George, i learned about almonds getting darker last week end when i picked up my 4 orientals. the gentleman i got them from showed us the father to my almond , who was much darker. I have never been a color breeder of pigeons, i have had performance, or things like show kings, runts, fantails, all in single color types. And when i bred poultry it was not what color, but what quality of color i was breeding for, such as ducks, geese, bantams, and standard chickens. (That is why i have not ticked off any one in the threads on color breeding) LOL! I agree with jbangelfish, Pigeons may fool around, but it is the 80 to 90 % sure they will only carry sperm from their mates. It is the FIRST breeding that counts, when the pair are hot for each other, i do not think pigeons have great sperm retention. Dave