Rule one: know what is going where
Before any pairing, write down for each bird: base colour, wing pattern, distribution, and any colour that appeared in its parents or earlier squabs. A bird whose father was yellow is probably "carrying" dilute even if it is dark itself. Ghuzar keeps this in the pedigree tree if you registered the parents.
Rule two: the hen tells the truth
Because the hen has a single copy of the sex-linked genes (base colour and dilute), her colour is exactly what she carries. A cock can hide a second colour. So to find out what a cock carries, pair him with a hen of a recessive colour and watch the squabs.
Rule three: the four-box table
For simple dominant/recessive traits (such as bar and checker), draw a table:
| Hen: bar | Hen: bar | |
|---|---|---|
| Cock: checker | checker (carrying bar) | checker (carrying bar) |
| Cock: bar | bar | bar |
A pure checker cock × a bar hen ⇒ all squabs checker carrying bar. A checker cock carrying bar × a bar hen ⇒ half checker, half bar. The table works for any dominant/recessive pair of traits.
Rule four: sex from colour
Pairings that tell you a squab's sex as soon as its feathers come in:
- Blue cock × red hen: the reds are cocks, the blues are hens.
- Dark cock (pure non-dilute) × dilute hen (silver/yellow): all squabs dark, the cocks carrying dilute.
- Dilute cock × dark hen: the hens are dilute, the cocks dark and carrying dilute.
The colour you want is far away? Plan over two generations
If you want paper yellow and only have blues: bring in a recessive red cock (or a carrier), keep his sons and daughters, and pair the offspring together in the second generation. Recessive colours appear in the second generation, not the first — patience is part of the equation.
When to break the rules
- Never sacrifice conformation for colour. A bird with the right colour and a broken kantara passes on both.
- Inbreeding to fix a colour is acceptable for a generation or two while watching fertility and size — then bring in new blood.
- Record every result, even the wrong ones: a squab in an unexpected colour is the clearest evidence of a hidden gene.
Series summary
Base colour (part one) + pattern and distribution (part two) + planning with records (part three) = a breeder who knows what will hatch before it hatches. Start by registering your birds on Ghuzar and linking the parents, and the rest builds up season by season.
Colour is only half the story — conformation and stance are the other half: read Reading the judging criteria.
