Planning a pairing, or curious why two green budgies hatched a blue chick? Choose what each parent looks like and what it carries, and this calculator shows the chance of every chick color. It covers the main color and pattern mutations, and it separates male and female chicks because some genes are sex-linked.
How to use the calculator
- Describe the father (cock) and the mother (hen). Pick the option that matches each trait. Leave a trait on its first option if the bird does not have it.
- Mark carriers. A bird that looks normal can still carry a hidden gene. Choose “split for” if you know that it does, for example because a parent or a chick showed the trait.
- Read the results. Percentages are the chance for each chick. Cocks are male chicks and hens are female chicks. The “Gene by gene” list shows the chance of showing or carrying each gene.
- Share it. The buttons create a link that restores your exact pairing for anyone who opens it.
How budgie color genetics works
Every budgie has two copies of each gene, one from each parent. What you see depends on how the copies combine. This calculator uses three patterns:
- Recessive genes (blue series, recessive pied, dilute) only show when a chick gets the gene from both parents. A bird with one copy is “split” and looks normal. Two green birds that are both split for blue have a 25% chance of a blue chick.
- Incomplete dominant genes (dark factor, violet, grey, spangle, dominant pied) show with one copy and show more strongly with two. For example, one dark factor makes a cobalt or dark green bird, and two make mauve or olive.
- Sex-linked genes (ino, opaline, cinnamon) sit on the sex chromosome. Cocks have two copies and can be split. Hens have only one, so a hen either shows the trait or does not. A lutino cock paired with a normal hen gives normal-looking sons that all carry ino, and lutino daughters.
New to the colors themselves? Read our guide to budgie color mutations first.
What the calculator does not cover
- Other mutations: yellowface, clearwing, greywing, fallow, lacewing, slate, crested and many rarer types are not included.
- Linked genes: ino, opaline and cinnamon all sit on the same chromosome, so they tend to be inherited together. The calculator treats them as independent, so results for pairings that combine them are a guide and may differ in real life.
- Hidden carriers: you cannot see a split bird. If you are unsure what a bird carries, the real answer comes from its breeding history or the colors of its chicks.
- Ino hides colors: a lutino or albino shows no dark factor, violet, grey or cinnamon, so the results leave those out.
- Chance, not a promise: a 25% chance does not mean that exactly one chick in four will look that way. Each chick is a fresh roll of the dice.
Example pairings
- Green split blue x green split blue: 75% green, 25% blue. Half of all chicks are green carriers.
- Spangle x spangle: 25% normal, 50% single factor spangle and 25% double factor spangle, which look almost white or yellow.
- Cobalt x sky blue: half the chicks are cobalt and half are sky blue.
- Lutino hen x normal cock: no lutino chicks at first. Every son carries ino, and breeding a son back to a lutino hen can produce lutino chicks of both sexes.
A note on breeding
Predicting colors is fun, but breeding is a real commitment. It takes time, money and vet care, and egg-laying carries health risks for hens. Read our breeding guide and learn the risks of egg binding before you decide. Choose healthy, unrelated parents, and be sure that each chick has a good home.
Frequently asked questions
Can two green budgies have a blue chick? Yes, if both are split for blue. Each chick has a 25% chance of being blue.
Can two blue budgies have a green chick? No. Blue is recessive, so every chick of two blue birds is blue.
Why are my chicks different colors in boys and girls? Sex-linked genes such as ino and opaline are carried on the sex chromosome, so sons and daughters inherit them differently.
How can I tell if my budgie is split? You cannot tell by looking. Breeding records, a parent’s colors or the colors of earlier chicks are the clues.
Is violet a color or a modifier? It is an incomplete dominant factor that deepens blue-series colors into purple tones. It is best seen in cobalt and mauve birds.
Can I trust the percentages? They are correct for the genes shown when each gene is inherited independently. Real clutches are small, so results vary.
Want to know your bird’s sex? See how to identify the gender of a budgie and why the cere color can change. You can also grab our free printable cere chart.