Rules
for Breeding Danish Stippers
I got my
first Danish Brown Stippers 1985 in Herning, Denmark, in exchange for platinum
Pomeranian Eye Crested Highfliers from the stock of Kr. Schriver. I
soon realised that the main problem in Breeding Almond – and the Stippers
carry the Almond gene - is that homozygous almond cocks lack vigor. They
are nearly white and often bladder-eyed. Therefore,
it is not possible to establish a pure strain and the so-called almond-related
colors should be used in the breeding pen.
English Short Faced DeRoy Danish Tumblers Kite Agate
In the following some general rules are given how to
breed Almonds and how to use the Almond-bred related colours. The rules are
valid for breeding the classical English Short Faced Almond Tumbler and for
breeds with similar requirements in the standards as is the case for Danish
Brown Stippers and Danish Yellow Stippers.
Some of the youngsters with the Almond
trait may be DeRoy.
2.
Almond hen mated with a Kite, Gold Dun or Agate cock
will produce Almond cocks and hens of the related colours.
3.
Two Almonds should not be matched since half of the
young cocks are pure Almonds, whitish, often bladder-eyed and of poor vigour, if
they survive the first weeks at all. In Germany such a mating is considered a
cruelty according to the animal protection law and forbidden by law!
4.
You may also breed classical almonds from DeRoy by
matching a DeRoy with Kite or Gold Dun.
5.
DeRoy hens matched with Kite or Gold Dun cocks will
produce Almond cocks and Non-Almond hens.
6.
DeRoy cocks matched with Kite or Gold Dun hens produce
Almond and Non-Almond in both sexes.
7.
Kites, Gold Dun, Red and Yellow Agate can be matched
arbitrary with each other without any chance to get an Almond. Supposed
exceptions are the result of illegitimacy or the mis-classification of a DeRoy
as an Agate.
Danish Grey Stippers differ from Brown and Yellow
Stippers. They also carry the Almond trait, however in general they lack
recessive red and in addition carry Spread.
- From
two Grey Stippers we therefore get 25% white homozygous Almond cocks, often
also bladder-eyed and defective, 50% Grey Stippers in both sexes and 25%
black hens.
- Black
cocks matched with Grey Stipper cocks will produce Grey Stipper cocks and
black hens, 50% each group,
- Grey
Stipper cocks matched with black hens will produce 50% Grey Stippers in both
sexes and 50% black in both sexes,
- a
homozygous Almond with enough vigor to breed mated with a black hen will
produce 100% Grey Stippers.
The genetic background is discussed in detail in
“Breeding and Inheritance in Pigeons” and in the author’s German book
“Tauben. Züchten mit System”, Reutlingen 1995. The February issue of the
Pigeon Debut was dedicated to the Almond Phenotype & its Alleles,
coordinated by Ken Davis, and contains besides articles from W.F. Hollander on
Almonds in different colors, hints on breeding Almonds and especially Brown and
Yellow Stippers from the author of this review, as well as a report by John E.
Nelson on Grey Stippers and his recent imports from Denmark.