Color question from How Many Calves are you expect

[wdd]

I started a new thread to bring everyone back to the question I raised earlier. What color do you think this calf is? Here are the pictures once again. We call her Milk Chocolate.

This one was taken in the shed and she looks to be darker with black highlights, but she is uniform in color.

Here is one in the light so she doesn't look so pink on her nose. This is closer to the color you see in person.


I thought for sure she was black when born. When she dried off and I saw her up close the next morning I didn't think so anymore. Her coat color is uniform with no highlights of any other color. Her nose is a liver/dark tan in color. Her Dam is Dun but a light tan in color. Her Sire was Red (his Dam is Black & carries Red and Dun). She is a product of the kids leaving the gates open between pastures. So I didn't check her Sire before he was sold to see if he inherited a Dun gene from his Dam. His Sire doesn't carry Dun.

Milk Chocolate:
Ed/e b/b

Marion saw the same things I did.

I should have noted for those not familiar with the genetic color designations, her test shows she is Dun (b/b) and carries Red (Ed/e)

[marion]

It's all in the not-black 'eyeliner', obvious in the second picture... I learned that from Carol D. when I started with Dexters. Thanks for the update Gary. ;D ..marion

[LizMO]

One our heifer calves started out chocolate in color but when the baby hair grew out she was black. She is 7 months old now and there is still red highlights on the ends of her hair. I think that chocolate color is baby hair on a black calf.
LizMo

[cddexter]

The heifer is tested b/b: dun.

[Olga]

That reminds me to check the eyeliner color on MuuMuu's heifer - she's very light brown in some spots - but her hooves and nose look dark - so most likely she's black.