Lizzy733
Loving the herd life
Hello All,
I've only just started flipping my flock over to shedding sheep, starting out with 3 Wiltshire ewe bottle babies and have just decided to add in 2 Blackshire ewe lambs as well.
Is there anyone here that has a firm understand of how the black coloration gene works? From my understanding, it sounds like a true black wiltshire is a sport of two white parents and super rare, while most on the market will be a diluted cross, explaining their sheds sometimes being less than perfect. I'm just assuming the girls we are getting would be in the latter category considering the scarcity that seems to surround a genuine black Wiltshire.
Does anyone know the genetics behind the black\white fleece and what percentages can be expected in offspring under various cross situations?
Ex: white\white x white\white producing 100% white lambs
Etc etc ..
Is there a recessive or dilute at play? Are there any discolorations in whites that may indicate a recessive black gene through leakage? I am a nerd at heart and really curious if we run these black girls with a white ram, what we can expect from the offspring and vice versa if we run a black ram over our white ewes.
If anyone is in the know on this, do share.
I've only just started flipping my flock over to shedding sheep, starting out with 3 Wiltshire ewe bottle babies and have just decided to add in 2 Blackshire ewe lambs as well.
Is there anyone here that has a firm understand of how the black coloration gene works? From my understanding, it sounds like a true black wiltshire is a sport of two white parents and super rare, while most on the market will be a diluted cross, explaining their sheds sometimes being less than perfect. I'm just assuming the girls we are getting would be in the latter category considering the scarcity that seems to surround a genuine black Wiltshire.
Does anyone know the genetics behind the black\white fleece and what percentages can be expected in offspring under various cross situations?
Ex: white\white x white\white producing 100% white lambs
Etc etc ..
Is there a recessive or dilute at play? Are there any discolorations in whites that may indicate a recessive black gene through leakage? I am a nerd at heart and really curious if we run these black girls with a white ram, what we can expect from the offspring and vice versa if we run a black ram over our white ewes.
If anyone is in the know on this, do share.
