# Dom. Opal



## red2x (Nov 20, 2008)

Does Dom. opal effect the down length of young?
One of my saddle homers just hatched out their first young and I'm excited to figure out what i got.
Cock: Red Check with Dom. Opal
Hen: Reduced Red Check (Yellow)
I'm thinking I should get mostly Red Checks. Some with opal some without. Maybe get something random depending what else they are carrying.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

red2x said:


> Does Dom. opal effect the down length of young?
> One of my saddle homers just hatched out their first young and I'm excited to figure out what i got.
> Cock: Red Check with Dom. Opal
> Hen: Reduced Red Check (Yellow)
> I'm thinking I should get mostly Red Checks. Some with opal some without. Maybe get something random depending what else they are carrying.


*Hi RED, Can you post pictures of these two birds, and are you sure that the yellow hen is reduced and not a dilute?* GEORGE


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## red2x (Nov 20, 2008)

George,
You are correct. I misspoke, it is dilute.
Here is this pair of saddles.
Hen








Cock


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

Beautiful birds!! I don't think dom opal effects down length, but dilute does. Dilute babies have short down. Do you know if the dad carries dilute?


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## red2x (Nov 20, 2008)

I'm not sure what my birds carry. I got all my saddles this past winter from a guy with an open loft with saddles of all colors, patterns and a number of modifiers.
I do know that both of this round of young will not be dilute because they both have long down.
Can't wait to see what color they are and how good their markings will be.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

It's very possible dad is carrying dilute, in which the short downed kid (if it does indeed turn out to be dilute) is a little hen


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## Print Tippler (May 18, 2011)

You get everything out of that breeding. 25% dilute cocks, 25% cocks carrying dilute, 25% dilute hens, 25% non dilute hens.

http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/pigeongenetics/diluteresults.html


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## nzpouter (Aug 20, 2011)

MaryOfExeter said:


> It's very possible dad is carrying dilute, in which the short downed kid (if it does indeed turn out to be dilute) is a little hen


If the cock carries dilute, a dilute chick from that pair can be either sex....


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## red2x (Nov 20, 2008)

Thought I would give you an update. No dilute with this round of young. I'm thinking the cock doesn't carry it but we will see with future rounds. The markings seem ok but not where I would like them yet. 
Looks like one is red t-check and the other is lighter. Is it going to be opal like the cock or is it a lighter check?


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## rudolph.est (May 14, 2009)

red2x said:


> Thought I would give you an update. No dilute with this round of young. I'm thinking the cock doesn't carry it but we will see with future rounds. The markings seem ok but not where I would like them yet.
> Looks like one is red t-check and the other is lighter. Is it going to be opal like the cock or is it a lighter check?


It is difficult to tell this early whether the difference in percieved color is due to a difference in pattern or in actual color phenotype. I would guess opal, since I don't think check is very common in saddles, but I might be wrong.

The youngsters might also change quite a bit as the grow older, so I try not to make any hard and fast pronouncements about my own birds untill after the first moult (some of my ash-red / ash-yellow birds become markedly lighter / darker after the moult.)


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Could be pale. Darker than dilute but lighter than intense.


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