what they are. Hybrids. I often see mixed species pairs being sold as pures... such as a cherry headed conure and mitred conure pair sold as cherry heads; sun conure and jenday conure sold as suns; jenday and gold cap sold as jendays; etc. If these birds reproduced, their offspring are also being sold as pures. Mitreds, blue crowns and green cheek conures all have different sub-species.

There are so many hybrids out there in amazons, conures, poicephalus, etc that these birds are being sold as pures when they aren't... but who can tell? I often wonder how many anti-hybrid people unknowingly house hybrids because they look like pures.


If you have your heart set for an SI male, then go for one! If you aren't against hybrids, well if this breeder has any hybrid males, go and visit! Maybe you'll fall in love with one!

 

[allison]

I have no problem with hybrids in general as long as the species are closely enough related to eachother that it won't effect the health of the offspring. If you have no plans on breeding the bird, then it should really matter too much IMO.