Cameo Peafowl and the Blind-White Gene

 I'm writing this to those people who would like to own Cameos, or who already own them, and who do not realize that this problem exists. 

  First the problem.  Cameos will sometimes either turn white, go blind or both.  It will sometimes start as early as their second year but may not show up for many years or not at all.  In the past I have called it the Cameo lethal White gene  but that really isn't the case, I have seen blind hens live and produce offspring for many years.

  Next, the cause.  I'm not sure.  In the beginning people in the business thought it to be from too much inbreeding and that is still the most widely accepted theory.  But theory it still remains.  To my knowledge this has yet to be proven.  I don't believe this is the cause and here is why:  almost twenty years ago a friend of mine had a Cameo that went blind, and hearing it was caused by inbreeding he started a serious outbreeding program.  First he bred his Cameo cock to an India Blue hen to come up with a Cameo hen with fresh blood.  Then he bred this hen to an India Blue Cock and took a cock from this breeding, which would be split to Cameo and bred him back to another India Blue.  From this breeding he took a Cameo hen and started his new Cameo line.  But wait - guess what? -  within a few years someone who had purchased one of his new Cameos told him the bird was turning white.  It started all over again. 

  I have been told, and have read in publications, that the only way to truly stop this problem is to breed to the green bird.  But wait, as you can see by the pictures of the Oaten Spalding (7/8 green blood) (Oaten being a Black Shoulder Cameo) that this is not so.  It should be obvious that to get a bird that is 7/8 green blood there must be several breedings of outcrossing and yet the problem still remains. 
Oaten Spalding     White Cameo hen

  I know there are some breeders who claim their line has never had this problem and that may be so, but I believe if the bird is a Cameo it has the potential to go blind, turn white or both.  I believe the problem lies in the Cameo gene itself and can never be alleviated. 

  Then again, that is only my opinion.

  Again, as with other discussions here in these pages, please do not send emails on this subject.  We just don't have the time to devote to that kind of exchange, especially when we have birds to care for!


Ken Piercy
Von Russell Farm
02/10/07