Colour again, Grey 😁

[tinkeralison]

So I have sat and read the post by Heather about colour genetics. I want to maximise my chances of a grey foal. Alice has a grey mum (Doris 😍) and black father (Jack)

The stallion I was thinking of using on Alice this year is black,  but has two grey parents. Does that mean he will be gg (don't go grey), so would not be able to pass on the grey gene?

Help from the scientists please 😁

[Fi]

If Alice has only one grey gene (G) and one non grey (g) then she could pass either option on to her foal.

If you use a non grey stallion (gg) then can only pass on non grey, so your foal has a 1in 4 chance of going grey.

If you use a grey stallion he’s probably going to be Gg so could pass on either and you have a 50:50 chance of a grey foal.

I suspect it’s unlikely you could find a grey stallion that’s got both grey genes (GG) which would ensure grey foalies. Not sure if that isn’t one of those lethal combinations that people talk about?

Quite an interesting thread on Great Allrounders FB Page yesterday about grey colour.

[tinkeralison]

Thanks Fi, yes just been looking at that thread. Well I have more or less made my choice now, so suppose I'll get what I'm given 😂😂

[Fi]

Am sure it’ll be gorgeous whatever colour!

[Debbie]

I haven't seen the thread on FB, but Fi's right, the odds would be 1 in 4 with Alice and a black stallion. I'd thought people didn't want GGs because they went white fairly fast? I didn't realize there was a lethal gene in the mix? I thought the lethal white happened in paint/pinto horses? So Piebalds and Skewbalds?

I agree with Fi, it's going to be a gorgeous baby no matter the colour

[Fi]

I’ve no idea about a lethal combination really, it was just a vague recollection of a comment about roans that I wondered if it applied to grey too.

I didn’t know that GG went white quicker than Gg, interesting!

[Debbie]

I'm not really sure if GG's do go white faster than the Ggs or if it's another myth? Is roaning another lethal gene as well? All these lethal colours, but I only vaguely remember the lethal white. I rather forgot about it, because I've never owned pintos/paints, skewbalds/pies, so I never paid that much attention? And that's another question.... I know we have it here in America with the Paints and Pintos for sure, so those among Quarter Horse, mustang types, but does the lethal white color gene show in the Pies and Skewbalds in the UK?? Like among the Gypsy cobs? I admit, I'd never paid attention, so now I'm curious

...Well the lethal Roan is a myth, at least for Quarter Horses. List of Homozygous Roan Stallions www.hancockhorses.com/homoz-roan.html

"Although it has been suggested that Roan is a homozygous lethal, evidence from the Quarter Horse breed indicates otherwise. Production records have documented the existence of Roan Quarter Horses that produce 100% Roan foals. DNA tests have confirmed homozygosity in the genomic region that contains the Roan gene. " from UC Davis Veterinary Medicine www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/Roan.php

I did look, but couldn't find any info regarding lethal gene for greys?