# Breeding for color



## lazykranch (Dec 18, 2012)

Ok I'm trying to figure our how to breed for dapples or paint in Boer goats. I seem to find no logic to it. Is there a special trick?


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## HamiltonAcresBoers (May 9, 2012)

lazykranch said:


> Ok I'm trying to figure our how to breed for dapples or paint in Boer goats. I seem to find no logic to it. Is there a special trick?


Cross breeding. Dapples are not a natural color for the boer breed. It was culled out my South Africans when the breed began.


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## lazykranch (Dec 18, 2012)

HamiltonAcresBoers said:


> Cross breeding. Dapples are not a natural color for the boer breed. It was culled out my South Africans when the breed began.


I'm so used to horses and them being homozygous for color or spots or patched. Guess it would be the same in goats. But it's not.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Dapples are dominant, so a goat will have to have them in order to pass them on. Breeding dappled to non dappled...you have a 50/50 chance for dapples. Breeding dappled to dappled will increase your chances of producing dapples. As for the paint pattern...i'm not sure how genetics work with that.


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## lazykranch (Dec 18, 2012)

KW Farms said:


> Dapples are dominant, so a goat will have to have them in order to pass them on. Breeding dappled to non dappled...you have a 50/50 chance for dapples. Breeding dappled to dappled will increase your chances of producing dapples. As for the paint pattern...i'm not sure how genetics work with that.


I have a daughter of a dapple that is a caped traditional with spots in her coat & dark hairs everywhere in her undercoat. Her mother was a traditional. We have her bred to out paint buck that was out of two traditional parents. I have researched even on generation back further and the buck has solid red & paint background. The doe has a solid & dappled background. So it will be interesting.


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## ogfabby (Jan 3, 2013)

I want dapples soooo bad. I just think they are pretty. I am too dang picky with conformation though and I just can't spend that amount of $$ on a dapple w subpar body structure. The ones around here don't look good body wise and the ones that look good body wise are too dang far...oh, and ridiculously expensive.


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## lazykranch (Dec 18, 2012)

ogfabby said:


> I want dapples soooo bad. I just think they are pretty. I am too dang picky with conformation though and I just can't spend that amount of $$ on a dapple w subpar body structure. The ones around here don't look good body wise and the ones that look good body wise are too dang far...oh, and ridiculously expensive.


I know what you mean. The doe we have isn't a show goat but she is as close as we could get to nice for a decent price. Her build matches what we need with our buck to improve his flaws. She's a bit goofy in the mind but I've had way worse. I'm just hoping she keeps passing on at least the black coloring but the spots would be nice also.


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

I had a gorgeous black and white dappled doeling pop up in my Boer herd. Neither parent was dappled. Mother was black with a few roan type hairs and dad was a black headed Traditional. Doeling came out a wildly dappled black and white. No idea where those dapples came from.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

^The sire or dam has them. A moon spot can be as small as just a few hairs. They also can hide underneath white.


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## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

Actually, the Boer breed started out with color, but the Africans started culling all colored Boers. I know this because i recently wrote a research paper on this for school. Here's a link that explains where we get FULLBLOOD dappled Boers: http://www.maxboergoats.com/dappledandspotted.php It is under the Brief History of the Boer Goat. This page will also give you pointers on how to breed for dapples. Highly recommend it.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Wow...just saw this doe. I think this is even more spotted than the buck in my OP. She's almost totally covered!


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