# Help with coloring of three colts :)



## alfjupiter82 (Nov 30, 2011)

Below is a link to our chestnut foals this year. Our stallion is gray and last year I noticed that when a foal was going to gray they would form light goggles. This year is different and the chestnut foals are getting dark circles aound their eyes. One colt has dark goggles and the other colt has more of an eyeliner look. Are they just changing to a deeper chestnut? The paint colt was born with his front half in a deep chestnut and his back half in more of a roaned look. The dam of the paint colt had a filly last year that had one roaned patch but kept her coloring and didn't gray. Would this type of coloring be sabino?

https://picasaweb.google.com/alajupiter82/May152012#


The pictures go in order from birth to most current on each foal (3 Total)


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Graying will start with the face and tail- I don't think any of the foals are showing signs of graying just yet.

Out of curiosity, what color was the sire before he grayed out?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Honestly, I don't know much about the gray gene on foals, but IMHO, I don't see any signs that they might gray out.

Have you had the stallion tested for zygosity? If he has ever thrown any color than gray, that would mean that he is heterozygous for gray and each of his foals only has a 50% chance of graying out.


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## alfjupiter82 (Nov 30, 2011)

I know he is heterozygous for gray. He has has colored foals that stayed colored. Just curious what the dark goggles mean, will they darken? I think the stallion was chestnut b/c he has flea bites that look that color. Wish AQHA would state color born before they turned gray. Would help a lot. The dams of all the foals are chestnut Tobiano.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Most foals will shed darker for their foal shed (most, not all). The first too don't look grey to me at all. There are more clues to look for than goggles  Any white hair on the face, even just a white eyelash can indicate grey. Another thing to look for is that grey foals are usually born a deeper, more adult colour than non-grey foals. So if any of them go grey, I am betting it's the one you want least to - the tobiano one. Can you see what I mean about its colour being deeper? Compare its head to Mama's, and you can see they are a very similar shade.










(DISCLAIMER: Shade of coat is a good indicator, but not 100%. I am not saying this foal IS grey, I am suggesting out of the three, it is the only one who looks like they COULD be grey to me.)


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