As I’m learning about color and pattern genetics, I want to put it into my real world.
I want to learn more about which traits are dominant in my herd, which traits are seemingly missing, and the mysterious traits that are sure to be uncovered.
First up is examining the color patterns of the breeding pair Crash & Willow.
Crash’s sire is Swiss-marked. His dam is a dark red buckskin. Crash, himself, is a combination pattern of Swiss marked and medium to light buckskin.
Willow is a solid cream color with random spotting and roaning. She must be a carrier of the recessive black gene because she has birthed a number of black kids. Willow’s dam is dark gold with a belt and roaning. Her sire appears to be dark brown with random spotting.
Willow and Crash produced 4 kids, 1 doe and 3 bucks. The doe is Swiss marked like Crash. Two of the bucks look similar to Willow with solid cream coloring. The third buck is also a solid color, but is a bit more gold with quite a lot of roaning.
Willow is polled; Crash has horns. Two of the kids were born polled; two are horned.
EUMELANIN COLOR
| Color | Crash | Willow | AW1 | AW2 | AW3 | AW4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Brown | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Black | ✔ | ✔ hidden | ✔ | ✔ hidden | ✔ hidden | ✔ hidden |
| Unknown | - | - | - | - | - | - |
PHEOMENANIN COLOR
| Color | Crash | Willow | AW1 | AW2 | AW3 | AW4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | - | - | ✔ | - | - | - |
| Cream | - | ✔ | - | - | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tan | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Gold | ✔ | - | - | ✔ | - | - |
| Red Brown | - | - | - | - | - | - |
AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN
| Pattern | Crash | Willow | AW1 | AW2 | AW3 | AW4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | - | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Chamoisee | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Buckskin | ✔ | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cou Clair/Blanc | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Swiss Marked | ✔ | - | ✔ | - | - | - |
| Sundgau | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No Pattern | - | - | - | - | - | - |
WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS
| Characteristic | Crash | Willow | AW1 | AW2 | AW3 | AW4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random | - | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Belted | - | - | ✔partial | - | ✔partial | - |
| Schwartzal | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Roaning | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Frosting | - | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| White Poll | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Moon Spots | - | - | - | - | - | - |
POLLED, OR NOT
| Characteristic | Crash | Willow | AW1 | AW2 | AW3 | AW4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polled | - | ✔ | - | ✔ | - | ✔ |
| Horned | ✔ | - | ✔ | - | ✔ | - |
Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!
