I bred a silver grey tux alpaca with a rose grey tux alpaca. Both of these alpacas had solid color dark eyes, How did I get a rose grey tux cria with solid light blue eyes?
Posts: 0 | IP: Logged
jcwilliamson@dishmail.net Guest Member
Posted 12/08/2008 12:58 PM
Hi Sue, Terrific question. I have no expertise in this area whatsoever, I am just hypothesizing -- check the bloodlines to see if either of your grays had white in their background. If so, perhaps it's possible that a blue-eye gene was passed along and activated somehow. Don't quote me, because I'm truly just guessing. I'll be checking back to hear what others have to say.
JC
Posts: 0 | IP: Logged
info@alpinealpaca.com Member # 3
Posted 12/09/2008 08:42 PM
Hi all, I believe there is no 'blue eyed gene', only a combination of genes that can produce blue eyes. In breeding silver tuxedo gray to silver tuxedo gray for over ten years, I've never had a blue eyed offspring. I wonder if adding a rose gray to the mix increases chances for blue eyes. I have only recently started experimenting with rose gray breedings, so we shall see! Kind regards, Nancy Alpine Alpacas
I also have bred a MSG to a DSG and got a very pretty LSG with blue crescents. Neither parent has any amount of blue in their eyes. The blue doesn't bother me, but since the blue eyed alpacas always seem to get such a bad rap, I was hoping to make some sense of it.
Susan Mikulecky Alpaca Annuals Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 6 | Location: Colorado Springs, CO | Email: click here | Signup: 12/09/08 | IP: Logged
amerriwe@binghamton.edu Member # 8
Posted 01/08/2009 01:18 PM
Hi,
I think blue in the eyes is something that either rose gray or tuxedo gray alpacas can have regardless of the eye color of the parents. I don't think they need to have white or even a BEW in the pedigree. We bought and sold a lovely silver gray girl with blue in the eyes (would have liked to keep her for our foundation herd) but you have to sell some. We have a rose gray male our of a dark eyed silver gray dam who has blue in his eyes. When he was born with blue in his eyes I was so upset. At that time 2005 folks were still gelding gray alpacas just becuase they had blue in the eyes. We decided to see how our guy turned out and he turned out great. I've not seen a gray or colored alpaca that has blue eyes who is deaf so I no longer find it concerning. Its not a show fault in the US and why should it be on a fleece animal? Unlike BEW I don't think there is a clear inheritance pattern nor is it avoidable if you are interested in breeding grays. I don't think it carries any greater risk of making a BEW then dark eyed tuxedo grays. I do think some folks still have an issue with it and it may carry some stigma. I think it looks pretty cool and when visitors to our farm love the blue eyes so I generally point it out.
Ann
Ann Merriwether
Posts: 1 | Location: Vestal, NY | Email: click here | Signup: 01/08/09 | IP: Logged
nancy rehbock Member # 1350
Posted 05/13/2010 04:43 PM
Hello all, My opinion is that the gene that makes silver gray, or rose gray in a eumelanin colored animals can also pull pigment from the eyes. Then if you throw in dilution genes along with it, which are cumulative, that can further pull out pigment. Blue eyes lack pigment. Likely your 2 dark-eyed animals both passed down dilution, together to create less pigment, resulting in you blue-eyed (likely light) gray. Nancy
Posts: 2 | Location: new york | Email: click here | Signup: 05/12/10 | IP: Logged
Email this page
Posted 12/08/2008 10:12 AM
Posted 12/09/2008 09:14 PM
