# "Pencil" in racing homers



## Kastle Loft (May 7, 2008)

I believe this is what the racing homer-types call pencil. What is the correct term for this pattern on the wing shield. Sooty? 

What can you tell me about it? Is it a recessive trait?


----------



## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

sooty, can cause a " fake" check pattern i have a few that look like this


----------



## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Sooty is a dominant autosomal gene, It creates false checks and is one of three darkening modifiers often used to enhance other phenotypes.


----------



## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

I guess I'm old school I've just called that a blue bar.
Dave


----------



## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Dave- I agree in a way, I have some blue bars that look like that and I do not think they are sooty. There is a gene that adds false checks but really who cares, When it comes to racing blue bar is close enough, Its not really about the colour, Whats that saying

A good racing pigeon can't be a bad colour..


----------



## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

NZ Pigeon said:


> Dave- I agree in a way, I have some blue bars that look like that and I do not think they are sooty. There is a gene that adds false checks but really who cares, When it comes to racing blue bar is close enough, Its not really about the colour, Whats that saying
> 
> A good racing pigeon can't be a bad colour..


Well said...
Dave


----------



## Kastle Loft (May 7, 2008)

Well, yeah, I don't CARE so much about the color, but I am interested in learning proper terminology for the patterns that are generated out of my birds. If it's not a pencil, then I'm not going to call it that - unless I'm at the club 

Plus, I'm curious.


----------



## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Kastle, I am also interested in the correct terminology but agree that people like Pete can call this bird a blue bar and not be incorrect as it is still a blue bar bird. Pencil is a different gene and this bird surely is not a true pencil. It could be sooty, I have found sooty easier to see on ash red so if you paired this to a red you might get some nice ash red sooty birds.


----------



## rudolph.est (May 14, 2009)

It is in all probability heterozygous sooty. I would call it a sooty blue bar.


----------



## Kastle Loft (May 7, 2008)

Thanks very much folks. I appreciate everyone's extensive knowledge in this complicated science.


----------



## firingo (Jan 6, 2012)

If you call those pigeon sooty, this is sooty too, or dirty???
Thanks.


----------



## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Looks like A blue dilute with dirty and sooty.


----------



## HmoobH8wj (Apr 7, 2011)

what will you call this? both are nest mate.


----------



## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

They look smoky and dirty - In the racing world they are referred to as "slate"

The second one almost looks barless but could be due to the smoky really smudging out the pattern.


----------



## rudolph.est (May 14, 2009)

Agreed about the smoky and dirty. Though I also am not convinced about the one without bars.

I always thought that 'slate' was sooty dirty ... Doesn't really matter though, I name my birds according to their genes.


----------



## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

that one is not dilute the flights are to dark.


----------



## rudolph.est (May 14, 2009)

horseart4u said:


> that one is not dilute the flights are to dark.












The flights look rather light to me. The new ones moulting in seem darker though, but dilute is also sensitive to bleaching, though not quite as much as brown...

I think dilute could be a possibility here (darkened quite a lot by dirty), but I don't know if I would stake my life on it ;-)


----------



## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

then i have a lot of dilute birds then because most of all my blue bars and checks have flights these color...


----------



## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

rudolph.est said:


> Agreed about the smoky and dirty. Though I also am not convinced about the one without bars.
> 
> I always thought that 'slate' was sooty dirty ... Doesn't really matter though, I name my birds according to their genes.


Here in NZ the slates I have seen look like smoky birds so I have assumed they are what slates are but have never really asked as I am the same as you, Prefer to stick to the gene names



horseart4u said:


> that one is not dilute the flights are to dark.





rudolph.est said:


> The flights look rather light to me. The new ones moulting in seem darker though, but dilute is also sensitive to bleaching, though not quite as much as brown...
> 
> I think dilute could be a possibility here (darkened quite a lot by dirty), but I don't know if I would stake my life on it ;-)


Yes Its a possibility, I would not stake my life on it either  but taking the dirty into account I would imagine the flights on this bird to be a LOT darker if it was wildtype at the dilute locus. I am not certain but It can not be ruled out.

Also Check out the lighting in the background, This could be the problem, At the top of the photo it is a lot darker and then lightens on the way down. This makes it hard to see for sure what the birds head and neck colour truly is.



horseart4u said:


> then i have a lot of dilute birds then because most of all my blue bars and checks have flights these color...


With the mix of genes in your loft its possible you have a lot of dilute birds


----------

