Crele
Genetically, the crele colour is the same as the brown with an additional factor which turns the black into cuckoo. This factor is sex-linked. Since hens only have a single barred factor while cocks have a double one, the effect of the cuckoo gene will be much greater in the cock. This looks the same as the brown cock, except that all black is replaced by the cuckoo. The golden colours will also be a little lighter.
The hen’s neck hackle looks the same as the brown’s, except that all black is replaced by cuckoo. The golden yellow lacing is a bit lighter too. The chest is salmon while the rest of the body is greyish brown with a dark grey cloudy effect, with some pencilling being desirable in the darker parts of the feather.
The chicks’ sex will be immediately recognisable at birth. The males will have a light yellow spot on the head, as opposed to the females.
Typical faults in the cocks in this colour are: brown in the chest; tail and wings too dark or too light; and an insufficient pattern in the wing bay.
Among the hens it is quite common to come across specimens that are too light in the greyish-brown area of the cloud. This would cause the hen to look rather like a cuckoo specimen. In this case, the barred pattern will often be noticeable in the chest.