Will she be black or grey?!?!?!

[can't re-]

This filly is 10 days old. Her full sibling is grey, and had those white hairs on her eyelids by day two. This new girl still doesn't have any white hairs. Her nose is shedding out black. I thought she was going to be grey when she was first born, now I am not so sure. The sire has produced true black.

Here is the filly's pedigree - courtesy of her full sister:
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/gracious10

What do you guys think???

[amdfarm]

She looks pretty mousy colored to me so I'm gonna say black. She's a cutie, congrats!!

[Galileo1998]

I'd say black, based on the three foals that I have bred out of grey mares. I find the way to tell is by the legs.

The first one was born bay but had the typical fawn coloured legs that you see on bay foals. That one stayed bay.

The next one was born black and had black legs. She went grey.

The third one was born bay, but didn't have the fawn coloured legs, they were black like you see on an adult horse, he went grey. He was so slow turning grey that I had to debate what colour he was going to be with the AHS inspectors for a while at the inspection, they weren't convinced that he was going to be grey. He is. :yes:

[Cindy's Warmbloods]

I would say black as well due to her mousy color. She is adorable by the way!

[crtrak]

Black or dark brown. Congratulations! She's really cute.

Don't you wish those big stars would stay the same proportions as the baby grows?????

[HiJumpGrrl]

Yep, looks black. I agree with Galileo that most of the babies I've met who have turned grey were born a more "mature" color; the bay-to-greys looked like an adult bay horse with black legs rather than that funny fawn color, and the chestnut-to-grey looked chestnut rather than blonde-legged, and the black-to-grey are generally real black rather than the mousy color that your guy is. Lucky you! I want a black mare!

[Windswept Stable]

We had a black colt last yr... he was born a very funky, sooty, wierd color. My guy was not near as black as yours appears in the pics, but I can not say if that means anything.
He had funky zebra like stripes on the backs of his front legs..and a skunk tail. I sent his tail hairs for color genetic testing and he is a black.
I sent a sample to UCLA Davis; and another one to a lab in Florida that does the grey gene test too.
He was born in late August--photo he is one month.
He has not shed out yet for his under coat. Here are some pics of him:

http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e307/windsweptstables/08%20black%20power%20colt/?action=view&current=5d20e9d3.pbw

[crosscreeksh]

I vote for black...the ones we had that were true black looked like Grulla's as foals. Super nice baby Barb. Congrats.

[selah]

I think that a filly that cute can be any darn color she wants to be!!!!:yes:

[spacely]

Black & absolutely adorable!

[Foxtrot's]

If she's that velvety grey/black, then I vote black.

[goodmorning]

Whatever color she may be, she's gorgeous :) Another lovely filly, congrats!

[miraclewelsh]

I would vote black. She's adorable!

[Seven-up]

Cutest. Baby. Ever. :D

[okggo]

My filly was born the same color, and within a couple weeks started to show the grey hairs around the eyes. My filly is true black with a grey gene. If you aren't seeing any grey by 10 days, I'd think she is probably going to be black.
She is quite a nice looking filly!

[Tiki]

There is no such thing as true black with a grey gene. Grey is dominant! You cannot possibly have a gray foal if one of the parents was not grey. A non-grey cannot possibly produce a gray - unless the other parent is grey. If you start with 2 heterozygous grey parents and wind up a non-grey foal, that foal can NEVER produce a grey - unless bred to a grey horse, and then you have only a 50% chance of grey. Once you get a non-grey offspring from grey parents, the grey ... is ... gone.

This is the exact opposite of chestnut, which is homozygous recessive. Chestnut can hide for generations as one, unseen, half of a horse's genetic color makeup. One day, out of the blue, when you've had 5 foals out of that mare, you breed her to a stallion that has never produced chestnut, and voila, you get a chestnut foal. Oh my, where did that come from, you ask. Well, if you check the parent's color DNA, you find that each of them carries the red gene, but each has not until then met up with an opposite who carries the red gene - or only one of them passed it on. All of a sudden, the 2 red genes meet up and you get a chestnut foal.

Chestnut can carry forever and suddenly pop out. Once grey is gone and the foal is not grey, the grey is dead. Horses cannot 'carry' grey without expressing it.

[stolensilver]

Tiki I think she meant that the foal has two black genes, no agouti but also carries one grey gene. :)

To me true black means no agouti genes. Many, many "blacks" are actually dark bays.

[can't re-]

Day 11: morning eye lid inspection reveals no white hairs. :D

Thanks for all of the replies! This girl is super photogenic. Her sister was the same way.

I'm still trying to come up with a "G" name for her. Gracious II just isn't going to work.

[Daventry]

I find that foals who are going to end up turning grey are nearly always born their "adult" or "mature" coat color. Meaning, a black foal is born the mousy brown color, chestnuts are often born the funny peach or pink, color, etc. But, when a chestnut foal with the grey gene is born, their color ends up being that rich chestnut that you see in an adult horse. So, I'm voting that your filly will remain black as I don't think her color was "rich" enough or showing any evidence of grey hairs, which are all signs of future greying!

[tri]

I have 3 full siblings out of my grey dutch mare. The first, filly, was born bright red, rich chestnut. It took a couple months but then the grey hairs started sprinkling in the back of her ears. She never got grey hairs around her eyes. At coming five, she looks like a buckskin roan with a snowflaked face, not very pretty, sort of yellowish/brown buckskin and liver colored legs and I can't wait for her to grey up more so she gets pretty.

The second, a colt, was born silvery charcoal blackish/brownish with a black stripe down his back and 4 white socks and a couple white hairs on his forehead. He shed his foal coat out black and I kept waiting for the greying to occur. Now at 3 years old, he is ebony black with 4 whites and no white hair anywhere else on his body.

The third, a colt, was born shiny jet black with two hind socks and within days got grey hairs on the backs of his ears and now as a coming yearling, has a very light sprinkling of gray evenly over his body with one side of his lower lip somewhat grey.

[Hampton Bay]

Like tri, I have a grey gelding who is now almost 3, and is just starting to look like he will be grey. No one really believed me for the longest time. He was 7 months old before he had any grey hairs, and it has only been in the last 4 or so months that he has had grey on his eyelids or any grey eyelashes. So they can go a long time before they start to turn. Especially the chestnuts, as it is much less obvious.

While I don't have any baby pictures of my boy, I have seen some and I seem to remember that he was born a rich chestnut with dark legs.

And also like tri, my boy is danged funny looking being almost pink. I wish he would go ahead and change too. It he were black underneath he would be just stunning with the dapples and airbrushed legs and face, but as it is he just looks pink.

[Hampton Bay]

As for a name, what about Gorgeous? It does fit her.

[CathyKb]

Oh My what a gorgeous filly. I vote black, but who really cares looking at that gorgeous face.

[can't re-]

Thanks!

As for a name, what about Gorgeous? It does fit her.

I love that name, and had thought of it initially, but thought maybe it was too presumptive?!?!

[Ambrey]

Thanks!



I love that name, and had thought of it initially, but thought maybe it was too presumptive?!?!

Nope, it's very accurate!

[Foxtrot's]

Mine was the same experience as Tri. A gorgeous chestnut foal with huge white blaze and a sock, similar to his dad's chrome. After what seemed like ages, the white appeared and he is an unfortunate peachy pink colour now, destined to be grey like him Mom. The stallion owner is devastated!

But this foal seems to have that greyish, charcoal, sooty, velvety colour that may indicate he will be black.

My coal black foal turned grey and got the white hairs around the eyes pretty quickly.

[goeslikestink]

This filly is 10 days old. Her full sibling is grey, and had those white hairs on her eyelids by day two. This new girl still doesn't have any white hairs. Her nose is shedding out black. I thought she was going to be grey when she was first born, now I am not so sure. The sire has produced true black.

Here is the filly's pedigree - courtesy of her full sister:
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/gracious10

What do you guys think???

she will be very dark bay- as shes the same colour as my mare as a foal
very dark bay verges on black to look at will seem like black but in sunlight have bay tinge so will be classed a very dark bay

[Hampton Bay]

The name Gorgeous really does fit her. If you do an allbreedpedirgee.com search for horses with names like "Masterpiece" and "Perfect" you will come up with quite a few.

[Foxtrot's]

Seems consensus on blk/dkb: Now we need you to keep us posted! Prove us wrong?

[Foxtrot's]

Glorious; Glory; Goodnight

[Ambrey]

Gracious :)

[Kinsella]

I am also voting for black. And I'm also going to vote for you keeping this one!!! :D

(and I think Gorgeous is perfect!!)

[tri]

How about Goddess? You could call her GoGo for short!!! :)

[Sixth Sense]

Well, I've had several foals that were born exactly the same color as your foal and all ended up as blacks (verified through testing). Whether or not your foal will grey is just a matter of patience since some can wait quite a long time until they show signs although most will show some sign by the time they start shedding their foal coat. The 5 or 6 black foals that I have seen turn grey were born VERY black and not the color of your foal. Not sure if there is any correlation there....

[Tiki]

Posted by Stolensilver: Tiki I think she meant that the foal has two black genes, no agouti but also carries one grey gene. :) But the point is that a horse can NOT carry they grey gene. They are grey or they are not. If not, they can NOT carry a grey gene. Grey is heterozygous dominant. If the horse gets a grey gene it WILL be grey. It is chestnut that can be carried for generations.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Day 11: morning eye lid inspection reveals no white hairs. :D

Thanks for all of the replies! This girl is super photogenic. Her sister was the same way.

I'm still trying to come up with a "G" name for her. Gracious II just isn't going to work.

Oh...G is easy! Off the top of my head....Gorgeous, Generous, Gentle, Genuine, Genius..

She is beautiful...I vote for black.

[dbaygirl]

I vote for black (or dark bay) as well. She has an exquisite little face, congrats!

As for names: Gorgeous Grace, Gretchel or Gretchen, Gamble (since you are wondering about her colour), Gigi, Gabriella

What is her breeding: dam/sire names, in order to do her name justice? What size will she be?

[RiddleMeThis]

But the point is that a horse can NOT carry they grey gene. They are grey or they are not. If not, they can NOT carry a grey gene. Grey is heterozygous dominant. If the horse gets a grey gene it WILL be grey. It is chestnut that can be carried for generations.Again she wasnt saying the horse was carrying the gray gene. She was saying the horse is BLACK based and has a gray gene. Meaning the horse is black and going gray.

[trakehner013]

She is so cute!!:)

[can't re-]

Thanks everyone!
Still no white hairs.

[can't re-]

You guys are right! She isn't going to turn grey. She now has black rings around her eyes. Yeah! And she finally has a name: Gigi.
Thanks again!

[ilikridn]

That's funny... I had a gray QH filly I bought for resale (have since sold her). I named her Gigi to stand for Gray Girl ("GG"). :winkgrin:

Congratulations on your black filly!