Mottled & Mottling in Brahmas

What is Mottling?

Mottling is caused by the mottling gene (mo/mo). It produces white spots on the tips of feathers by removing pigment from those areas. The effect can vary from small neat spots to larger irregular patches depending on selection and feather type. Unlike pencilling or lacing, mottling is not a pattern — it is the absence of pigment layered on top of another colour or pattern.

Black Mottled

The simplest form of mottling is seen on a black base. Feathers are black with white tips, giving a striking speckled appearance. This is the foundation for mottled and Mille Fleur project lines.

Genetics: Extended black (E) + mo/mo.
Appearance: black feathers with white tips.

With the blue gene Bl/bl introduced, Blue Mottled is similarly constructed.

Blue Mottled

On a black base, mottling (mo/mo) produces feathers that are black with clean white tips, creating a speckled appearance. When the Blue gene (Bl/bl⁺) is introduced to that same genetic background, the black areas are diluted to slate blue, while the white tips remain, resulting in Blue Mottled. This gives a softer, more muted speckling effect compared to the sharper contrast of Black Mottled, and it is often used as a stepping stone in Mille Fleur and other patterned projects.

Genetics: Extended black (E) + mo/mo + Bl/bl⁺
Appearance: slate blue feathers with white tips

Mille Fleur

Mille Fleur (“thousand flowers”) combines mottling with partridge-type patterning. Each feather has three elements: a buff ground colour, a black crescent band, and a white mottled tip. The result is a golden speckled look.

Genetics: Partridge base (Pg, Ml, Db) + mo/mo.
Appearance: buff/red ground with black banding and white tips.

Porcelain

Porcelain is the lavender-diluted version of Mille Fleur. The lavender gene (lav/lav) softens black to lavender-grey and red to pale cream, while mottling still produces white tips. The combination creates a pastel Mille Fleur, with cream ground, lavender crescents, and white tips.

Genetics: Mille Fleur + lav/lav.
Appearance: cream ground, lavender banding, white mottling.

Mottled, Mille Fleur & Porcelain Brahmas - visual guide

All of these patterns build on the same genetic foundation: mottling (mo/mo). The base colour determines the background, and additional genes like Blue (Bl) or Lavender (lav) change how the mottling expresses.

Black Mottled

Foundation pattern

Extended black (E)

Mottling (mo/mo)

Phenotype: black feathers with sharp white tips

Blue Mottled

Black mottled + Blue gene

Extended black (E)

Mottling (mo/mo)

Blue (Bl/bl+)

Phenotype: slate blue feathers with white tips

Mille Fleur

Gold + mottling + pattern genes

Gold base (s+)

Mottling (mo/mo)

Pattern genes (Pg, Ml, Co, Db)

Phenotype: golden feathers with black spangles and white tips – the “thousand flowers” effect

Porcelain

Mille Fleur + Lavender

Gold base (s+)

Mottling (mo/mo)

Pattern genes (Pg, Ml, Co, Db)

Lavender (lav/lav)

Phenotype: soft lavender ground colour with diluted spangles and white tips – a pastel Mille Fleur

Examples & variants

Name	Genotype	Appearance	Notes
Black Mottled	E + mo/mo	Black feathers with white tips	Base form of mottling
Blue Mottled	E + mo/mo + Bl/bl+	Slate blue feathers with white tips	Softer contrast than Black Mottled
Mille Fleur	s+ + mo/mo + Pg Ml Co Db	Golden feathers with black spangles and white tips	The “thousand flowers” effect
Porcelain	s+ + mo/mo + Pg Ml Co Db + lav/lav	Lavender ground, diluted spangles, white tips	Pastel version of Mille Fleur

Breeding Notes

Mottling (mo) is recessive — both parents must carry it for chicks to show mottling.
Mo/mo carriers appear solid and show no mottling.
Black × Mottled → all carriers (no mottling shown).
Mottled × Mottled → 100% mottled offspring.
Porcelain requires both mottling (mo/mo) and lavender (lav/lav).