Red, Black, Brown Pool in Colored Angora Goats Genetics

Silver R/B/B pool goat (with frosted ears and nose)

Red Black Brown Pool:

The Red/Black/Brown Pool (R/B/B) gets is color from genes located on the Extension locus. This color locus is more dominant than the Black/pattern pool agouti locus. Goats in this pool are typically a shade of red, black or brown as the name describes. The black often fades to gray. These goats are usually a solid color, but may have some variation of the shade of that color in their fleece. They do not have the predictable patterns present in the black/pattern pool. White spotting patterns do occur in these goats (in the black/pattern pool as well), but that is controlled by a different set of genes.

A goat having the right genes on the Extension locus will express that color, even it is has color genes on the Agouti locus that would have given it a black/pattern pool color. There are 3 genes for color on the Extension locus. Black is the most dominant, if 1 black is present, with red or wild as the second gene, black will be expressed. Red needs 2 red genes to be expressed. Wild does not express color, but opens up the opportunity for color genes at agouti locus to be expressed. This is the reason the R/B/B pool is also known as the dominant pool. The goat does need to get the right Extension genes from both parents to show color, so these genes are not dominant in the usual genetic sense where 1 dominant gene expresses the trait.

Reading through the pedigree is the easiest way to see which pool (or the potential for both pools) the goat will likely produce color with. For the R/B/B pool, look for these colors in the pedigree. A predominance of these colors increases the likelihood that the goat will produce color when bred to another goat in this pool.

Reds, blacks and brown goats can produce any of the 3 colors. Genetically, brown in the red/black/brown pool is actually a shade of red. 

Brown goats in the Red/black/brown pool can be differentiated from brown goats that get their color from the Brown locus by checking for black fibers. The Brown locus changes normally black color in a goat to a shade of brown, so no black will be present on a goat. R/B/B pool browns will typically have black hairs somewhere on their body. These hairs can be found in the fleece on some goats, but are easiest to see on the tail, legs and face. Presence of black hair shows that the goat is in the red/black/brown pool, because black can not be present on a brown locus goat. However, the inability to find black hairs does not prove that the goat's brown color is from the brown locus. At this time, brown angora goats are most likely a shade of red. The best way to eventually prove that a goat gets brown color from the brown locus would be to have a reverse badger where the black areas are instead a shade of brown. (brown or tan at the normally light white area does not qualify.) Toggenburg dairy goats are a good example of brown locus brown goats. 

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Hot Chocolate Mix Farm Style

Hot Chocolate Mix:

I love hot chocolate, especially mixed with coffee, for a home made mocha. I wanted a mix that was free from the additives in most commercial mixes and did a recipe search online. I started with a recipe from Alton Brown. It was overly sweet, so I did some tweaking and came up with my personal Farm Style recipe.

This is a grown up hot chocolate. It has a rich, complex flavor and is just sweet enough without being overpowering. I recommend trying different types of powdered milk til you find your favorite. I personally like buttermilk powder the best, it provides a slightly acidic flavor that complements the cocoa nicely.

Ingredients:

3 cups Powdered Buttermilk (Whole or fat-free powdered milk may be substituted)
1 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder
1 cup Turbinado Sugar
2 tsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Salt (may omit)
1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder

Mix all ingredients together until completed combined. Store in an airtight container.

Place 3 or 4 Tablespoons into a mug. Pour in hot milk, hot water or coffee. Mix well and enjoy!

Powdered milk options include non-fat or fat free, whole milk, and buttermilk. Non fat comes in instant (which dissolves quicker) and regular, it has a longer shelf life because it doesn't contain fat. Whole milk makes a more filling cup. I really like the flavor that powdered buttermilk adds to the mix.

Turbinado sugar is widely available under the brand name "sugar in the raw." It is a less processed sugar and still contains the molasses that is removed in refined sugar, providing a more complex flavor. The crystals are larger and may take a bit more stirring to fully dissolve. Regular or powdered sugar may be used instead.

Tan Solid in the Black/Pattern Pool - Agouti

Tan Solid:

There are agouti genes that will produce tan solids, solids are also called "no pattern." Colors range from cream to tan to light reds. This is considered a more dominant color in the black/pattern pool genetically in articles by Phil Sponenberg.

These goats usually fade to a white or "not quite white." This provides an additional means for producing a white goat. Because it is genetically more dominant than the patterns, it is one of the reasons many cross pool kids are white.

It is important to know specifics of the pedigree on these animals before making breeding decisions to make sure they are in the black/pattern pool. The majority of brown and red angora goats, especially those that retain their color, get their color from the Red/Black/Brown pool Extension locus.

I bred a my badger doe to my gray and white pinto buck and got this tan and white pinto buckling pictured below. His twin is a badger doeling. 

Peacock Pattern in Colored Angora Goats

Peacock:

This pattern is referred to as peacock because of the light front end and dark backend of the goats. It is a pretty pattern, and produces a fleece with colors similar to the badger pattern, but with a higher percent of gray/black color than a badger.

Peacock differs from Badger in that from the loin back, there is a large amount of gray/black present. The neck, chest, and front half of the barrel are white, cream or tan.  There are black or gray stripes on the face and the lower legs are black. The black/gray from the rear abdomen extends up the barrel and the gray from the topline extends downward in varying degrees on individuals. Some are almost solid black/gray on the rear end while others have a tan area  in the middle. The back leg from hock to stifle is usually cream/tan.

These goats are in the black/pattern pool genetically, with the genes that produce color located on the Agouti locus. They should produce color and pattern when bred to a goat in this pool.

This pattern is called Cou Clair (tan or cream) or Cou Blanc (white) in alpines.

Solid Black in the Black/Pattern Pool

Solid Black:

Solid goats are also referred to as "no pattern." Solid black goats can range from true black, to gray to light silver. Usually they are born with a black birth coat and then often fade to a lighter color as their mohair grows in. 

Solid black/gray goats are present in both the black/pattern pool and the red/black/brown pool, but each pool gets it's color differently. In the black/pattern pool, the color is from genes on the Agouti locus. It is impossible to tell what pool they belong to simply by looking at a solid black/gray goat. Looking through the pedigree to see what colors and patterns are present is the easiest way to make an educated guess as to which pool they get their color from. Another way is to breed the animal to a goat from either pool and see what color is produced in the kids. 

In the black/pattern pool, the solid black/gray (no pattern) is considered to be genetically more recessive to the other patterns on the Agouti locus. However, they are relatively common in the current colored angora black/pattern pool population. 

Reverse Badger Angora Goat - Black/Pattern Pool

Reverse Badger:

Also known as Light Belly. These goats fall in the black/pattern pool genetically and have color genes on the Agouti locus that are expressed as this pattern.

This is my daughters favorite pattern. Their fleeces are a nice way to get 2 colors in one fleece. Typically a shade of gray with a smaller amount of white or cream. I have seen pictures of a few goats that have red in place of the black/gray color.

The main body, including the neck is black or gray. There are white or tan stripes on the face, usually a single bar on each side extending from the poll to the lip, running forward of the eyes. They have a white or tan belly which often extends up toward the tail, and white or tan stripes on legs. Sometimes there is white or tan hair at the jawline.

This Reverse Badger doe also has the white spotting pattern of frosting on her ears and on the top of her nose.

This pattern is called Sundgau in alpine goats.

Badger Pattern

Badger:

Also called Badger face and Dark belly

This is my favorite of the patterns. I love the combination of light tan and gray. I got my first badger last fall. She had a badger doe kid this year, so now I have two! I like to use the fleece in it's natural color to make a cream and white lock spun yarn.

The main body is a tan or cream color. There is a gray or black dorsal stripe on the top line. The belly is gray or black and this may extend up on part of the chest and up toward the tail. Sometimes there is a gray or black martingale around the lower neck. The lower legs are tan/cream with black stripes. The ears are usually tan with gray edges. Their faces are tan with dark nose and mouth and dark stripes extending from the nose to the poll, usually passing above the eye.

Badgers seem to be most likely to have the solid tan or light red color pattern in their kids. I bred my badger doe to a grey and white pinto buck last fall. This spring she had twins, her badger doeling and a tan and white pinto buckling.

In dairy goats, especially French Alpines, this pattern is called chamoisee. The caramel pattern in pygmies is similar, though in pygmies the dark belly is variable.