Each breed of animal has a unique genetic DNA code. For any particular breed of livestock the genetic code for a particular trait is located in a unique location (locus). This location can be found by specialist firms.
The results will be one of the following:
Homozygous coloured – A Coloured Down carrying only genetics for coloured wool. These animals will present coloured wool.
Homozygous white – A Coloured Down carrying only genetics for white wool. These animals will present white wool as will all their offspring.
Heterozygous – A Coloured Down carrying both coloured and white wool genes. These sheep will present as white wooled as the white gene is dominant at the Agouti locus. Offspring of these animals can present either white or coloured wool depending on the genetics of their mate.
This information allows breeders to make informed choices in their breeding plans and select for the traits which they want to encourage in their flock. The breed Association will be available to help breeders with this interpretation if it is desired.
Experimentation with Coloured Down sheep has shown that the genetics appear to work in exactly the same way between Coloured and White Down sheep as Coloured and white Ryeland sheep.
The circles beneath each sheep show which genes the sheep is carrying.
Homozygous means a matching pair of white or a matching pair of coloured genes.
Heterozygous means the sheep is carrying one of each colour gene, white and coloured.
The diagram below shows how you might get a coloured lamb from a crossing of two white sheep.
The diagram below shows the genetics involved in coloured and white crossings and the colour of the lambs you may get born to those crossings.
