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From: Dave Walters
Security: scraggly
Date: 16 Jul 2008
Time: 12:37:38 +0100
Remote Name: 88.106.99.102
Neil – I was concerned when you said that the adults showed no sign of the trait that it wasn’t going to be the dominant Frayed gene although the description you put forward resembled the condition. The problem is that if it is a recessive gene then your problems are greater because without eliminating your entire stock you will have no way of knowing who is a carrier and who isn’t without extensive breed testing. John Keepin is beginning to get Recessive Opal pigeons from birds bred down from racers 15 years ago thankfully recessive opal is not a disruptive gene only affecting the colour. There is a possibility that the gene causing your problem is a recessive gene called scraggly (symbol sc) but being honest the condition you describe doesn’t sound serious enough to be this gene beyond that then I am out of ideas. The scraggly gene produces feathers without hooks on the feather barbules but have a more extreme distortion of the feather structure. Scraggly pigeons (sc//sc) are further handicapped by a thick scaly skin condition. As you say I am surprised there are not a lot more birds with the condition your birds are showing maybe just maybe it’s not genetic. Good luck in your quest to find a solution. Dave