In other random news, there was a small chance Jetta's baby could have been palomino or smoky black. Neither colors that I was really excited about, although overall I'd just like a healthy baby. I don't know what Mirabeau's color genetics are, besides the obvious that he's homozygous for the cream gene (CrCr), but he could be homozygous dominant or recessive, or heterozygous (AA, aa, or Aa) for agouti. Supposedly Mirabeau doesn't throw smoky blacks, so that would indicate that he's AA. However, I didn't know Jetta's color genes, and since I'm obsessed with how color genes work I decided to find out!
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| I caved and bought Jetta a(nother) pretty new saddle pad |
I submitted a hair sample to be tested for agouti and red factor. She came back homozygous dominant for both (so AA and EE). This means that she cannot throw any other color but bay unless it has another modifier (cream gene, dun, gray, etc.). So no chestnut or black babies ever.
In case you aren't obsessed as much as me with color genes... There are three main horse color bases - red (chestnut), bay, and black. Black and red are the red factor gene, and black is dominant to chestnut. So if they are Ee (one black gene and one red, but homozygous recessive agouti) they will be black but have the ability to have a chestnut foal. If they have two dominant EE genes, they are homozygous black and cannot throw a chestnut. Homozygous red is ee.
Bay is carried by the agouti gene, but they have to have at one black gene (Ee or EE) and then have at least one agouti gene (Aa or AA) to be bay.
It's just interesting in case I ever decide to breed Jetta again... and now I know for sure that my little nugget is buckskin! Baby nugget's color genes will be Ee/AA/nCr so 100% buckskin!
More fun with color crosses can be had here: http://www.animalgenetics.us/Equine/CCalculator1.asp
Got Jetta a new salt lick... she's obsessed:
And finally, I'm still trying to decide on names for baby nugget. Any thoughts or ideas? The registered name is already set in stone, but I'm still torn about other names. I really like Midas if it's a colt, but I have no clue for a filly.
Registered name: Merely Gold (by Mirabeau out of Gold Jet Away)
Boy names: Midas, Milo
Girl names: Marigold, Mirabelle, Melody, Marilyn, Maisie, Mira (pronounced meer-uh), Macy, Margarita
- Don't like: Molly, Milly, Mia, Misty, Missy
Any name ideas?
I had Sadie tested for red when she was younger. She has a brown parent and a bay parent and is very brown herself so I was really hopefully she didn't carry red. Alas, no luck, she does have a red gene. She's had one bay foal by a bay stallion (who also had a red gene) and I'm pretty sure Presto is brown, by a bay stallion (with no red gene). Presto looks almost identical to her color when she was a foal. I love the color genetics stuff!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm one of the few people that want a chestnut, I wish Jetta had a red gene! I was eyeballing a couple chestnut stallions for if I ever decided to breed again with hopes for a chestnut baby.
DeleteI like the name Mira! And that pad is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSo far that's my top name pick with Marigold a close second. And the pad is an even better color in person <3
DeleteI am fascinated by color genetics and really don't understand them all that well. Thanks for this little tip!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I vote Midas or Mirabelle for barn names :)
ReplyDelete