You are right, steel is dominant over normal full-extension
E-, but only when accompanied with dominant agouti
A-. But, it also apparently only expresses properly with the expected ticking when combined with a copy of normal
E. Just like harlequin
e(j) as a recessive can mess with other more dominant color patterns, having either harlequin (or Japanese brindling if you prefer that term) or non-extension fawn
e can also mess with steel. So, all of the steel + non-agouti self, steel + tan (otter, marten),
supersteel (double steel alleles)
EsEs, steel + harlequin
Es e(j), and steel + non-extension (fawn)
Es e--may end up looking like self color with little or no ticking. So for steel to express itself properly, you need to hit the sweet spot--steel + normal extension + agouti =
A-EsE. Which is why steel has such a reputation for hiding.
To this you add the color
C- into the mix. Full color
C- gives gold-tipped steel, chinchilla dark
c(chd) yields silver-tipped steel, sable chinchilla light
c(chl) results in sable steel. Even Himalayan pointed white
c(h) can have steel, but since pointed whites are only showable in self colors, it wouldn't normally ever be expressed. (And of course, we're talking about an albino white body as well). While an albino could be a steel as well, you'd never know since albino trumps everything else.
Green Barn Farm has a great chart to illustrate this at
A/E Gene Combinations, with a photo gallery at
Holland Lop Colors: Ticked Group
As to breeding to eliminate the steel genetics, it is often recommended that you breed to non-extension fawn agouti
A-ee, which could be a red if you're raising New Zealands; or, depending on the breed, colors called cream, fawn or orange work as well. Fawn is recessive to steel, so the fawn parent can't hide steel, and can only contribute a recessive fawn 'e' allele. Keep only the normal banded agouti or non-extension red/cream/fawn/orange kits, as they are not hiding steel. They have to be normal extension 'E' to show the agouti pattern, and you know the fawn parent only contributed a recessive 'e', so the agouti kits will be 'Ee', no steel. The fawn/red/orange/cream kits are totally recessive 'ee', so they don't have steel either. Use those to breed to create the colors you really want, and work from there.
