Simply because I find it fascinating, I’ve been researching the science behind Nigerian Dwarf Goat coat colors and patterns. I have discovered it is quite complex. But for this post, I’ll start with the basics of genetics.
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.
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.
Georgia was a first freshener this year, so I was excited to see what her babies would look like and what kind of mom she would be. The babies are darling and she is a great mom.
We just brought Bunny home last summer, so this was our first experience with breeding her. Her coloring is similar to Willow’s, so I was interested to see the similarities and differences between their kids.
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.