That fact that Nigerian Dwarf goats seem to come in a wide array of colors is one of the most interesting things about expecting Nigie babies! What colors or patterns will they be? What color eyes will they have?
There are other sources with better explanations about color, so I'll only touch on it here. There are links to those sites below!
EYE COLORS
Eye color is fairly easy to understand. Nigerian dwarf goats can have either brown or blue. Some goats have a marbled eye, which is a brown eye with a blue center, but it is considered to be genetically blue.
Blue eyes are so special, aren't they?
Well actually, as pretty as they are, no they're not special.Blue eyes in Nigerians is dominant! Each goat gets one eye color gene from each parent. If they inherit one gene for blue eyes, and one gene for brown, they will always have blue eyes. But a goat has to inherit two genes for brown in order to have brown eyes.
Can a brown-eyed goat 'carry' the blue eyed gene?
Often we see advertisements for brown eyed goats, saying that they carry the blue eyed gene (since apparently one parent had blue eyes. However, that is incorrect.
A brown-eyed goat cannot "carry" a blue eyed gene. If a goat has brown eyes, we know it must carry two brown-eyed genes. If a goat carries one or bo blue genes, it will display those baby blues.
A blue eyed goat with one blue gene and one brown gene, therefore carries the gene for brown eyes and could have brown eyed offspring. However, if it has two blue eyed genes, then it will only ever have blue eyed babies, no matter what color eyes the other parent has.
COAT PATTERNS
SOLID COLORS:
Solid colors are actually a pattern, but we see them as a solid color although often they also have splashes or patches of white or roan.
There are a range of shades within the tan/gold, however, coat pattern is often quite predictable.
Goats get one copy for a color/pattern from each parent.
In order of dominance:
1. gold (covers every other pattern)
2. pattern (they are dominated by gold, but are all equally dominant to each other, and will cover black)
3. black/chocolate (black is dominated by gold and other patterns)
The two main solid colors are gold (dominant) and black (recessive). Chocolate and silver are also in there, thought strictly speaking chocolate and silver are modified black.
There's a wide variation in the shades of solid gold. For example the tan areas on a goat (we call it gold) can appear in a range from lightest cream almost white, to deep rich red and everything in between. To make things even more interesting, babies can be born one color, and change to a different shade over time, some coats becoming lighter and others darkening with age.
Gold: Is a solid coat pattern. Because gold dominant, if a goat gets just one copy for gold from either parent, it will appear gold. It can, however carry any other pattern, black, or gold as it's second allele.
Black: Black is a solid coat pattern. Black is recessive, meaning it must get black from both parents to appear black. Because a black goat therefore carries two copies for black, it can only ever give a black allele to it's offspring.
PATTERNS:
I won't go into great detail, because there are other sites that do a fabulous job of showing how the color patterns appear and sometimes combine, but the other main coat patterns are:
Buckskin
Chamoise
Cou Clair
Swiss Marked
Sundgau
Bezoar
Caramel
Red Cheek
COMBINATIONS:
Gold is dominant over all other colors and patterns, but the patterns are equally dominant to each other. So when a baby gets the gene for
Other markings:
White - the goat can have a wide range of white decoration - excessive white, patches, white belt, small dots, and roaning. Roan is when white hairs mix with another color.
Moonspots - are a spot on the coat that is probably dominant - only one parent with moonspots is needed for the kid to have a chance of moonspots. Moonspots can range in color from silver to dark brown. They often change in color from birth to adulthood.
HELPFUL SITES:
Nigerian Dwarf Color (Facebook Group)
Nigerian Dwarf Goat Color Genetics