Normal Females - Where do they stand?

[Spaniard]

I've always thought normal females were the cornerstone of any breeding program, but recently I've started to think otherwise. The economy isn't great which brings up the issue of limiting collection sizes for small hobbyists like myself.

I'm just wondering how others feel about normal bps when it comes to breeding plans. How many people out there are streamlining their collections to keep animals who produce clutches with no normal offspring?

If you feel normals will always be important, why do you feel that way?

[qiksilver]

For multiple trait animals, you'll want morph females.
But if you want to prove out a single trait, or selectively breed a single trait, then select normal females are what you need.


Plus I just love my normals girls.

[SatanicIntention]

For me, they are wonderful for selective breeding and outcrossing genes to keep the pool dilute. I would take a gorgeous normal female over a butt ugly, browned out, normal looking Pastel female any day. You'll have a much better chance at making cleaner-looking animals instead of having a small chance at maybe producing something worth selling for a normal asking price. Just because a Pastel can make Pewters or whatever, doesn't mean it's the best candidate. Who wants a Pewter that browns out and looks like a dirty Pastel? Not me.. I would much rather spend the time using a gorgeous, light, reduced pattern, clean-bellied female to make nice female Pastels, which I can then grow up myself and make awesome Pewters or Fireflies or whatever else.

Either NICE, high-quality morph females or nice, high-quality normal females for me. I won't have any crap in my collection that will degrade what the morph in question should look like. There are enough F-Grade Pastels and other morphs out there, bleh.

[kc261]

If you feel normals will always be important, why do you feel that way?

Normals will always be important to me. They are a morph too, the original one, and IMHO one of the most beautiful ones.

Will some individual breeders get to the point where they do not have any normals? Possibly. But it is very frightening to imagine that the industry as a whole might decide that normals aren't worth keeping around.

The good news is, it probably will never happen. Mojaves and lessers and certain other co-dom morphs are too beautiful and popular and even those people who dismiss normals will probably see the wisdom in not having only the super form.

[blackcrystal22]

I've had my eye out for a fantastic looking female normal to get, haven't found one yet.

[Sputnik]

I wouldn't be without normal females.... some of the traits on those are at times just as desirable as morphs (Depending on what your breeding for).

I have light colored girls, blushers, odd dinkers etc that I want for select projects. At times, with a dinker.... you just never know what your going to get from her.... unlike a morph where you know what to expect.

And normals are beautiful too!

That's my 2c

[rabernet]

Everyone knows how much I love my normal girls - each one is unique in her own right. For those triple, quadruple and more crosses that you just aren't sure what makes up the mix (of course, only Kevin has this "problem" LOL) - breed them to some normals and see what pops out to figure out definitively what's in that combo.

I know I'll have morph females, but my normal females will be the building block of my colony.

[rabernet]

I've had my eye out for a fantastic looking female normal to get, haven't found one yet.

Haven't found her yet? What are you looking for specifically? Reduced pattern, busy pattern, light, dark?

[Spaniard]

This is some great feedback, but I just wanted to make sure everyone knows I'm just as crazy about my normals as anyone else. I'm the kind of person that would rather produce the combo than buy it because I want to know exactly what is going into it.

I can't remember what thread someone mentioned they were looking to tailor their breeding plans so that no normals are produced but its something that I've been thinking about recently. I'm always planning ahead and the feedback is great for formulating decisions.

Would love to hear more on what others think.

[Spaniard]

Everyone knows how much I love my normal girls - each one is unique in her own right. For those triple, quadruple and more crosses that you just aren't sure what makes up the mix (of course, only Kevin has this "problem" LOL) - breed them to some normals and see what pops out to figure out definitively what's in that combo.

Good point...I hope I can one day complain to Kevin about figuring out my quadruple gene animals.