Bunny’s sire is medium gold with darker moon spots. Her dam has a buckskin and Sundgau combination pattern. Bunny is a cream color that has a bit of a gold tinge to it, with roaning.

Tam has a buckskin pattern. His sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin.

Two cute little bucklings for Bunny this year.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Bunny	EB1	EB2
Dark Brown	–	–	–	–
Black
Unknown	–	–	–	–

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Bunny	EB1	EB2
White	–	–	–	–
Cream			–	–
Tan		–	–	–
Gold	–	–	–	–
Red Brown	–	–

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	Bunny	EB1	EB2
Solid	–		–	–
Chamoisee	–	–	–	–
Buckskin		–
Cou Clair/Blanc	–	–	–	–
Swiss Marked	–	–	–	–
Sundgau	–	–	–	–
Hidden	–	–	–	–

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	Bunny	EB1	EB2
Random	–			–
Belted	–	–		–
Schwartzal	–	–	–	–
Roaning	–			–
Frosting				–
White Poll	–			–
Moon Spots	–	–	–	–

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	Bunny	EB1	EB2
Polled	–	–	–	–
Horns

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2021 Bunny & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

Claire is buckskin with random spotting, roaning, frosting, and a white poll. Bunny is Claire’s dam, she is cream colored with a hint of a gold.

Tam has a buckskin pattern. His sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin.

This was Claire’s first freshening. She did great and birthed one buck and one doe.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Claire	EC1	EC2
Dark Brown	–	–	–	–
Black
Unknown	–	–	–	–

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Claire	EC1	EC2
White	–	–	–	–
Cream		–	–	–
Tan		–	–	–
Gold	–	–	–
Red Brown	–			–

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	Claire	EC1	EC2
Solid	–	–	–	–
Chamoisee	–	–	–	–
Buckskin
Cou Clair/Blanc	–	–	–	–
Swiss Marked	–	–	–	–
Sundgau	–	–	–	–
Hidden	–	–	–	–

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	Claire	EC1	EC2
Random	–		–
Belted	–	–	–	–
Schwartzal	–	–	–	–
Roaning	–		–
Frosting
White Poll	–		–
Moon Spots	–	–	–	–

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	Claire	EC1	EC2
Polled	–	–	–	–
Horns

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2021 Claire & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

WyldeStyle was born with the first litter of kids on our farm. She continues to be naughty and I adore her.

WyldeStyle’s dam is Willow, who is a solid cream color with random spotting and roaning. Crash is WyldeStyle’s sire. He has a light buckskin/swiss marked combination pattern.

WyldeStyle is beautiful with a Swiss marked pattern.

Tam has a buckskin pattern. His sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin.

WyldeStyle birthed quads this year! 2 does and 2 bucks. All are light buckskin.

This is the 3rd time WyldeStyle has been bred with Tam. The result has been a total of 9 kids – 5 does and 4 bucklings. Every single one has been adorable with a light buckskin pattern.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	EWS1	EWS2	EWS3	EWS4
Dark Brown	–	–	–	–	–	–
Black
Unknown	–	–	–	–	–	–

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	EWS1	EWS2	EWS3	EWS4
White	–			–		–
Cream		–
Tan		–	–	–	–
Gold	–	–	–	–	–	–
Red Brown	–	–	–	–	–	–

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	EWS1	EWS2	EWS3	EWS4
Solid	–	–	–	–	–	–
Chamoisee	–	–	–	–	–	–
Buckskin		–
Cou Clair/Blanc	–	–	–	–	–	–
Swiss Marked	–			–
Sundgau	–	–	–	–	–	–
Hidden	–	–	–	–	–	–

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	EWS1	EWS2	EWS3	EWS4
Random	–	–	–	–	–	–
Belted	–	partial	–	–	–	–
Schwartzal	–	–	–	–	–	–
Roaning	–
Frosting		–
White Poll	–					–
Moon Spots	–	–	–	–	–	–

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	EWS1	EWS2	EWS3	EWS4
Polled	–	–	–	–	–	–
Horns

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2021 WyldeStyle & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

This is the 4th time Georgia has freshened. It is also most likely her last. The birthing went well, however she ended up with gangrenous mastitis. Since that diagnosis doesn’t have anything to do with the topic of this post, I will save that story for another day.

Georgia’s dam is Willow, who is a solid cream color with random spotting and roaning. I have not seen what Georgia’s sire looks like, but the registered description states “black, frosted muzzle and ears, white on face, sides.” Georgia is black with random spotting, roaning, and frosting.

Tam has a buckskin pattern. His sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin.

This year Georgia birthed two bucks and a doe. Most often if you have a black goat, the pattern of the other parent will be present. This is definitely true with these 3 cuties. All have variations of Tam’s buckskin pattern.

This is a total of 10 kids for Georgia. Six boys & four girls. We have kept one of the does, Betty.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Georgia	EG1	EG2	EG3
Dark Brown	–	–	–	–	–
Black
Unknown	–	–	–	–	–

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Georgia	EG1	EG2	EG3
White	–	–	–	–	–
Cream		–	–	–
Tan		–	–	–	–
Gold	–	–			–
Red Brown	–		–	–	–

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	Georgia	EG1	EG2	EG3
Solid	–	–	–	–	–
Chamoisee	–	–	–	–	–
Buckskin		–
Cou Clair/Blanc	–	–	–	–	–
Swiss Marked	–	–	–	–	–
Sundgau	–	–	–	–	–
Hidden	–		–	–	–

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	Georgia	EG1	EG2	EG3
Random	–		–
Belted	–	–	–	partial	–
Schwartzal	–	–	–	–	–
Roaning	–
Frosting
White Poll	–
Moon Spots	–	–	–	–	–

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	Georgia	EG1	EG2	EG3
Polled	–	–	–	–	–
Horned

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2021 Georgia & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

WyldeStyle was one of the first group of kids born on our farm. She’s always been a bit naughty & I adore her.

WyldeStyle’s dam is Willow, who is a solid cream color with random spotting and roaning. Crash is WyldeStyle’s sire. He has a light buckskin/swiss marked combination pattern.

WyldeStyle is beautiful with a Swiss marked pattern.

Tam has a buckskin pattern. His sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin.

WyldeStyle birthed 2 does and a buck. All are light buckskin and so adorable. All three look a lot like their daddy, Tam.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	DWS1	DWS2	DWS3
Dark Brown	–	–	–	–	–
Black
Unknown	–	–	–	–	–

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	DWS1	DWS2	DWS3
White	–		–
Cream		–
Tan		–
Gold	–	–	–	–	–
Red Brown	–	–	–	–	–

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	DWS1	DWS2	DWS3
Solid	–	–	–	–	–
Chamoisee	–	–	–	–	–
Buckskin		–
Cou Clair/Blanc	–	–	–	–	–
Swiss Marked	–		–
Sundgau	–	–	–	–	–
Hidden	–	–	–	–	–

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	DWS1	DWS2	DWS3
Random	–	–	–	–	–
Belted	–	partial	–	–	partial
Schwartzal	–	–	–	–	–
Roaning	–
Frosting		–
White Poll	–		–	–
Moon Spots	–	–	–	–	–

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	DWS1	DWS2	DWS3
Polled	–	–	–	–	–
Horns

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2020 WyldeStyle & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

Willow is amazing! She had quads again.

Tam’s sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin. Tam also is 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 has no issues, health wise. And, she has never had issues with birthing. But, it feels right for this to be her last kidding. She births so many kids at a time, and they’re good sized. It seems like it could be a problem as she is aging. So, we’re going to quit before they’re are problems.

Two bucks and two does for Willow. I love that all 4 look different. She often has solid color babies like the white and tan ones. But, the other two are her first buckskin kids born on our farm.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Willow	DW1	DW2	DW3	DW4
Dark Brown	–	–	–	–	–	–
Black
Unknown	–	–	–	–	–	–

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Willow	DW1	DW2	DW3	DW4
White	–	–	–	–	–	–
Cream			–			–
Tan		–	–	–
Gold	–	–	–	–	–	–
Red Brown	–	–		–	–	–

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	Willow	DW1	DW2	DW3	DW4
Solid	–		–		–
Chamoisee	–	–	–	–	–	–
Buckskin		–		–		–
Cou Clair/Blanc	–	–	–	–	–	–
Swiss Marked	–	–	–	–	–	–
Sundgau	–	–	–	–	–	–
Hidden	–	–	–	–	–	–

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	Willow	DW1	DW2	DW3	DW4
Random	–			–	–	–
Belted	–	–	–	–	–	–
Schwartzal	–	–	–	–	–	–
Roaning	–		–	–	–
Frosting				–	–
White Poll	–		–	–	–	–
Moon Spots	–	–	–	–	–	–

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	Willow	DW1	DW2	DW3	DW4
Polled	–			–	–
Horned		–	–			–

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2020 Willow & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

WyldeStyle was one of the first goat kids born on our farm so I have an extra soft spot for her.

This was her first time being bred. The pregnancy went smoothly and she delivered two healthy kids.

Tam’s sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin. Tam also is buckskin.

WyldeStyle’s dam is Willow, who is a solid cream color with random spotting and roaning. Crash is WyldeStyle’s sire. He has a light buckskin/swiss marked combination pattern.

WyldeStyle is Swiss marked, which means she is black with white areas on her legs, ears, face, tail and band around the belly. Also, as opposed to the more common black, the area around her mouth is a pink/peach color and her hooves are whitish.

WyldeStyle had one boy and one girl. Both are buckskin. Both are obnoxiously cute.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	CWS1	CWS2
Dark Brown	–	–	–	–
Black
Unknown	–	–	–	–

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	CWS1	CWS2
White	–		–
Cream		–
Tan		–
Gold	–	–	–	–
Red Brown	–	–	–	–

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	CWS1	CWS2
Solid	–	–	–	–
Chamoisee	–	–	–	–
Buckskin		–
Cou Clair/Blanc	–	–	–	–
Swiss Marked	–		–
Sundgau	–	–	–	–
No Pattern	–	–	–	–

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	CWS1	CWS2
Random	–	–	–	–
Belted	–	partial	–	–
Schwartzal	–	–	–	–
Roaning	–
Frosting		–
White Poll	–			–
Moon Spots	–	–	–	–

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	WyldeStyle	CWS1	CWS2
Polled	–	–	–	–
Horned

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2019 WyldeStyle & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

This is Georgia’s 2nd breeding season. She did fabulous again. The pregnancy and birth were trouble free. And, even though she’s a bit stand-offish towards her human and goat friends, she is a great mom.

Tam’s sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin. Tam also is buckskin.

Georgia’s dam is Willow, who is a solid cream color with random spotting and roaning. I am not sure about the color and pattern of her sire. Georgia is black with random spotting, roaning, and frosting.

Georgia had two bucks. They are both buckskin. The lighter buckskin has similar coloring to Georgia’s doe she birthed last year. The other buck is darker overall – more black areas and the brown areas are a darker brown. Neither have much roaning.

This marks four total babies for Georgia. Three boys & one girl. All buckskin.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Georgia	CG1	CG2
Dark Brown	-	-	-	-
Black
Unknown	-	-	-	-

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Georgia	CG1	CG2
White	-	-	-	-
Cream	-	-	-	-
Tan		-	–	–
Gold	-	-	-
Red Brown	-			-

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Color	Tam	Georgia	CG1	CG2
Solid	-	-	-	-
Chamoisee	-	-	-	-
Buckskin		-
Cou Clair/Blanc	-	-	-	-
Swiss Marked	-	-	-	-
Sundgau	-	-	-	-
Hidden	-		-	-

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Color	Tam	Georgia	CG1	CG2
Random	-		-	-
Belted	-	-	-	-
Schwartzal	-	-	-	-
Roaning	-		-	-
Frosting
White Poll	-		-	-
Moon Spots	-	-	-	-

POLLED, OR NOT

Color	Tam	Georgia	CG1	CG2
Polled	-	-	-	-
Horned

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2019 Georgia & Tam Breeding appeared first on .

Polled animals are animals born naturally without horns. Some breeds of cattle are entirely polled. There are not any goat breeds entirely polled.

In goats, the polled gene is dominant. This means that a kid can only be polled if one, or both, parents are polled.

Every goat receives two genes of each characteristic (in this case being polled), one from mom and one from dad. Although, only one of the genes will be expressed. If mom or dad have the dominant trait, that will be the one expressed. If neither mom or dad have the dominant trait, neither will their kids.

Since disbudding is not enjoyable for the kid or the person doing the disbudding, being polled is a desirable characteristic for some breeders.

Others believe being polled is a genetic flaw and therefore choose not to breed the trait.

Either way, polled goats are not the norm. Research done long ago showed breeding a polled doe to a polled buck resulted in a higher frequency of the kid being intersex. The research is debatable, but most breeders today still choose not to breed polled to polled.

POLLED PROBABILITY

To help visualize the probability of polled vs. horns in a breeding pair, examine the Punnet squares below.

• The dam has two genes for the polled/horned characteristic – one from each of her parents. The two genes are known and represented in the rectangles.
• The sire has two genes for the polled/horned characteristic – one from each of his parents. The two genes are known and represented in the rectangles.
• The kid will also have two genes for the polled/horned characteristic – one from each of his parents. The possible options are displayed in the squares.

P = polled
p = horned

Since being polled is a dominant trait, if a P is shown in a square the goat will be polled. If a P is not present, the goat will have horns.

The sire and dam each have two polled/not polled genes, but each pass only one to the kid.  The two letters represent the one gene from the dam and the one gene from the sire that were passed to the kid.

The possible results are:
PP = HOMOZYGOUS POLLED. This would result in a polled goat that does not carry the horn gene. This is rare in goat herds.
Pp = HETEROZYGOUS POLLED. This would result in a polled goat that carries the recessive horn gene. Most polled goats are heterozygous.
pp = HOMOZYGOUS HORNED. This would result in a horned goat, with no possibility of being polled. Even though horns are recessive, this is the most common outcome in goats.

PUNNET SQUARE 1

Here we have a heterozygous polled goat (Pp) bred to a homozygous horned goat(pp).

The probability of a kid being polled is 50/50.

PUNNET SQUARE 2

This Punnet square shows a homozygous horned goat(pp) bred to another homozygous horned goat(pp).

The probability of a kid being polled is 0.

PUNNET SQUARES 3-6

These four options are possible, but not likely since most goats are not homozygous polled or bred to another polled goat.

HOW TO KNOW IF A NEWBORN KID IS POLLED

It can be tricky to tell if a newborn kid is polled. It is important to know for sure, though, because you wouldn’t want to disbud an animal that doesn’t need it.

As newborns, most horned kids will have hair swirls where their horns will be.

Polled kids will generally have bumps where horns would be. But, the bumps feel more round and less pointy than horns poking through. Also, if the skin moves a bit at the bump, the goat is probably polled. Skin around incoming horns does not move.

This is our goat, Wingman. He is polled. It is a bit deceiving because the hair where horns would be is noticeably different. However, the hair is more like a cow lick than a swirl.

OUR POLLED GOATS

Willow
She actually had the disbudding process done to her, but is polled. She has produced many polled babies with horned sires.

Willow’s buck from 2017, Wingman

Willow’s buck from 2018

SCURS

Scurs, in goats, are the result of the animal not being disbudded properly. Disbudding needs to kill all the horn tissue. When not all the tissue has been killed, scurs can occur. Scurs generally show up as wonky bits of a horn.

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

The post Polled, or Not? appeared first on .

Last year Willow was bred with Crash. Having been bred with Tam this year,  I am curious to see the similarities and changes in her kids outward appearance.

Tam’s sire is light buckskin, while his dam is a medium buckskin. Tam also is 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 had triplets this year, 2 bucks and a doe. The little girl and one of the bucks look quite similar to Willow and similar to two of her bucks in 2017. She also birthed one black buck. This is at least her 3rd year in a row having one black kid. Black is recessive. For this little boy to be black it means he got the black allele from both Tam and Willow. I just love his coloring. He’s black with a white belt and lots of roaning except on his face and lower legs. This little guy is also polled, the other two are horned.

Update: I have updated BW1’s pattern to swiss marked. As he has grown, the lower sections of his legs have really lightened up compared to his body. His tail and buns are also light. We kept BW1 for awhile. He is listed as Wander if you want to check him out. He grew into a darn nice guy.

EUMELANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Willow	BW1	BW2	BW3
Dark Brown	-	-	-	-	-
Black
Unknown	-	-	-	-	-

PHEOMENANIN COLOR

Color	Tam	Willow	BW1	BW2	BW3
White	-	-	–	-	-
Cream	-
Tan		-	-	-	-
Gold	-	-	-	-	-
Red Brown	-	-	-	-	-

AGOUTI LOCUS PATTERN

Pattern	Tam	Willow	BW1	BW2	BW3
Solid	-		-
Chamoisee	-	-	-	-	-
Buckskin		-	-	-	-
Cou Clair/Blanc	-	-	–	-	–
Swiss Marked	-	-		-	-
Sundgau	-	-	-	-	-
Hidden	-	-	–	-	-

WHITE SPOTTING & MODIFIERS

Characteristic	Tam	Willow	BW1	BW2	BW3
Random	-
Belted	-	-		-	-
Schwartzal	-	-	-	-	-
Roaning	-
Frosting
White Poll	-
Moon Spots	-	-	-	-	-

POLLED, OR NOT

Characteristic	Tam	Willow	BW1	BW2	BW3
Polled	-			-	-
Horned		-	-

Science is Fun & Genetics are Fascinating!

Please keep in mind this information is primarily for me. I’m posting it publicly in case others are interested. However, I don’t claim to know all the things. This is my method for keeping records of the genetics because I find it fascinating and I’m trying to educate myself.

#2kpioneer

The post 2018 Willow & Tam Breeding appeared first on .