Racing Pigeon Pictorial
FGW
July 1987
You cannot breed a mealy from a pair of blues, nor can you breed a red from a pair of chequers.
What you can do is breed a bird which looks very much like a mealy or red and that is an opal. When you have viewed such a bird it is easy to seen how it can be confused with a mealy.
Opals have been produced in many recently introduced Belgian strains. Captain Cutcliffe has produced them in the Bostyn birds; Louella has produced them in Verheye, Van Wildemeersch, Toye, and Ko Nipius; Powell & Durling in Desmet-Matthys; Mr & Mrs Prince in Dordin and Cattrysse. The mealy Verheyes reported are not mealys but barred opals.
A Mealy hen paired to a blue will breed mealy cocks and blue hens. A barred opal hen paired to a blue cock breeds some blue cocks. Thus the fact that it is an opal can be proved by breeding.
