# Breeder and Geneticists Please Help!



## NCdonkeygirl (Feb 19, 2008)

We have a gray jenny with a lot of spots in her pedigree. Her parents were both gray, but farther back there's both spotted and white. I was wondering if it would be worth it to breed her to a spotted jack (with the intention of trying to get a spotted baby)? What is also confusing me is this-I know someone who has a friend who primarily breeds spotted donkeys. I asked if she had a spotted jack and was told she breeds her spotted jennies to a black jack. Why black? Wouldn't spotted and spotted result in more spotted? Is black not dominant over spotted? Or is spotted a codominant situation like a calico cat?

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Feb 19, 2008)

the only thing i can tell you is that i was surprised your spotted jenny has 2 gray parents. what we were told was that you had to have a spotted parent to have a spotted baby, no matter what was in the bloodlines farther back. so i was glad to hear this, as i have a solid chocolate jenny with a spotted mother... so maybe she CAN throw spots after all!

hope someone with more experience and/or knowledge can answer you. you might try the ADMS website...


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## RJRMINIS (Feb 19, 2008)

Ahhh the ever confusing donkey genetics.....haha

I will tell you what is is their backround can pop up sometimes out of the blue. I have an Ivory Jack that carries the spotting gene, but visually you do not see it, but he has produced spotted with solid gray. Just like my gray jennies that are Ivory carriers, they have ivory in their backround but do not visually show it in anyway, but bred to an Ivory jack they will produce ivory foals....so the backround has ALOT to do with what surprises you get!


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## NCdonkeygirl (Feb 19, 2008)

Susan, my jenny isn't spotted-she's gray. She does have some black marks on her legs and I want to say she has a dark spot on her rump. Here's a picture of her from the summer. I'm glad to know breeding her to a spotted jack won't be a total waste. At least the baby would have the spotted gene...

I still don't get the part about breeding a spotted jenny with ablack jack-unless does that help get a baby with the "eyeliner" instead of a more albino looking eye?


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## h2t99 (Feb 19, 2008)

try and find a jack that has 2 spotted parents, one of my jacks son's has only produced spotted!!! I am not sure about the black thing though, I would be interested in finding that out!! Where I got my jack she had a sorrel that was bred to a spotted and she got a sorrel with a bald face and high white socks!! Very cute



So you are definately not wasting your time.


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Feb 19, 2008)

oh i'm sorry, i must have misunderstood... i thought your jennet was spotted. breeding her to a spotted jack shouldn't be a total waste though... i have a spotted jennet, Taffy, who was bred to a black and had a chocolate baby, my Peggy Sue. however the same jack bred to another spotted jennet produced a spotted jennet foal, which is my Becky Lynn. i must say though that the same black jack bred to Taffy produced a solid gray donkey this past year, my Ellie Mae. i would have been happy with another chocolate or a spotted, i think the reason i got a gray is that i already have 4 gray jennets and did not want another one lol. just my luck!

maybe they are trying to get darker spotted donkeys? i mean, if the spotted are gray and white, and they breed with a solid black, maybe they think they will get black and white spotted? we used to have a spotted gelding that was almost black he was so dark... when he shed out in the summer he was just gorgeous!

i am breeding my spotted jack to my 2 spotted jennets and my chocolate whose mom is spotted... hoping to get at least one spotted baby next season... we will see!!


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## minimule (Feb 19, 2008)

I was talking with some folks that "specialize" in appaloosa mules. I asked them how they could guarantee an appy mule and he said they have good results breeding few spot leopard appy mares to a black jack. Who knows why?!?!?!?!?!


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