U.K. Dilute Brown

The dilute gene has given bird breeders a whole new colour dimension in domesticated birds. The beautiful colours it is now possible to achieve have encouraged more people to take up bird breeding. In fancy pigeons this gene has been around for hundreds of years maybe even thousands. It operates as a sex-linked recessive so when a dilute chick appears from normal coloured parents the chick will always be a hen.

Although I may have other dilute Modenas in my loft I tend to specialise in the brown family. This colouring is the lowest dominance of the three main colour families. Ash red being the highest, then blue/black and then brown. What makes Modenas more interesting to breed is the presence of the dominant bronze gene [KM] which gives the Modena the many varieties of colour we know today. This in combination with dilute and brown give the very attractive ochre and silver cream colours. The more pattern the bird has, the stronger the colour appears. However due to the lack of black pigment in the feathering, brown family and their dilutes fade very quickly in daylight or sunlight.

Dilute brown offspring are born naked [no down] which causes a problem with early breeding in colder or damp climates, especially if the hens re-nest too soon, leaving the chicks to chill. I have heard of fanciers of other breeds who have installed heated nest pans, this may help early breeding. Dilute brown hatchlings are also pink skinned. The eyes when opened have very pink pupils. This gradually changes to false pearl when the bird matures.

In the past, ochres and silver creams were quite a bit smaller in stature than the non dilute colours due to the combination of brown and dilute giving a much finer feather web to the bird. However since the importation of French ochres and silver creams over the past five years, where a lot of work has been put in to improving size, we are now seeing dilutes of larger size and type thus enabling them to compete against the more dominant colours such as blue/bronze tri at local and championship shows. It is now not such a surprise should a dilute brown family Modena win a Best Modena award.

Dilute browns are an interesting colour to breed and show but the breeder must have patience with size and vigilence with colour protection from natural daylight. A good, strong coloured ochre tri or silver cream never fails to catch the non-fanciers eye at talks and displays.