# Can a goat change color?



## pineyriverfarm (Dec 28, 2011)

I am newbie goat owner. This is a Nigerian buckling born October of this year. This picture was taken shortly after he was born. He looked black and white to me. He is now closer to 2 months old and he looks dark brown now. But, if you look at the hair shaft next to the skin on the dark areas, it is all a light gray or tan color about half way up. I don't know what color to call him. Can a goat actually look totally different as an adult than what he looked like as a baby?

His sire is a tan and black chamoisee and his dam is brown and white spotted. 

The dam had a black and white sister and her mother was white. The sire's mother was white and his father was black and white and the sire had a grey sister.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Being a newbie myself , I really can't give you a answer but , my girl Tricka was a very dark grey and white and black Kidd and the older she got , she turned a very light grey ,white,black....but now she is turning back to her origional color ...
Go figure !


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

A lot of times a brown goat will look black at birth and then change to the brown color. I have an Alpine mix female that is chocolate brown. Her kids always look black when born but then slowly change over to her brown color.

You will probably just end up calling the color brown.


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

Yep I had a little buckling that was that same color. When I bought him we were calling him black but eventually he was more of a dark brown


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## KarmakeeFarm (Jun 3, 2012)

he sure is a cutie! I have a LaMancha doeling that was white when i got her and now at 8 months is a deep red blonde so i am guessing the answer is yes


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## 8566 (Jul 18, 2012)

just be aware that color fading is also a sign of copper def.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Sounds kind of like my buck.

Here's a picture of him at two days old.










Here's him at eight months old.


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## neubunny (Nov 7, 2012)

Our Sparkle (Nigerian) started as white with a scattering of grey spots along her spine. At one year old she started to have red ticking come in -- within a month she looked roan and now (1.5 years) looks more red than white!


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## erisfae (Sep 4, 2012)

Very cute little guy! It's very normal for goats. Actually, it's normal for all animals; my horse, for example, was born pitch black and now is nearly pure white. The only concern, like Elizabeth said, is that fading of color may be a sign of copper deficiency. It's probably just him growing up, but keep an eye out for other signs, like a dry, brittle coat, his hair curling up at the ends and his tail fish-tailing.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

As said before watch for a copper deficiency. Other than that one of my girls (ND) when I saw her baby pic had lots of greyish in her and low and behold as a 1yr old when I went to buy her she is very creamy so light you can hardly see the white spot now.


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## WhisperingWillowNDG (Jul 20, 2011)

Absolutely they can "change" color- especially as young kids. I have an April 2012 doeling that was a classic reddish buckskin until she was 2 months old, then her rear half slowly became darker and darker-- not she looks like her dam-- Swiss marked


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## pineyriverfarm (Dec 28, 2011)

Thanks for all the great answers. I don't think he could have a copper deficency because he has loose mineral made for goats available at all times. I guess it pays to wait before registering your goat because he may not look at all like he was as a baby!


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## 8566 (Jul 18, 2012)

fyi - it just depends on your goats, feed, ..... and what might be blocking the absortion of minerals.

I have loose minerals and kelp out for my goaties and I still have to give copper 2-3 times/year.

So don't put blinders on because you have loose minerals out for them.
Just an FYI.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

What happens when you register the baby as one color and then it end up looking nothing like the description ?


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## pineyriverfarm (Dec 28, 2011)

Is there a test for copper deficeincy? Other than the color change, are there any other indications that your goat is copper deficient. His brother and sister do not seem to be exhibiting the same fading in color. How do you administer the copper? Is it a shot or something that you give orally?


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