SHETLAND PATTERNS AND COLORS
I have become more and more enamored with a study of the colors and patterns in Shetland sheep. Shetland sheep can have eleven official colors: white, light gray, gray, emsket, shaela, black, dark brown, moorit, mioget, fawn, and musket. They come primarily in five distinct patterns: white, Ag fading, katmoget, gulmoget, and solid. I enjoy seeing the lovely patterns and colors in NASSA News and on the Heritage Shetland Sheep Facebook page, but have noticed that many flocks lack white and solid color patterns. This is significant because with the lack of these patterns, the genetics for most of the lovely colors can be easily lost.
Almost half of the Shetlands brought to North America along with their prodigies born here were white. Breeders worked hard to bring out the other colors so desired by hand spinners. The pendulum swung the other way until few flocks included white sheep. White wool in general is softest and most desirable for dyeing. It is essential in stranded knitting along with black to bring out the beauty of the other lovely colors. White is the dominant pattern in sheep and can only be bred into lambs with a parent whose pattern is white.
Much information about patterns, colors, and markings in Shetland sheep remains yet to be discovered. But Shetland sheep breeders have made great strides in gaining information that can help us preserve the genetics that give us the celebrated Shetland patterns and colors. It is my hope that in developing the most recessive gene for pattern, the solid pattern, that I will be able to breed sheep with the less common colors of emsket, shaela, mioget, fawn, and dark brown.
Almost half of the Shetlands brought to North America along with their prodigies born here were white. Breeders worked hard to bring out the other colors so desired by hand spinners. The pendulum swung the other way until few flocks included white sheep. White wool in general is softest and most desirable for dyeing. It is essential in stranded knitting along with black to bring out the beauty of the other lovely colors. White is the dominant pattern in sheep and can only be bred into lambs with a parent whose pattern is white.
Much information about patterns, colors, and markings in Shetland sheep remains yet to be discovered. But Shetland sheep breeders have made great strides in gaining information that can help us preserve the genetics that give us the celebrated Shetland patterns and colors. It is my hope that in developing the most recessive gene for pattern, the solid pattern, that I will be able to breed sheep with the less common colors of emsket, shaela, mioget, fawn, and dark brown.
Shetland Patterns 101
Every parent has two genes for every characteristic, one of which will be passed on to each offspring. Every offspring receives one gene from each parent giving that offspring a new pair of genes. For a given characteristic there is a gene that is dominant and a gene that is recessive unless the offspring gets identical genes for a trait. The dominant gene will be evident and the recessive gene hidden.
The first hurdle that a breeder has to understand is that white is not a color in sheep but a pattern that covers up color. The white pattern, Awt, is dominant followed the Ag fading pattern. Because my goal is to develop all of the eleven colors in the flock, I have bred black and moorit rams to my ewes which were all white or had the fading pattern. The configuration for the rams’ pattern is Aa/Aa. Since these rams have the solid pattern, Aa, exclusively, the gene for that pattern is all that these rams can pass on to their off-springs. All of the lambs from these breedings with white and Ag ewes are Awt/Aa or Ag/Aa in pattern. When I breed these off-springs to an Aa/Aa sheep, 50% of the lambs will have the potential of being solid, Aa/Aa, in pattern and will have a solid color. This can be easily seen with the genetic Punnet square. |
Awt Ag
Aa Awt/Aa Ag/Aa Aa Awt/Aa Ag/Aa Here a white Awt/Ag patterned ewe is bred to a solid patterned ram. Ag Aa Aa Ag/Aa Aa/Aa Aa Ag/Aa Aa/Aa Here a sheep with the fading gene Ag/Aa pattern is bread to a solid patterned sheep. Look at the picture above to find sheep with the pattern white, fading (gray or almost white with color on the face), and solid black. These are three of the Shetland colors all affected by pattern. |
Using the principles of patterns in sheep I have been able to develop six colors along with the pattern white: light gray, gray, musket (all in Ag fading patterned sheep), and black, shaela, and moorit all in solid patterned sheep.
But breeders must also always remember that there are scores of important characteristics to keep in mind for the preservation of quality in Shetlands that have nothing to do with color or pattern. May we always keep a well-balanced breeding program and may we forever preserve all of the beautiful colors and patterns in Shetlands.
But breeders must also always remember that there are scores of important characteristics to keep in mind for the preservation of quality in Shetlands that have nothing to do with color or pattern. May we always keep a well-balanced breeding program and may we forever preserve all of the beautiful colors and patterns in Shetlands.
Shetland Colors 101
With regards to breeding for color in Shetland sheep, the goal of my parents in the early 1990s was to raise white sheep exclusively because generally white sheep produce the most pleasing fine and soft fleeces. Now that I have inherited the flock my goal along with preserving white Shetlands, is the goal of breeding sheep with all eleven of the basic beautiful Shetland colors. For a person who loves genetics like me, the best way to do this has been to learn the genetic configuration of color and pattern in each individual. A year ago I wrote on this topic, I decided to write again about color genetics as progress develops in my flock.
Every creature has two genes (one from their sire and one from their dam) for every characteristic in their DNA. All sheep have two genes for one of two colors: BB is the symbol for black, the dominant gene for color Bb is the symbol for brown, the recessive gene for color BBBB sheep look black or a shade of black BBBb sheep look black or a shade of black, but have a gene for brown which does warm up the color BbBb sheep look brown or a shade of brown. There are several patterns that Shetland sheep can have, but each individual only has two genes for pattern. Let look at two of these: Awt is the symbol for the white pattern which is the dominant pattern and hides the color Aa is the symbol for solid pattern which is the most recessive gene for pattern but allows the color to be seen. AwtAwt sheep look white. AwtAa sheep look white but have a gene for solid color. AaAa sheep look either black or brown or a shade of one of these depending on their color genes. An understanding of these basics helps in the breeding and preserving of patterns and colors. |
We can learn from an individual sheep both the genes for color and for pattern by looking at the individual sheep, looking at that individual sheep’s sire and dam, and by looking at that individual’s offspring.
Violet was a white ewe, Awt______. Her sire is white which pattern I can see in her. Her dam is black making her AwtAaBB__. Knowing this I bred Violet to a solid black ram, Coel. From his off-spring I have learned that he has genes for black and brown making him AaAaBBBb. One of Violet’s 2018 ewe lambs, Ebony, was solid black AaAaBB__. The other, Amber, was solid brown AaAaBbBb. From these lambs I was able to fill in the blank for Violet’s color completing the configuration of symbols for her color and pattern, AwtAaBBBb. An understanding of these principles can help a breeder bring out and preserve patterns and colors in their flocks. When I started shepherding the family flock in 2008 I had no idea about the color and pattern genetics and I had two of the eleven colors, white and light gray. Now I have seven of the colors. Five of the colors seem to be the result of modified genes of brown and black. They are shaela, emsket, chocolate brown, mioget, and fawn. When I see pictures of Shetlands on internet, these colors seem to be less common. We should be challenged to try to bring out modified colors and preserve them along with all of the other beautiful colors in Shetlands.
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Fading Gene in Shetlands
When lambing season comes going out to the lambing pen and finding a new baby compares to opening a Christmas package. We shepherds long to learn what each ewe will produce. The pattern and color of a lamb remains as one question at the top of the list. The color may change as the lamb grows but predictions about color can most accurately be made in the first twenty days of a lamb’s life.
There are five common patterns in Shetlands that play a major role in affecting color in a symmetrical fashion. The most dominant is white and the fading gray or musket is second in dominance. The effects on color of this fading gene are both varied and dramatic.
The first time I observed this gene was in lambs born with darker faces and legs with areas of dark and white on their bodies. The same year their half-sister was born black. By shearing time the spotted lambs were almost white with darker legs and faces. The black lamb was a lovely medium gray. Both results are attributed to the fading gene. White hairs in ears at birth and white hairs on lamb’s lips called “sugar lips” are a telltale sign of the fading gene pattern labeled Ag.
When the darker gray sheep are sheared their fleeces may be lighter the following year but when they are rooed we have observe much more color in the next fleece.
There are five common patterns in Shetlands that play a major role in affecting color in a symmetrical fashion. The most dominant is white and the fading gray or musket is second in dominance. The effects on color of this fading gene are both varied and dramatic.
The first time I observed this gene was in lambs born with darker faces and legs with areas of dark and white on their bodies. The same year their half-sister was born black. By shearing time the spotted lambs were almost white with darker legs and faces. The black lamb was a lovely medium gray. Both results are attributed to the fading gene. White hairs in ears at birth and white hairs on lamb’s lips called “sugar lips” are a telltale sign of the fading gene pattern labeled Ag.
When the darker gray sheep are sheared their fleeces may be lighter the following year but when they are rooed we have observe much more color in the next fleece.
Caohm was almost all black as a lamb with white hairs in her ears and sugar lips, but her fleece is a beautiful variegated gray.
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Lackey was a cute spotted lamb with white hairs in his ears and sugar lips. His fleece is very light with gray fibers in it. Just his face and legs are dark.
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My first Ag lambs had the dominant gene for black and produced fleeces of these various shades of gray. Then Cutie fooled me one spring when she had what I thought was another black based Ag lamb. A couple mornings later, after a closer look I realized her lamb was chocolate brown. With excited anticipation I watch this ewe developed into quite a beauty. I named her Marigold. But after her first fleece her wool turned out to be a very light cream color.
Then an amazing thing happened onespring when I was having a terrible time shearing Marigold with hand shears. I could not get the shears under the rise. Half finished, I was struggling with discouragement about finishing the job. Wayne, my husband, was helping me and started trying to roo Marigold. The fleece came off beautifully! I had never thought of trying to roo Marigold but was so delighted when her new fleece grew back with lots of that lovely red brown color on the rooed side! Note Marigold’s darker summer face and lighter winter face with sugar lips. This is another Ag characteristic.
Here’s hoping that you will enjoy discovering Ag lambs in your flock and watching their fleece colors develop.
Then an amazing thing happened onespring when I was having a terrible time shearing Marigold with hand shears. I could not get the shears under the rise. Half finished, I was struggling with discouragement about finishing the job. Wayne, my husband, was helping me and started trying to roo Marigold. The fleece came off beautifully! I had never thought of trying to roo Marigold but was so delighted when her new fleece grew back with lots of that lovely red brown color on the rooed side! Note Marigold’s darker summer face and lighter winter face with sugar lips. This is another Ag characteristic.
Here’s hoping that you will enjoy discovering Ag lambs in your flock and watching their fleece colors develop.
Insights into Shetland Colors
Photos and Article By Cyndee Wolfe
Mioget –a golden, yellow; think blonde, honey, and champagne- rose. Miogets have pinkish cast with red or brass highlights on head and legs
Mioget Lamb
Mioget Lamb
BLACK, BLACK, OR BLACK
When we look at our solid patterned black Shetlands we come to realize that often they come in many shades of black that are due to genetic factors affecting color. A sheep’s two given genes for color, the possibility of the modifier gene, the intensity factor, and natural fading of color due to light fibers which may appear with age, all play a part.
Black Shetlands can have two genes for black with a notation of BB/BB appearing very black or one gene for black and one gene for brown, BB/Bb appearing as warm black. I did not know that my first black ram had a gene for brown until he produced a brown lamb. Then I realized that yarn from his fleece had a warm tone.
There is also a modifier gene that can change the shade of black to very beautiful solid grays that are not really black at all. If the color genetics are BB/BB the gray will be called shaela when there is one modifier, and emsket if there are two.
But amazingly the modifers may not show up because of the intensity factor which can turn them on or off. I have black sheep with the possible genetics for modifiers that are not gray and I have a ewe whose first fleece was very black, but whose second fleece is coming in shaela.
The other factor that affects the black in
Shetlands is the appearance of light fibers that begin to appear in fleece after the first year, producing yarn that can be called soft black.
To some extent breeders can work to bring out desired colors of black with careful choices of breeding partners. Regardless, I have found that the black yarn I get from a given fleece is always beautiful no matter what the shade.
Black Shetlands can have two genes for black with a notation of BB/BB appearing very black or one gene for black and one gene for brown, BB/Bb appearing as warm black. I did not know that my first black ram had a gene for brown until he produced a brown lamb. Then I realized that yarn from his fleece had a warm tone.
There is also a modifier gene that can change the shade of black to very beautiful solid grays that are not really black at all. If the color genetics are BB/BB the gray will be called shaela when there is one modifier, and emsket if there are two.
But amazingly the modifers may not show up because of the intensity factor which can turn them on or off. I have black sheep with the possible genetics for modifiers that are not gray and I have a ewe whose first fleece was very black, but whose second fleece is coming in shaela.
The other factor that affects the black in
Shetlands is the appearance of light fibers that begin to appear in fleece after the first year, producing yarn that can be called soft black.
To some extent breeders can work to bring out desired colors of black with careful choices of breeding partners. Regardless, I have found that the black yarn I get from a given fleece is always beautiful no matter what the shade.