By Richard Brooks
There are only three colors in Pigeons. All else we see with the human eye are one or more of those three colors influenced by one or more modifiers. These three colors are red, blue-black and brown. This is somewhat complicated by the fact that there are two distinctive reds and several modifiers which may make some parts of the Pigeon appear red. The two reds are dominate red also called ash red, or mealy. This is the red of red bars, red checks, red grizzles, red opals etc. It is dominate to both blue- black and brown. The other red is recessive red which is a true recessive and must be inherited from both parents in order to show. The primary flights of wing and tail in the dominate red are gray in color, hence the term “ash”. Recessive red is a rich, dark solid red all over. Poor color quality in these may show some blue (plum) and some white feathers. In our chart ash red will be shown as dRed (for dominate red) or rRed for recessive red.
Because dominate red is a top the color spectrum, all young from a pure (homozygous) ash red will be red, although the young cocks will carry what ever color they inherit from the other parent, if it is either blue-black or brown. Also, because male Pigeons have two sex chromosomes, and females have only one, and color genes are always located on these sex chromosomes, hens cannot determine the color of there daughters. An ash red hen will produce all red sons, but the cock she is mated to will determine the color of all the daughters. This is for color only and does not apply to modifiers or pattern. A simple rule on pattern is that barless is weaker than bar and bar is weaker than check. Thus, two barless mated together will produce barless. Two pure bars mated together will produce bars. Bars may carry barless hidden which will only appear if and when the barless gene from each parent gets into the same egg. Checks in pure form will only produce checks but many checks carry bar hidden and some may carry barless hidden. Two pure or true recessives should be mentioned here. These are recessive red and recessive white. Recessive red, already described above, is not dominate to any color and will only appear in a youngster from two parents carrying it, whether hidden in normal looking red, blue or brown birds, or whether showing recessive color. Recessive white (black eyes) follow the same rule. Parents may be any color or pattern, but if both carry recessive white you should get about one in four white youngsters from them. Piebald (some white feathers on a colored bird, or orange eyed white (most likely inbred spread grizzle) will not throw these whites (as in white kings). What can be confusing is when red, either ash or recessive, carry’s dilution. Dilution is a gene which wipes out the appearance of the normal pigment so that the bird appears yellow instead of red. Dilution is sex linked whenever it appears and in any of the three colors. Hence, we get yellow from red, true silver (dun) from blue-black, khaki from brown. Brown and dun are easily confused. Dun is more of a gun metal color and has orange red eyes. Brown is more a soft coca brown and has some variety of pearl eye (not necessarily the “fish” eye but red pearl, blue pearl or lavender pearl. Black or red cocks carrying brown may show this pearl eye. Ash red and brown are both sex linked but in different ways. As stated above, all ash red hens will throw ash red sons, no mater the cock to which she is mated. Pure ash red cocks throw all ash red young no mater the mate. Many ash red cocks as a second color factor either blue-black or brown. They can put that factor into their young of either sex. Hence, an ash red cock carrying brown can throw red or brown daughters with any mate but must throw the brown gene when mated to a brown hen to produce a brown cock, as brown is recessive to ask red or blue-black and cocks must have two brown genes.
Let us trace dilution. An ash red hen carrying dilution is always yellow as in hens what you see is what you get. About half her eggs will carry a sex chromosome and the other half won’t. The cock will deposit one or more of his two color genes in that egg, both on the sex chromosome. If the cock is also yellow then all babies will be yellow, unless that yellow cock ( in the case of ash red ) carries dun in which case cocks getting two yellow red ) color genes, will all be yellow. Hens inheriting the dun gene will be dun and hens inheriting yellow will be yellow. As recessive yellow has the same general rule, both requires the cock and the hen each to have the dilution factor from both parents, all recessive yellow to yellow mating will produce only yellow offspring. Brown is also sex linked, but being recessive to red or blue-black, works a bit differently. A brown hen will never determine color in her offspring unless she is mated to brown cock or one carrying brown as a second factor. Then, if the two brown genes come together, the male baby will be brown. Again, the cock will determine daughter color.
Beginning below is a chart showing what will be produced from a cock (first Column) a hen (second column). This assumes the cock is homozygous for the color. If not, then the above rules will determine daughter color. Again a reminder, this does not apply to pattern or other modifications such as opal, grizzle, spread, Etc.
| Cock | Hen | Possible offspring color |
| Dun /Silver | Dun /Silver | All Dun /Silver |
| Dun /Silver | Black/Blue | Black/Blue cocks, Dun /Silver Hens. Cocks all carry Dun /Silver |
| Dun /Silver | d Yellow | Yellow cocks, Dun Hens. Cocks all carry Dun /Silver |
| Black/Blue | Dun /Silver | All Black/Blue . If cock carries dilution, Dun /Silver hens too |
| Black/Blue | dYellow | dRed cocks Black/Blue hens. If cock carries dilution yellow cocks, Dun /Silver hens. |
| Black/Blue | dRed | dRed cocks Black/Blue hens. Cocks carry Black/Blue |
| dYellow (homozygous) | Dun /Silver | All yellow. Cocks will carry Dun /Silver . |
| dYellow (homozygous) | Black/Blue | Red cocks Yellow hens. If cock carries Dun /Silver , Dun /Silver hens |
| dYellow | dYellow | All yellow. If cock carries Dun /Silver , some Dun /Silver hens too. |
| dYellow | dRed | dRed cocks, dYellow hens. If cock carries Dun /Silver , some Dun /Silver hens too. |
| rRed | Black/Blue | Depends on what recessive red is covering and if hen carries recessive red. Then any color being masked. This is true in all mating involving recessive red except when both cock and hen are recessive red. |
| rRed | Dun /Silver | Depends on color recessive red is masking. Could be red, blue/black or brown. All cocks produced here will carry dilution. No recessive reds unless dun hen carries it. |
| rRed | rYellow | All red unless cock carries dilution then carries dilution then yellow in both sexes. |
Note: All recessive reds, cocks and hens, carry two genes for recessive red. Mated together they can only produce recessive red, or if the cock carries dilution, recessive yellow hens also. It is only when a recessive red is mated to a bird carrying one gene for recessive red (and not showing it) that all of the masking colors come out to color the young. A recessive red hen cannot throw a red son unless she masks dominate red or her mate is dominate red. All dilute cocks produce only dilute hens. Cocks must carry dilution and be mated to dilute hens to produce dilute sons. In recessive red paint your house and then built it. This is true with most rare and difficult colors. Sex linkage simply means, in dilution, that it takes two dilute genes to produce a cock and one for a hen. As cocks determine daughter color and with no input from the hen (except in recessive red or recessive white etc.) select what you want to breed for. If you don’t keep good records and breed in individual pens there is nothing to be gained by studying this chart.
| Cock | Hen | Possible Offspring |
| dRed | Black/Blue | If cock is pure for red, all dRed young. If he carries Black/Blue , cocks and hen both colors. |
| Blue Bar | dRed | Ash red cocks carrying Black/Blue , Black/Blue hens. If cock carries dilution, Dun/Silver hens. |
| rRed | Black/Blue | All Black/Blue both sexes. |
| Black/Blue | dYellow | Ash red cocks carrying dilution, blue hens. |
| Black/Blue | Silver | All blue young. If cock carries dilution, then both colors in both sexes. |
| Black/Blue | Black/Blue | All blue young. If cock carries dilution, then both blue and silver in both sexes. |
| Dun /Silver | Black/Blue | Dun/Silver hens and Black/Blue cocks carrying dilution. |
| Dun /Silver | Dun /Silver | All Dun/silvers. If cock color is pure. Could carry brown possibly, then get Khaki hens. |
| dRed | Dun /Silver | All dRed bars if cock color is pure. If he carries Black/Blue get Black/Blue both sex. If dilution, then get dYellow hens. |
| Black/Blue | dRed | dRed cocks and blue hens. If cock carries dilution, then silver hens. |
| dRed | Silver/dun | All dRed unless dilution, then dYellow. If Cock is carrying brown get brown hens. |
| Dun/Silver | dRed | Dun/Silver hens and dRed cocks. |
| Black/Blue | dYellow | dRed cocks and Black/blue hens unless cock carries dilution, then Dun/Silver hens and dYellow cocks too. |
| dRed | dYellow | All dRed unless cock carries dilution, then dYellow both sexes. If carries brown & dilute, then dYellow cocks and Khaki hens. |
| dYellow | dRed | dRed cocks and dYellow hens. If cock carries Dun/Silver then Dun/Silver hens possible. |
| Dun/Silver | dYellow | dYellow cock carrying Dun/Silver and Dun/Silver hens. |
| dRed | dYellow | All dRed cocks could carry Black/Blue or dilution. If so Black/ Blue, Dun/Silver, yellow hens. Cocks carry dilution. |
| Black /Blue | rRed | All Black/Blue unless cock carries rRed then rRed young possible. If dilution too, then rYellow or Dun/Silver hens possible. |
| Black/Blue | rRed /rYellow | All Blacks unless cock carries rRed then rRed young possible. If dilution too, then rYellow or Dun /Silver hens possible. |
| Brown | Black/Blue | Black/Blue cocks, brown hens. If cock carries dilution khaki hens. All cocks carry brown. |
| Black/Blue | Brown | All Black/Blue. If cock carries brown, then brown in both sexes. |
| Dun/Silver | Brown | Black/Blue cocks, silver hens. If cock carries dilution, then Khaki hens & brown cocks also. |
| Brown | dRed | dRed cocks, brown hens. Khaki hens if cock carries dilution. |
| dRed | dYellow | All dRed. If cock carries blue or brown or dilution. Black/Blue, Dun/Silver, Brown or Khaki hens. |
| Brown | dYellow | Brown hens, dRed cocks Khaki hens or dYellow cocks, if cocks carry dilution. |
| dYellow | Brown | dRed cocks and dYellow hens. If cock carries dilution, then Brown cocks and Khaki hens. If cock carries dilution, then Black/Blue cocks and Dun/Silver hens |
| Khaki | Brown | Brown cocks and khaki hens. Cocks carry dilution. |
| Brown | Khaki | All brown unless cock carries dilute. Then khaki both sexes. |
| Brown | Brown | All browns. If cock carries dilute khaki hens. |
| Khaki | Black/Blue | Black/Blue cocks, khaki hens. Cocks carry khaki. |
| Black/Blue | Khaki | All Black/Blue, If cock carries brown, then brown hens. If he carries dilution Dun/Silver hens |
| Khaki | dRed | dRed cocks and khaki hens. |
| dRed | Khaki | All dRed. If cock carries Black/Blue. Then Black/Blue or dRed in both sexes. If he caries dilution then dYellow or Black/Blue cocks and dYellow or Dun/Silver hens. |
| Khaki | dYellow | DYellow cocks and Khaki hens. |
| dRed | Brown/ Khaki | All dRed young. |
| Brown/ Khaki | dRed | If dRed, all dRed young. If recessive red, young in whatever color that masks. .If masks dRed, all young dRed. If masks Black/Dun all cocks will be Black/Dun and hens brown or khaki depend on getting intense (brown) or dilute (khaki) |
| dYellow | Brown/Khaki | All dYellows unless cock carries dun/sliver. then cocks may be dRed, dYellow (if carries dun/black some dun/black cocks). |
| Brown/Khaki | dYellow | All cocks dYellow. All hens Brown/khaki. If hen is recessive yellow, cocks are what color she masks. |
| White | Brown/Khaki | Depends on which White (If recessive White, bird will have bull eye) Color of offspring depend on what color recessive white is masking. If masking brown/khaki then offspring will be brown/khaki. Same for dRed or Black/Dun. |
| Brown/Khaki | White | Hens Brown/Khaki. Cocks which ever color white is masking. |
| Black/Dun | Khaki | Follow guidelines for blue/silver on khaki. If black is spread, that is a modifier, not a color and has nothing to do with genetic color through a breed might show it separately |
| Khaki | Black/Dun | Hens all Khaki. Cocks blue or dun depending on whether hen is blue or dun. All Black/Blue factors are dominate to brown factors just as ash red factors are dominate to both and recessive red factors, when the bird has two genes for it, are recessive to all colors. |
| Grizzle | Any color | Grizzles both sexes, cocks in order of dominance. dRed hens, dRed grizzle cocks. Black/Blue hen gets Black/Blue grizzle cocks. Brown hen gets Black/blue grizzle with Black/ blue grizzle cock unless he carries brown in which case could get both cocks and hens in brown or brown grizzle. |
| Any color | Grizzle | Same as above. |
| Grizzle | Any Intense Spread | Grizzle on spread produces spread grizzles which are solid colored with small amounts of white flecking around the head and neck. This can vary. Birds not carrying spread may be normal grizzles, bars or checks depending on parents factors, esp hidden under spread. |
We have not discussed the many modifiers such as stencil, fade, milky, opal etc. which do not appear in many breeds. However, some of this may have been brought in unknowingly to improve type or add a feature. If and when it crops up it can be quiet a surprise. It can also cause a breeder to wonder just what it is. Below are a few general rules and exceptions.
- Two birds, each possessing two good bars and clear wing shields will only produce bars unless both carry barless which can be passed on in a single dosage and unseen for generations. At the same time the beginning of a third bar can be an indication of a somewhat dormant and vestigial checker gene.
- Any checker can and most often does carry bar genes, even the darkest of checks. The order of dominance upward is from barless, bar, light check, dark check, black check . (same in ash red or brown). In some breeds beautiful bars have been produced from black checks.
- As recessive red acts as a spread, record of bar, barless, check is lost after a few generations of recessive red breeding, only to crop up when a recessive red is bred to a bird not carrying it, or one carrying just one recessive gene. It takes two such genes to produce a recessive red. This means two recessive genes in each recessive red bird, or four to the mating in order to insure recessive red offspring. Other wise any and every color combination know to exist could be there.
- When we use same color dilutes as mates for intense birds (i.e. red to yellow) the principles of mating red to red hold except that sex linkage will produce the dilute (in this case red) in hens with only one dilute gene from the red father. Thus both are homozygous reds. Such a bird will breed all reds, no matter the color of the mate. We are talking of ash reds here, not recessive red, which has no dominance except in a pure mating showing the spread recessive red coloring.
The information on these pages isn’t nearly as complicated as a one sitting reading might cause one to think. Just take a mating you have in a given situation. To get what you want in your breed, if you are just starting out, you may well have to eliminate patters you don’t want which show up because you don’t have the pedigree back ground of all of your birds. Discard these and breed on.
Repeating what was said earlier, if you don’t keep good records and breed in individual pens this isn’t going to help much as pigeons given freedom are about as faithful to their mates as humans and other mammals and birds.
Richard Brooks