Sheep Color and Pattern Genetics

This page is all about color and pattern inheritance in sheep of all breeds. 

This field is a fascinating one, and although it seems quite complicated at first, it's actually pretty easy to understand- at least the basics.  There is still much to learn about many aspects of color and pattern inheritance.  I will try to include as much as I can in a manner that is as organized as I can get it.  Hopefully, for you biochemistry fans out there, I can include more information on the molecular level. 





Part I- Color

Color is actually very simple- sheep only come in two colors, black and brown.  Black is dominant over brown.  This means that it takes both parents to carry and/or express brown in order to produce a brown lamb.  However, even if only one parent is black, there will be black offspring.

Anything other than black or brown is actually a pattern, which masks or modifies the base color.   

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