# Anyone know how spots are passed on?



## DownHome (Jan 20, 2006)

Are the domininant or ressesive? What if you have a spotted sire, would it be better to get a spotted doe or a solid doe? Assuming that you want spots 

downhome


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Your odds are better with spots on both sides of the family tree.


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## oldmcdonaldsfarm (Apr 25, 2003)

My buck is black and white. Both of his parents are spotted, his "twin" sister is spotted. One of my does had a spotted dam. I bred the two hoping to maybe get some spots. Nope! Quads but not a spot on them. They were all gorgeous but no spots. The breeder told me that she has only gotten spots if both parents are spotted.


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## Blue Oak Ranch (Aug 23, 2005)

I like the spots. 

From my observation, at least one parent has to be spotted. It seems to be a expressed dominant trait, in that a goat has to be showing some spots to pass it on. It doesn't seem to matter how many spots, or the size of the spots, or distribution - there has to be at least one. I have a buck that I was never sure whether that one white mark was a spot or not....and it was. He threw a couple of spotted kids out of does with no family history of spots. If you have a goat with a white belt or other white patches, they can hide spots, which is what I think has happened with Ransom. So, spots bred to no spots will give you spots occasionally. 

When I've bred two spotted parents, I've ended up with several no-spots! Funny, that. There must be some type of dosing gene, or other combinant factors. I've noticed that the spots from two spotted parents can be different in size - sometimes, there's fewer, larger spots, sort of a washout effect. 

Interesting stuff....I haven't read up on it anywhere, but it'd be neat to find out. 

Now, the frosted/non frosted ears seems to be more straightforward - simple recessive. 

Cheers!

Katherine


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## LOC (Sep 10, 2007)

I have a spotted buck and solid does. I ended up with spotted babies everywhere. Every year I get one solid baby and the rest are spotted. I have no idea how it works because it's apparently working differently than I was told lol. It's okay with me because people over like the spotted goats.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Belly bands on my nubians were passed to all offspring from a belly band buck. I now have a spotted buck and I get about half spots but my spots are coming in all color ranges not just Black w/ white spots like Daddy. I have buff w/ white on a male+ black with buffspots on twin female...mom is brown....a boy and a girl black with whitespots just like Daddy....black seems to be a more dominant color but I've had all colors possible including a Rose/gray dapple....


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## AmericanGoatGrl (Apr 10, 2008)

I would say that spots would be recessive otherwise every time you bred a spotted goat the offspring would be spotted. I don't believe that at least one parent has to have spots in order to produce spotted kids. I've had solid goats bred to solid goats produce spotted kids. In fact, I had a doe kid a week ago - the doe is solid with frosted ears and muzzle. She was bred to my buck which is solid with a belly splash that is quite small. He has a dark dorsal stripe. The resulting offspring were spotted like baby deer. I have idea where the spots came from because I have never produced spots like that before. My luck, the doe was sold before she kid.  

If you're trying for spots, and that's the basis for the question - I would pair up goats that have some color markings - (non solid goats). You'll increase the chances of spots if you start with spotted parents, but they too can throw solids. Esp. if they are Nubians.


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

There are herd with generations of spotted animals. The pretty white moon spots on brown, black and white (ick) and those who have liver spots. If you are dead set on spots, buy from those doing it. Because spotted can also throw solid. Obviously no science behind it but in nubains pattern does seem to be passed.

The only thing with color that isn't recessive in Nubians is white. You will rarely not have white in some form on your kids if the parents have white on them, be it belts, splashes, spots or even roaning. Once you have any white, you rarely will ever then have a true solid goat.

I am not a fan of spots, but I do love belts and splashes. Vicki


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## DW Farms (Jun 23, 2007)

Well I had spots this year, the sire was a Red fullblood boer, and the mother was a 50% Sannen/Boer, Im assuming the spots have came from the sire, because the sannen was all white, so is the mother to these kids,

Here some pictures


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Moon spots? please elaborate! 

My spots are irregular such as those pictured.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

What gorgeous kids! I once had a beautiful black with white spots doeling off my solid brown Nubian bred to a red buck.

I don't think it matters oh so much what the parents look like in Nubians, because they can also be inheriting from grandparents or on back.

My Oreo Nubian always gives me drop-dead gorgeous black and white bucks, but her does are pretty much solid black every time, with only some tan trim. Once she had a solid blond doeling.

mary


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

DW farms, I love those babies & their spots! Just the cutest!!


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

I used a spotted Nubian buck this year (he actually has spots,stripes,and splashes)I use him over Boer does with one color gene. I got some interesting kids to say the least.I think DW farms got some of my kids.All of his kids had color and a spot or two. I only got one with the white belly splash.Added some interest to the pasture full of red and white.


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## Guest (Apr 11, 2008)

Regardless of whether spotting is recessive or dominant, it's actually caused by genes that inhibit complete expression of a color. 

In other words, a black and white spotted goat/cat/mouse/whatever is genetically black, but a color inhibiting gene has prevented the black from developing in some patches on the body. Those inhibited patches are white because no color is expressed, even though the color gene is there.

There are several different genes for broken color, so it may be that those of you who get different results from similar matings are dealing with different genes, or combinations of more than one broken gene.


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## celticfarmgal (Feb 25, 2008)

mpillow said:


> Belly bands on my nubians were passed to all offspring from a belly band buck. I now have a spotted buck and I get about half spots but my spots are coming in all color ranges not just Black w/ white spots like Daddy. I have buff w/ white on a male+ black with buffspots on twin female...mom is brown....a boy and a girl black with whitespots just like Daddy....black seems to be a more dominant color but I've had all colors possible including a Rose/gray dapple....


Wow I would love to see pics of a dapple goat sounds really cool


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Hope was sold last Fall but I'll try to find a pic of her...In the mean time I found this...
http://www.goatspots.com/genetics.htm


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Well I guess I have moon spots after all!

here is a pic similar to a bred FF that I have (black w/ tan spots Heidi)
http://deerspringsfarm.com/fainters.htm
And I have tan spots (1-2 small ones) on a wether from last year and a doeling(all black ears too) from the same breeding pair this year, whose twin (doeling) is black with white spots and ears.
Seems I have gotten a wide range....the Nubian Saanan doelings were colorful as well.

I wasn't going for color but more milking genetics.....


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## celticfarmgal (Feb 25, 2008)

Wow I hope my Lamancha has some colored babies she is cream colored solid but the other Lamancha I have had 2 bucklings one very dark brown almost black with a white spot on his head and one white front foot , the other is the color of a chocolate bar with a white band almost all the way around his belly and toggenburg type markings


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Here's my buck when he was little
http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/mpillow/?action=view&current=BigShotRuby.jpg
And some of the girls....the gray one is in it but back to and the lighting is bright..
http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/mpillow/?action=view&current=goatees.jpg
here's a better one but in "real life" she looked pinkish gray, her mom is the black one behind her
http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/mpillow/?action=view&current=098c4bb7.jpg


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