Why is this keet silver/grey?

[angillham]

Hi, first time posting. I didn't know too much about them when I got guineas last summer from one of my husband's work friends. But from looking at them I assumed they were all pearl grey. The keets all had the same look. Anyway I decided to get an incubator and hatch out some more and one of the ones I found this morning is greyish/silver with no striping. Is it like hair color in people where you can have recessive genes come out? I had figured it was like chicken breeds. I've also heard of guinea/chicken crosses. Could that be happening? Thanks for input in advance!

 

[R2elk]

Hi, first time posting. I didn't know too much about them when I got guineas last summer from one of my husband's work friends. But from looking at them I assumed they were all pearl grey. The keets all had the same look. Anyway I decided to get an incubator and hatch out some more and one of the ones I found this morning is greyish/silver with no striping. Is it like hair color in people where you can have recessive genes come out? I had figured it was like chicken breeds. I've also heard of guinea/chicken crosses. Could that be happening? Thanks for input in advance!

Pearl Gray is two separate dominant genes. at least two of your Pearl Grays are carrying recessive color and no dotting genes.

All it take is a single Pearl Gray color gene for that trait to be displayed. The same applies to the dotting gene except a bit more complex since you can have full dotting, partial dotting and no dotting. Your new keet with a solid head color will not have any dotting.

 

[angillham]

Pearl Gray is two separate dominant genes. at least two of your Pearl Grays are carrying recessive color and no dotting genes.

All it take is a single Pearl Gray color gene for that trait to be displayed. The same applies to the dotting gene except a bit more complex since you can have full dotting, partial dotting and no dotting. Your new keet with a solid head color will not have any dotting.

Thanks, that makes sense. I have another question. I have another guinea keet that reminds me of a penguin. I googled it and came up with the greater pearl gray guinea, but from the description it sounds like that would be a larger breed of guinea. Is that possible? Or am I identifying it incorrectly?

 

[R2elk]

Thanks, that makes sense. I have another question. I have another guinea keet that reminds me of a penguin. I googled it and came up with the greater pearl gray guinea, but from the description it sounds like that would be a larger breed of guinea. Is that possible? Or am I identifying it incorrectly?

I don't know what color it will be but it is not a Pearl Gray, standard or Jumbo.

Pearl Grays have full dotting which is signified by a solid center stripe with a line on both sides of the center stripe on the top of its head.

When a keet has a solid colored head it means that the adult guinea will not have any dotting at all.