# Frillback Colors?



## Rilly10 (Jul 5, 2012)

I just got my first 4 Frillbacks and was wondering if you all could help me understand the colors. Is there a good article about them somewhere? My main questions are:

1) What colors do they come in?

2) Can you breed the different colors together, or should pairs be separated by color?

3) Mine are white with black flecks in their necks...are these basically pets? I am assuming they can't be shown (type wise and color wise) but can they be used in a breeding program? If so what colors can I pair them with?


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

Do you have a copy of the frillback standard? There is a link to it somewhere in PT or google it. There is also a link to it from the American Frillback Club. 
As I mentioned in the other thread, curl is first and foremost in the standard. However, all else being equal, you want good clean color. White in frillbacks is based on ash red selected and modified to look white. The flecks you are seeing are probably red showing. 

Generally you should mate same color...whites with whites. It is also easy to mate with the dilute olf a color......say red with yellow or blue with silver. You can certainly cross other colors but it should be done with a purpose and it may take a bit to "clean up" the color afterwards. You could probably mate your whites with ash reds if you wanted to improve curl, but the ash reds babies you get would be very light in color at first. 

Our frillbacks our out of almond. The cool thing (to me) is that almonds don't breed true so we get all kinds of neat colors......kites, ash reds, rec reds and yellow etc. I like seeing a variety of colors in our little loft but other folks may want to stick with one and only one color.


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## Rilly10 (Jul 5, 2012)

Cool! Thanks for the info! I did look at the standard, and Just sent in my application to the club. I am just having trouble with who can be used with who since the genetics of pigeons seen to be so different than chickens 

I am looking at adding a few more frillbacks to my group they will either be blacks, blues, or possibly red grizzles (not sure if I can get the reds though). My main concern is will I just get a bunch of mutt colors? I don't think mine are anywhere near show quality, but I would like to breed to improve them and just don't want to make any huge mistakes. The person I am getting them from has all sorts of colors in her loft, I think they just pair up as they like, not by color...is that ok?


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

Is it ok? Well....there is no right or wrong there......just what you want. If you are trying to create the top blue grizzle in the nation it probably will not work or be a long road ahead. If you wish to enjoy your frillbacks and like colors, perhaps show a couple locally, that is fine. Just care for your birds, keep them healthy and enjoy them! BTW, are your birds seamless banded? Be sure to order seamless bands (size 10) for any future youngsters. The band is a must if you show, increases the value of your youngsters, and helps with record keeping. Would love to see photos of the other birds.....I don't know of too many frillback keepers/breeders in our area!!


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

BTW you won't get mutt colors. There is a certain order of inerhitance......red is dominant over blue and it is sex linked. Spread is dominant over normal bar. It takes the bar color and "spreads" it over the whole bird so a blue becomes black. If you spread an ash red you get a "lavender". The problem, if it is a problem at all, is to create the best of a given color there may be different modifiers around....some known or not known. So black will inherit normally. However to get really good colored, show quality blacks you will probably be selecting from a line of blacks that have been selected for deep color, nice beetle sheen on the neck. As you know, our birds are a mix of colors and I like all that have come out in the offspring.


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## Rilly10 (Jul 5, 2012)

Awesome! That is exactly what I wanted to know! Sorry to keep relating it to chickens, but for example if you breed a white to a black you can get all sorts of unshowable colors and patterns (no matter how great the type is). If/when I get these guys I will deff get some pictures! I don't have any of them was just told it would most likely be a blue/blue pair or a black/blue pair depending on who was paired up. 

The breeder doesn't show, just breeds for pretty mixes which is most likely what I would like, just to enjoy some really pretty birds, maybe show locally but not on a National level (at least no time soon) 

My rabbit shows keep me very busy so these will probably just be a fun and very pretty project! I will however order the bands, mine are not banded but I will band the babies (if I am lucky enough to get some)!


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