# Reduced mated to black



## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

I have a reduced roller hen whose mate is a feral spread black. I let them raise a pair to see how the color might turn out. Here is the result.
One is a blue bar, but the blacks are very black as is face and legs/feet which the photo doesn't show. The other squeaker shows bars but wing color is dark brown to tan in places. Face is very black as well.


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## Pigeonfan94 (Feb 15, 2010)

Very nice. I always love seeing feral mixes


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## Albannai (Jan 21, 2001)

reduced is sex linked...

all young cocks carry reduced..


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## AZCorbin (Feb 28, 2011)

Yes reduced is a sex linked gene.
Which means all hens will be reduced and all reduced will be hens.
All cocks will be het, which is to say they will carry the gene but not show it.
You hen is het spread so 50% will be black (or reduced black)
The dark beak/feet/skin color is a result of a gene called dirty
Common in Ferals, Tipplers as well.
If you want to break the sex linkage breed a het cock to a reduced hen. This will give you 50/50 of equal sex.
I answered this as if your cock was the reduced one. Correct answer in is my second post (post #6) Note: the spread factor is not changed here.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

i thought if you bred a reduced hen to any other color male you get all non reduced young and all the males will carry reduced..i have a reduced check hen paired to a kite / bronze ( he is a dark brown black color) splash and all i have gotten so far are dark t-checks, blue checks and the two newest babies are going to be dark also. Then again i do need to breed them more to see if i get any opals because she has opal in her checks.


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## AZCorbin (Feb 28, 2011)

Yes you are correct. A reduced hen to a normal cock will only produce cocks split (het) for reduced. Her breeding is the opposite. Hens carry one gene for color, cocks two. Since reduced is less dominate than intense when a male gets the gene it remains hidden. The hen always passes her color gene to the cock. And the cock will pass one of his two to his young. Since it is less dominate cocks need to be homozygous for it to show.

*Correction*
Oops I miss read the OP.
I answered as if her cock was reduced. Thank you Donna.
Now if the OP breeds a cock offspring to a normal hen than you will get reduced hens and cocks split for it. Breed a young cock you have who is now split back to its reduced mom will give you 50% reduced both hens and cocks. And in that breeding the cocks that are not reduced will be split.


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