The same split fallow cock that was with the wrong hen was now chatting up the normal sky blue hen. Not the mating I had planned: she was meant for one of the fallow cocks. So I threw out the split cock. Almost immediately the mauve dominant pied fallow cock (probably split recessive pied) started chatting her up: much better. Yes I really mixed up my colours in that cock. The dark factor in the fallow is intentional but both pied types are accidental and I will need to breed them out.

When the sky blue hen and split fallow hen are both settled and the fallow hen is ready (she's a bit uneasy for the moment), I will throw the split cock back in again.

Bert