Based on Mendel's genetics

The external features of a homer pigeon is determined by "Genes" that can be passed to descendants.

The normal color homer pigeons are "Dominant" trait.

The white and ash-red homer pigeons are "Recessive" trait.

If we cross breeding dominant trait homer with recessive trait homer you will always get all the youngsters look like the dominant features.
The only way to get the recessive features is breeding purebred recessive together.However this is just only the basic knowledge. In reality it is more complicated than you think.

The eyes' color , skin and plumage are determined by the combined effect of more than one pair of gene and referred to as " Polygenic traits " that is why you mate the white together and you don't get the white youngsters but foul feathering , splash , grizzle etc.

 

Albinism in racing pigeon

A genetic inherited condition ( autosomal recessive ) which result in an abnormal melanin pigment deposit in the organ that develop from the ectodermal layer of the embryo such as the skin , feather and plumage , beak , nose , nails and eyes. This condition can be subdivided into two groups

1. Complete or generalized albinos

A genetic defect in Tyrosinase synthesis, an enzyme that helps the body to change Tyrosine (amino acid ) into melanin pigment. So there is no melanin pigment deposit in the eyes, skin and plumage. You will see a pure white with pink eyes without the important dark small pupil at the center of the eyes. These birds have the iris which transilluminates completely and the reddish hue reflected through the iris which has no pigment and this reddish reflection comes from the vessels on the Retina ( the surface lining inside the eyes ). And because no pigment deposit in the Macular area of the retina, the vision of this albino is very bad. This type of albino can not survive , all of them could not fly because of the poor vision and surely to be the bait of predator or disposed off by raiser. So this genetic trait rarely to be in the gene pool. You may see this kind of albinism in snake rat rabbit fish etc. but rarely a bird.

2. Incomplete albinos

These birds can synthesize variable amount of melanin pigment deposit in the eyes, skin ,beak , nose or nails and are referred to as tyrosinase-positive albinos. It may vary from white to dark and in selective part mentioned. There are 4 types of them

2.1 White homer with dark eyes ( help the white to see normally ). Most of the white are in this type

2.2 White homer with black beak (a variation of Siamese white)

2.3 White homer with dark skin (a variation of Siamese white) and I call them Black and White ( black skin and white plumage)

2.4 If we look into the details of melanin pigment. There are two types of melanin pigment, one is Eumelanin which give rise the black-brown color and another is Pheomelanin which give rise the red-yellow color ( ash-red homer ). Dilution in ash-red homer give rise the almost white pigeon (not pure white ) and has a significant difference from 2.1 in the eyes, they have color eyesigns ( the combination of 3 colors : red + yellow + white )

Now you can see in advance that how I get the Siamese white. I crossed breeding the homer from 2.1 with 2.4 and that's the way I've got the Siamese white with color eyesigns, but surely it takes very very much times to dispose off the undesired foul feathering features and fixed the color eyesigns on them

DIAGRAM

In conclusion REAL WHITE is white pigeon with regular eyes' color like blue bar , check , black or ash-red. ALBINO is white pigeon with dark or bull's eyes and both of them are RECESSIVE WHITE.

SIAMESE WHITE is real white pigeon that develop from racing or homing pigeon and is more attractive than the ALBINO in the variation of the eyes' color. There are 2 steps in making this new strain . First , making it to be completely white and refine them to be purebred. Second , making the eyes to be various colors and fix them to be purebred. Althouh the Siamese white is racing pigeon but there are many reason that I will never send them to any race
1. They are too beautiful and still very rare
2. White pigeon has no melanin pigment which is essential for the strength of the body and feathers
3. White pigeon is standout in the nature and has more chance to be attacked by the predator.

The highlight and challenge of the Siamese white raising in the future is the variation of the beautiful color eyesigns and I wish most of the racing and show pigeon fanciers all over the world will love this " Siamese white " as I do , see this beautiful whites flying high in the sky ( tumbling, flipping or diving ) , walking in the yard , taking a bath in the ditch or pool and fly back into the loft themselves.

The standard of perfection of the Siamese white homer

1.Pure white of the beak , nose, eyelids(may be pink) , plumage , feathers and nails

2.Color eyesigns. The iris may be pearl , pink , red , yellow or orange and may be one tone , two tone and the new freshlook colorblend.

 One Tone

 Two Tone

 

 

 

 

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