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Pattern (CT- C - + - c)
Recessive Red (e)
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Simple Genetics
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I have been asked on many occasion ‘what colour should be mated to what colour?’ I have therefore attempted to give an idea of what genetics are all about. I do not by any stretch of the imagination know all there is to know about genetics and these notes are only my interpretation of this very deep subject. Of course the answer to the question above is “It does not matter what colour goes with what before starting to establish the colours you want you should establish the type”, so therefore put your best to the best. Once you have the type right you can then concentrate on colour.
Genes are what gives you the colour of your hair, eyes and skin, the size of your nose, feet, etc etc. Each parent passes part of themselves to their offspring. So it is with pigeons, Each Gene comes in pairs one from each parent. Having said that, there is always the exception to the rule. This is the case with the sex-linked (genes linked to the sex chromosomes) colour gene in pigeons. To understand the sex chromosomes click HERE The cock birds have two colour genes but the hen only has one so therefore straight away we can make the statement that ‘The colour of a hen is what you see is what you get’ providing there are no colour modifiers involved. The cock bird on the other hand carries an additional gene to the one that you can see, but will always be the same as or lower than the one you can see, because if it were greater then that would be the colour of the pigeon. Nature has helped us to a certain extent in as far as there are only three colours these are Red (BA) Blue (+) and Brown (b) and there is an order of dominance. Think of a ladder, which you can go down but not go up. Study of the genetics has established that there is a dominant and recessive colour to wild type (+). Yes wild type is Blue (+) Red (BA) is dominant to wild type and Brown (b) is recessive. What this means is that two Browns can produce nothing but Browns or its dilute Khaki (if the cock is carrying Khaki). Whereas, Blues can produce not only Blues or their dilute Silver, but also Brown’s and Khaki’s but not Reds ie. Browns are down the ladder but Reds are up the ladder. On the other hand Reds can produce Reds, Blues and Browns or any of there dilutes because they are all down the ladder. There are also sex-linked dilatants on the same gene but at different loci (location), which are Dilution (d), Pale (dp) and Reduced (r) all recessive to wild type. I am not going to over complicate the issue so therefore will only deal with one of these, which is dilution (d). For the observant ones amongst you will have already noticed that the Dominate colours use Capital Letters, Wild type is the + symbol and recessive colours uses lower case letters. For the record also on the sex linked gene appears the Almond gene but not to over complicate this short paper we will ignore for now.
| Genes | GENEOTYPE | PHENEOTYPE | |||||||
| Colour | Pattern | Indigo | Spread | Pure Blue Cock Bird | Blue | ||||
| Dilute | Brown | Khaki | Hen | ||||||
| c//c | Homo for Barless | Barless Blue | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| c//c | In//+ | Homo for Barless, Hetro for Indigo | Barless Indigo | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| c//c | In//In | Homo for Barless & Indigo | Barless Ash Red 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| c//c | S//- | Homo for Barless with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| c//c | In//+ | S//- | Homo for Barless with spread, Hetro for Indigo | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| c//c | In//In | S//- | Homo for Barless & Indigo with spread | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| +//c | Hetro for Bar & Barless | Blue Bar | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| +//c | In//+ | Hetro for Bar & Barless, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo Bar | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| +//c | In//In | Hetro for Bar & Barless, Homo for Indigo | Ash Red Bar 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| +//c | S//- | Hetro for Bar & Barless with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| +//c | In//+ | S//- | Hetro for Bar & Barless with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| +//c | In//In | S//- | Hetro for Bar & Barless with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| Homo for Bar | Blue Bar | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||||
| In//+ | Homo for Bar, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo Bar | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| In//In | Homo for Bar & Indigo | Ash Red Bar 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| S//- | Homo for Bar with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| In//+ | S//- | Homo for Bar with spread, Hetro for Indigo | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| In//In | S//- | Homo for Bar & Indigo with spread | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//c | Hetro for Chq & Barless | Blue Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| C//c | In//+ | Hetro for Chq & Barless, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//c | In//In | Hetro for Chq & Barless, Homo for Indigo | Ash Red Chequer 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//c | S//- | Hetro for Chq & Barless with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//c | In//+ | S//- | Hetro for Chq & Barless with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| C//c | In//In | S//- | Hetro for Chq & Barless with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| C//+ | Hetro for Chq & Bar | Blue Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| C//+ | In//+ | Hetro for Chq & Bar, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//+ | In//In | Hetro for Chq & Bar, Homo for Indigo | Ash Red Chequer 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//+ | S//- | Hetro for Chq & Bar with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//+ | In//+ | S//- | Hetro for Chq & Bar with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| C//+ | In//In | S//- | Hetro for Chq & Bar with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| C//C | Homo for Chq | Blue Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| C//C | In//+ | Homo for Chq, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//C | In//In | Homo for Chq & Indigo | Ash Red Chequer 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//C | S//- | Homo for Chq with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| C//C | In//+ | S//- | Homo for Chq with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| C//C | In//In | S//- | Homo for Chq with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//c | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Barless | Blue 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| CT//c | In//+ | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Barless, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//c | In//In | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Barless, Homo for Indigo | Ash Red 'T' Chequer 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//c | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Barless with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//c | In//+ | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bless with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//c | In//In | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bless with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//+ | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bar | Blue 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| CT//+ | In//+ | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bar, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//+ | In//In | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bar, Homo for Indigo | Ash Red 'T' Chequer 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//+ | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bar with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//+ | In//+ | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bar with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//+ | In//In | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Bar with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//C | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Chq | Blue 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| CT//C | In//+ | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Chq, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//C | In//In | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Chq, Homo for Indigo | Ash Red 'T' Chequer 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//C | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Chq with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//C | In//+ | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Chq with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//C | In//In | S//- | Hetro for 'T' Chq & Chq with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//CT | Homo for 'T' Chq | Blue 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |||
| CT//CT | In//+ | Homo for 'T' Chq, Hetro for Indigo | Indigo 'T' Chequer | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//CT | In//In | Homo for 'T' Chq & Indigo | Ash Red 'T' Chequer 'look alike' | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//CT | S//- | Homo for 'T' Chq with spread | Black | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | ||
| CT//CT | In//+ | S//- | Homo for 'T' Chq with spread, Hetro for In | Andalusion | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
| CT//CT | In//In | S//- | Homo for 'T' Chq with spread, Homo for In | Ash Red Shield with lacing | +//d | +//b | +//b,d | +/- | |
The above shows that this mating will produce Red and Blue Cocks and Hens.
The next example is what is known as a sex linked mating when the hen is dominate (in colour) to the Cock which will mean a Blue Cock mated to a Red Hen will produce Red Cocks with Blue hens and Silver Hens if the Cock bird is carrying the dilute gene.
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Dominant |
Recessive |
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Red Series |
Red Chequers & Mealy Bars (BA) |
Yellow Chequers & Cream Bars (BA,d) |
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Blue//Black Series |
Blue & Black Chequers & Blue Bars (+) |
Silver & Dun Chequers & Silver Bars (d) |
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Brown Series |
Brown//Chocolate Chequers & Brown//Chocolate Bars (b) |
Khaki Chequers & Khaki Bars (b,d) |
Below are listed the dominant and Recessive colours including initials ignoring pattern.
To contact us:
Telephone either Roy Partington on
07958 692473 or
Email:roy.partington@sky.com
or Contact Dave Walters on
01275 836477 or
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If one of the parents is homozygous spread and the other heterozygous spread then 50% of the offspring will be homozygous spread and 50% heterozygous spread (see if you can create a punnet square to prove this.) I will give you two more equations and leave you to prove them. 1.) If one parent is homozygous spread and the other wild type (+//+) then all offspring will be heterozygous spread. 2.) If one parent is heterozygous spread and the other is wild type then 50% will be spread and 50% wild type. One thing that should be pointed out is that some people think that homozygous spread is darker than heterozygous spread this has never been proved A pigeon which is Silver or Dun Chequer carrying the spread factor will become a Dun. (for those of you who want to check if you were correct with your punnett squares click HERE )
Spread in combination with Brown or Khaki it’s dilute will create Brown and Khaki self’s, in the same manner as with the Blue//Black series. However when it comes to Red we encounter another problem because for reasons not well understood (I believe it’s because you have two dominant genes working against one another) we get a whole combination of colours ranging from Mahogany to Lavender. Since very often crossing a Black to an Ash Red makes this combination. The Cocks produced from this mating will show Black flecks in the feathering or brown flecks if Red is mated to a Brown. Remember a hen is what you see is what you get. It will either be Red or Black.
At one time it was thought that a bird that is homozygous for spread would be more intense in colour than a heterozygous spread pigeon but research has not proved this to be so. And unlike some of the other dominant autosomal genes the phenotype of both the heterozygous and homozygous spread pigeon are exactly the same (look at the chart produced earlier) the only thing is the colour of the offspring a homozygous spread pigeon will produce nothing but self pigeons whereas a heterozygous spread pigeon will produce 50% self’s and 50% other patterns depending on the pattern genes that are carried by both parents.
Now is probably a good time to make sure we understand these two very important words when it comes to understanding genetics. To reiterate there is only one sex linked chromosome, which is where we will find the Almond, Colour, dilution and reduced genes and the cock bird has two of these genes with the hen only having one (see diagram in the first chapter). All other genes are known as autosomal. There is only one autosomal gene known to have links, which includes the pattern series, spread and recessive opal
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GENOTYPE |
PHENOTYPE |
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Substitute Colour Gene |
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Genes |
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Pure Blue Cock Bird |
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Blue Cock carrying |
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Pure Blue |
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Colour |
Pattern |
Spread |
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Dilute |
Brown |
Khaki |
Hen |
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| * |
c//c |
S//+ |
Homo for barless, Hetro for spread |
Black |
+//+d |
+//b |
+//bd |
+/- |
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| * |
c//c |
S//S |
Homo for barless, Homo for spread |
Black |
+//+d |
+//b |
+//bd |
+/- |
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| * |
+//c |
S//+ |
Hetro for Bar & Barless, Hetro for spread |
Black |
+//+d |
+//b |
+//bd |
+/- |
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| * |
+//c |
S//S |
Hetro for Bar & Barless, Homo for spread |
Black |
+//+d |
+//b |
+//bd |
+/- |
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| * |
+//+ |
S//+ |
Homo for bar, Hetro for spread |
Black |
+//+d |
+//b |
+//bd |
+/- |
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| * |
+//+ |
S//S |
Homo for bar, Homo for spread |
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