# Cou Clair -inheritance-



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

So I took a little break since I had a major tragedy with my beautiful little Lavender baby (she got loose and into the neighbors yard where she ate poisoned chicken feed and died suddenly... It was devastating)

My herd was down to 1 (my original orphan) and I needed a second goat to keep her company. I finally found something decent... I love everything about her except her color! She is a very pretty pale buckskin based Cou Clair...

My barn name is "Blaxploitations" and I raise pretty much all black animals. I have a "black, white, and shades of grey" theme... And I am starting my new hiking tours as "Black Unicorn Adventures" ...so he doesn't quite fit the color scheme. I know it's elitist and all, but I like continuity, and she really doesn't fit in the color scheme. I got her because of the available goats she was the best and smartest choice... Plus she picked me.

Literally she came up and threw herself in my lap and has to be touching me constantly. Which is weird, because she was NOT bottle raised not previously known to be especially interested in people other than feeding time. She never got a ton of attention, so it's odd she just decided "this human is my mom!" (She is 12 weeks old!) anyway, the more I look at her, the more I like everything about her -except her color- she is pretty but it's just not a look I care much for. But as I said, I am in love with EVERYTHING else about her. Fantastic conformation, pretty face, long neck, big pretty eyes, long straight legs, and she is an athlete... Plus she is just HUGE! She is daughter of the top milk producer and you can see she has a well developed mammary for her age, plus I want a hiking companion and she won't let me more than 15 feet away from her... And she is going to be nearly 200lbs, already she is twice the size of my orphan! Just massive for a goat this age (purebred alpine) and bigger is better for the future plans... 

But the color REALY doesn't work for the future goals. (A branded product, she just doesn't fit the signature of the brand!) since I like everything else about her, I am curious how easy it will be to get black based offspring out of her?

I am not overly familiar with Cou Clair inheritance patterns. What do I have to breed her to in order to get a nice solid black-based offspring? (Aside from the obvious: breed her to a black) and how dominant is this color pattern of hers? Is it easy to breed away from?


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Um no, not really depending. Do you know what color her parents were? 

Isn't this all you really need to know "I got her because of the available goats she was the best and smartest choice... Plus she picked me". Just make it work out.


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

Oh it really is, but I'm a planner, and trying to figure out where she works in the bigger picture. She may be the oddball, I have a strange fondness for those, but she also has a future I need to try to figure out. Since she is likely going to be a milker, and that means she will need to be bred, I kind of want to plan what I should breed her to... And brace myself for how many of them will have to find new places to live.


----------



## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Cou Blancs, Cou Clairs, and Chamoisee are very dominant colors for Alpines. And it's really is a wash. You can breed her to a solid black and maybe get a rich Cou Clair, or a Cou Blanc, or even a broken black, but the chances of her throwing solid black kids is more on the slim side. You can keep her doe kids and breed them to another solid black buck to get more of the influence into her kids kids, then you may get some blacks, or you may not, and keep repeating the cycle.


----------



## glndg (Feb 8, 2013)

Dye her black.


----------



## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

I thought I was the only one who would immediately think of that, glndg - LOL!

Seriously, though ... would it be harmful to wipe her down with a temporary black hair rinse? Has anybody ever tinted a goat for a costume show or something like that?
I would be afraid to try the permanent stuff, but the rinses seem fairly innocuous, at least as far as I can tell. 
'Just curious ..


----------



## Naunnie (Jul 4, 2014)

Made me laugh glndg! :applaud: Greybird I wonder if the "black henna" aka Indigo would work. The true stuff does not have any chemicals and doesn't wash out! I've seen dyed Poodles and White Pigeons, but never a Goat!


----------



## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

Some lines can carry black recessives.  For example, I have two Cou Clair does-full sisters-that I bred to a Lavender Cou Clair buck. They produced chocolates, very dark Cou Clairs, and blacks.
Do you know what colors her parents/grandparents are?


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

LOL about dying her!!! 
I dyed my greyhound to look like a Cheetah (used vegetable based non-toxic dye) and I used henna and indigo dye to take the sun bleach out of one of my black horses... I would totally be the person to do it! LOL

I wish I knew more about her lineage, I just got her from the dairy's herd reduction. Her mother is the same color and the biggest goat they have. I have no idea what her sire line has, bred for size and milk production... She is very pretty and sweet, but that doesn't help with knowing what color genes she has. 

I could always do the breeding to black and keep breeding back thing, that is kind of a plan, and I am having less "omg it doesn't fit with the signature of the product experience" moments the longer I have her...she is SUCH a total doll!


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

Since she moved in, she is so charming and sweet (total lap goat, and a face licker) she doesn't just have to be near you, she has to be TOUCHING me! She loves leaning on me and pressing her sides into my legs while she is grazing and I am doing yard stuff... 

Her name is "Burlesque" because she kinda looks like she is wearing underware, with gloves and stockings, and eye liner, and is a flirt... Plus she is extremely large udders for her age (she is from the goat dairys top producer) so she will likely have quite a mammary system on her.... It just suddenly fit


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

She is so sweet looking, I would not worry about the color, i love the face. 

With the black in her bred to a black buck she might get black babies.


----------



## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

Wow! She's beautiful. I'm so jealous she's not in my herd.


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

Thanks you guys!
I breed Arabian horses, her head is one of my favorite things about her. That and she has this elegant long neck and legs and a way of moving that is more "strut" than walk... And since I do hikes, her size is awesome also (she is going to be huge, her mom is 200lbs, and she is looking like she will get that big!) 

I love absolutely everything but the paint job... And even that is not terrible, it's growing on me a bit!


----------



## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

What a cutie! She looks so sweet


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

http://www.hasitall.com/genetics/

I'm posting this link so I don't loose track of it!
I love the chart!


----------



## Zarreebe (Jun 8, 2014)

BlaqueUnicornAdventures said:


> http://www.hasitall.com/genetics/
> 
> I'm posting this link so I don't loose track of it!
> I love the chart!


Great chart, but it is for Nigerians. Colour inheritance can work differently in different breeds. For example in dogs black is dominant in greyhounds (K at the K locus) but recessive in German Shepherds (aa at the A locus) - same phenotype but different genes behind the phenotype in the different breeds.

Similarly - while black in most goat breeds is recessive - there is apparently a dominant black gene in the Angora breed. So that could be one solution for you - if you can find a black Angora - and don't mind losing some size and milk production in the offspring.
Cheers,
Tom


----------



## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

she is beautiful!!! I'd say, you wont' know what colours she throws until she's bred. maybe find a buck with lots of black and sundgau in his history and hope for the best?


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

She is starting to make herself at home!


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

She is loving the hiking thing!
Her sweet disposition is making her a favorite of the clients as well


----------



## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

She sounds like a "dream goat"! She is lovely, and I like the name too!


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

She's so pretty, and it's so pretty where you live! Your goats probably love it! All my goats get is flat, dry land!


----------



## clementegal (May 23, 2013)

Amandanicole said:


> She's so pretty, and it's so pretty where you live! Your goats probably love it! All my goats get is flat, dry land!


I bet you don't have to worry about parasites as much!

Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

Eh... Depends on the year we had a bad rainfall earlier this year, and the parasites were everywhere after it!


----------



## BlaqueUnicornAdventures (May 14, 2014)

A couple of my friends who also have dairy goats has commented on how lovely she is, but really it's the exceptional personality... She is so naturally calm and laid back. To a point that is actually fairly odd for an alpine. Just the most easy going goat ever... And ALL sweetness, not sassy or spoiled brat like my super cheeky little orphan (the solid black one) is!


----------

