Often there are discussions here about what color you're likely to get by breeding animal A with animal B. This calculator is a good way to help you figure out the genetics and what your likely outcome will be. This calculator is set up to accommodate all species.
It's very interesting. Note: If you have no background in genetics, it would be a good idea to review the Color Genetics Terms and the Sheep Color Genetics Primer before continuing on this page. In basic Shetland (meaning most primitive breeds) color genetics, most wool color is determined by two pairs of genes: Agouti and Black/brown.
Are you curious about breeding colored sheep? Today we are looking coat color genetics in sheep and how you can select for a more colorful flock. My interest in sheep color genetics started when our first lambs hit the ground in 1999. We bred our ewes to a moorit (brown--see color terms for definitions of color genetics terms as I use them.) ram and had six moorit lambs, apparently.
But on closer observation, Shaltz Farm Allana had nearly white wool at the skin under brown tips, when she was born. Needless to say, Allana was a puzzle. I.
Shetland Sheepdog coat color genes: Explanation of merele and agouti for interactive calculator. A white sheep may be carrying one of the other genes in the series (most often "self colour") and on average will pass it on to half its lambs. If one of these white "carrier" sheep mates with another white "carrier" sheep, and if the offspring happen to inherit the coloured gene from both parents, the result is coloured lambs.
Coat color can vary widely even within a single species or breed, and can be influenced by a variety of factors including age, diet, and health. In some cases, coat color can also have implications for an animal's health or behavior, as certain coat colors are associated with specific genetic conditions or traits. Q3: What if my animal's color isn't following simple Mendelian genetics? A: Some traits involve multiple genes or incomplete dominance.
This calculator handles simple single-gene traits. Q4: How accurate are these predictions? A: The probabilities are mathematically accurate for the given genotypes, but real. Sheep Color Genetics Primer My discussion here is only about color genetics in sheep.
It is simplified on purpose to make this complex subject a little more clear to those who, like me, have no prior background in biology to help with terminology and concepts. If geneticists stumble across this page and have serious reservations about what I've written, please feel free to email me, holly. This calculator will give you the possible offspring coat colors and their probabilities when given the parents coat color and pattern information.
For a gray sire or dam, you must enter what color the horse was before it went gray as well as check the box labeled gray to the right of your color selection. Calculation accuracy of the offspring color possibilities and probabilities can be.