# Color genetics



## pinoak_ridge

Anyone on here study sheep color genetics?    Would enjoy chatting about it, if you do.   I love color genetics and have studied it in several species.  Since we have Katahdins and most of them are white, haven't really thought about delving into sheep color genetics, but then this little early Christmas "surprise" came along.  Newborn speckled lamb from at least 3 generations of white x white Katahdins.        What do y'all think??


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## SheepGirl

I'm not extremely well-versed in sheep color genetics, but I do know, for wool sheep in particular (not sure how this applies to hair sheep or red fleeced wool breeds), that you can tell if the sheep has any color genes simply by looking at their tongue. If the tongue is all pink, there are no (recessive) color genes and the sheep is white. If the sheep has spots on the tongue, the sheep carries color genes, but is still white. If the sheep has an all black tongue, the sheep is also black.


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## bonbean01

I don't know anything about colour genetics, but that is a super cute lamb

Will be interested to follow this thread to learn more about this.

Welcome to Backyard Herds!


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## purplequeenvt

I only know a little about Shetland color genetics. 

In Shetlands, you have the base color genes, Black (BB  - dominate) and Brown (Bb), and then you have the Agouti or pattern genes, Katmoget (Ab), Gulmoget (At), White (Awt - covers all the other patterns and base colors), Solid or no pattern (Aa), and Greying (Ag). There are also a few other genes that modify the base color or make spots. Spots are recessive so the sheep has to carry two sets of the gene in order to show spotting.

This one of my lambs from this spring. 





Eden is brown based spotted gulmoget, but we also know that, because of her parents coloring, she either carries the greying gene (Ag) or solid (Aa). Her dad is At/Ag and her mom is Aa/Ag.

Here she is a few weeks ago at 6 months old.





Note how her spots are gone? This means that she carries the greying gene. We now know her genotype is Ag/At, Bb/Bb, (spotting) Ss/Ss, (modifying) M?/M?

How this might help you......

Well I don't know anything about the color genetics behind other breeds, they are probably similar. They will have their base color - black or brown - and they will probably have the Aa - solid (no pattern) gene, the Ag - greying gene and SS/Ss - spots and they most definitely have white. 

All your sheep have a base color of black or brown, but they also have the white (Awt) gene, but they could also be spotted and you don't know it because the spots are covered by the Awt.

Parent #1 could be BB/B?, Awt/Aa, Ss/Ss - Black base, white and solid pattern, with spots. Shows up as a white sheep.
Parent #2 could be BB/B?, Awt/Aa SS/Ss - Black base, white and solid pattern, carries spots. Shows up as a white sheep.

Baby is BB/B?, Aa/Aa, Ss/Ss - Black base, solid pattern (no white gene!), with spots. Shows up as a black sheep with white spots or patches.

Hope this makes sense!


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## boykin2010

I raise Katahdins and have learned that they are like a box of chocolates. You never what you are going to get! 

Breed white x white and you may get black or spotted...
Breed spotted to spotted and you may get white...

You just never know with this breed. I personally love the spotted lambs. Here is a picture of one of my rams I used this year. Both of his parents are blonde colored...


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## bonbean01

Last January we had our first set of twins born here...the ewe is a reddish colour Kat and the ram a dorper with black on his face...these are the twins


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## pinoak_ridge

One of the reasons I love breeding and color genetics--one never knows what they will get.  Birthing is like Christmas--can't wait to see what we have this time.


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## Southern by choice

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Last January we had our first set of twins born here...the ewe is a reddish colour Kat and the ram a dorper with black on his face...these are the twins
> 
> http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/2114_twinshalfdayold.jpg


They are darling!!! and you posted a picture!    

I really like spots and colors on sheep. All solid is nice but color is cute!


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## bonbean01

Yup Southern...I posted a photo and it only took me three times to do it


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## equinecpa

pinoak_ridge said:
			
		

> Anyone on here study sheep color genetics?    Would enjoy chatting about it, if you do.   I love color genetics and have studied it in several species.  Since we have Katahdins and most of them are white, haven't really thought about delving into sheep color genetics, but then this little early Christmas "surprise" came along.  Newborn speckled lamb from at least 3 generations of white x white Katahdins.        What do y'all think??          http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/8176_lamb3.jpg
> 
> http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/8176_lamb5.jpg


What do it think? I think I want him or her! If you decide to sell please contact me (seriously).


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## goodolboy

Don't know alot about the genetics, but we do breed for color in our Katahdins. The colors are crazy. Every color seems to throw any color, but it's hard to get pure white with a color background. I just like seeing the different colors in the fields.


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## whr

I agree.  I like seeing a variety of colors in the pastures.  Plus it's easy to identify the different ewes from afar.


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## Roving Jacobs

I found this site really helpful when I was doing a project on dog color genetics and they also have a pretty good sheep color genetics calculator you can play around with if you understand the basics. They also have rabbits, goats, cattle and chickens. I find color genes really interesting even though the breeds I have don't have a lot of variety


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## EllieMay

I, too, love all the various color combinations.
I would think a genetic study on HOW TO get certain colors would be a good thing.


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## pinoak_ridge

> What do it think? I think I want him or her! If you decide to sell please contact me (seriously).
> Carolyn


Carolyn,   it if were a ewe lamb she would definitely be staying here.       Since it is a ram lamb, we will have to decide in the next few months if we are willing to make room for another ram or offer him to someone else.   If we do decide to part with him, I will give you first dibbs.    

JD
PINOAK RIDGE KATAHDINS


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## pinoak_ridge

> I found this site really helpful when I was doing a project on dog color genetics and they also have a pretty good sheep color genetics calculator you can play around with if you understand the basics. They also have rabbits, goats, cattle and chickens. I find color genes really interesting even though the breeds I have don't have a lot of variety tongue


RJ,  yes, that is a cool site.  I love that it has a wide variety of species on it.   Fun, fun fun!!


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