Colour genetics help - also in Breeding

martlin

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I've posted this in Breeding, but more traffic here, so I hope for some more answers :)

It is a bit of an idle wondering, really, but it does have its purpose, you see my OH is a farmer and is adamant what he doesn't want in our foals... It might seem pretty ridiculous to you, and it does to me, for a good horse is never the wrong colour, but as time goes by I am more and more inclined to make little concessions for the sake of a quiet life.
So, purely on colour basis, as the pedigree usefulness etc is established and we have no argument over that, I need your help.
I have a grey mare, she is by a bay stallion out of a grey mare, she has to date produced 2 foals, one greyed out from black, the other is 1 day old and will very obviously be grey but at the moment is sort of bay-ish.
1st foal was by a bay stallion, second is by a grey.
If I was to put her to another bay stallion, what sort of colour options am I faced with?

Sorry for the rambling and thanks for any help
 

s4sugar

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She is heterozygous for grey so any foal she has by a non grey stallion has a 50% change of getting the grey gene from her.
If she is put to another grey the odds become 75% if the stallion is heterozygous or 100% grey if he is homozygous.
 

martlin

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She is heterozygous for grey so any foal she has by a non grey stallion has a 50% change of getting the grey gene from her.
If she is put to another grey the odds become 75% if the stallion is heterozygous or 100% grey if he is homozygous.
Thanks for that, so, with a bay stallion, who's parents were both bay, there is 50% of grey foal, the question is, what is the other 50%? ;)
 

Meowy Catkin

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I have replied in breeding. :) If you really want to know, it might be worth getting her DNA tested for base colour (EE = black, Ee = looks black, but has one 'hidden' chestnut gene or ee = chestnut) and for Agouti (A = bay and At = seal brown, but remember these genes only show on a black coat and are 'hidden' on a chestnut).
 

martlin

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I have replied in breeding. :) If you really want to know, it might be worth getting her DNA tested for base colour (EE = black, Ee = looks black, but has one 'hidden' chestnut gene or ee = chestnut) and for Agouti (A = bay and At = seal brown, but remember these genes only show on a black coat and are 'hidden' on a chestnut).

To be honest, all this fuss is generally about not getting a chestnut foal :eek: I'm not fussed enough to have her DNA tested, but my OH is, well, gingerist :eek: Now, he believes that with grey stallion she will always produce a grey foal, and in his opinion with a bay it is 50/50 bay/grey :rolleyes: I don't particularly want to educate him, because I would have to educate myself beyond just knowing it's not that simple, lol. If I could just tell him how likely it is to have a chestnut foal from that combo, that would do me nicely :eek: :D
 

Meowy Catkin

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Ok to guarantee a non chestnut foal is easy. :D

You need to find a stallion that is homozygous for black, or (if you don't mind the possibility of the foal being born chestnut and then greying out) a stallion that's homozygous for grey. Or a double dilute stallion (eg creamello, pearlino or smoky cream) etc.. there are plenty of options.

PS. Chestnut is my favourite colour. :p

ETA, Many stallions have been colour tested, a quick search brought up these homozygous black stallions. :)
http://www.stallionsonline.co.uk/search.php?ss=homozygous+black
 
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martlin

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Ok to guarantee a non chestnut foal is easy. :D

You need to find a stallion that is homozygous for black, or (if you don't mind the possibility of the foal being born chestnut and then greying out) a stallion that's homozygous for grey. Or a double dilute stallion (eg creamello, pearlino or smoky cream) etc.. there are plenty of options.

PS. Chestnut is my favourite colour. :p

ETA, Many stallions have been colour tested, a quick search brought up these homozygous black stallions. :)
http://www.stallionsonline.co.uk/search.php?ss=homozygous+black
LOL! I personally am not colourist, and would like to order exactly the same recipe this time round, which Casanova du Domaine Z, but my OH is absolutely smitten with another stallion - Danny Kannan. Whilst I like the pedigree and it is a nice stallion, I sort of would rather go for something older, regardless of colour... Having said that, he did offer to pay the stud fee for Danny Kannan, and well, every little helps ;)
 
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