colours

[Guest Grasshopper Lofts]

i have 2 pairs of whites that after 4 young  has only produced 1 pure white. Does any one know the reasons for this and what i can do in the future to produce all whites. Any info would be great thanks

[OLDYELLOW]

white is a lack of pigment so a recesive gene

[OLDYELLOW]

best whites come from 2 grizzles pairings these are not true whites but a dilute grizzle

[Guest Grasshopper Lofts]

thanks mark so chances are the 2 pairs i have will throw a pure white every now and then but most will be pieds like the last few

[pjc]

Swop the pairs around may give you a higher percentage and pair the most diluted from each pair together.

There is no such colour as white appart from Albino, as Oldfellow says they are dilutes.

 

Phil

[OLDYELLOW]

yes , read a book many years ago about colour breeding pieds paired with pieds will breed lighter birds till you get to gay pieds and whites

[OLDYELLOW]

i breed white via my kirkys , but i'd rather have dark grizzles and red grizzles reds and checks,

[pjc]

there is a much higher percentage of whites bred from Grizzles than pieds.

Grizzle to Grizzle will continue to dilute!

Pied to Pied will just continue to throw varying degrees of pied.

[OLDYELLOW]

white is a lack of pigment and shows clearly on a pigeon , but this pigeon is carrying a recesive gene i.e its true colour and is therefore more likely to throw this recesive colour , so a white will probably be around one in four , but the pieds are more likely to throw whites as are carry this recesive white gene

[Glassfeather]

Hello Damian,

 

White comes in a variety of forms. The type of white you are working with is extreme pied white. There are also extreme grizzles, ash red grizzles are best for producing whites, they usually have orange/red eyes and dark beaks. Then there is recessive white, this is a recessive gene, but pairing two recessive whites together will only produce whites, they will have bull eyes, and pink beaks. It may be that you are actually working with a combination of extreme pied and recessive white, in which case, if you pair the young white you have bred, back to a parent, then you will produce a higher percentage of self whites. Also pairing the pieds you have produced together will produce some whites.

[Guest Grasshopper Lofts]

thanks guys great advice as always

[Glassfeather]

1 off mypairing  is a light red grizzle paired to a grizzle  they so have had a white grizzle & full blue , next round pure white &  light full red  yet  there bred from a grizzle & a full white  , no red / blue s at all in loft they came from at all

 

That's just the manner in which genes segregate. Those grizzles also have non-grizzle genes,  and the white has non-white genes, so the youngsters have as much chance of inheriting these. That's how it goes.