The color of goats depends mostly on the breed. Most breeds have a few colors that are the most common. A few breeds are relatively colorful, but these are rarer than breeds with a set color.
If you're looking for a goat that is a specific color, your best bet is to find a breed []. The final color of the goat is due to the interaction of eumelanin (black/brown), pheomelanin (red brown/tan/cream/white), and white spotting (white). It takes practice to see every goat as some combination of these, but this approach is very helpful in figuring out what genes a goat is expressing.
Color in goats is comprised of two basic choices, either black based or red/tan based. These base colors are modified by several factors; the patterns that overlay them; and the white spotting and other white markings commonly seen. Silver is a unique, dominant modifier which works by changing the hair over the entire goat to a silvery-grey color.
This modifies any agouti pattern, although looks most drastic on black or darker colored goats. ND Suggested Colors & Patterns Suggested Standard Colors/Pattern Descriptions for Nigerian Dwarfs. Click on thumbnails for a closer look.
Basic Color Families Black ranges from a very dark black to a black that has red tones and almost looks brown Brown Suggested browns: chocolate, very dark brown, medium browns and light browns. The wide range of colors and patterns in goats is part of what makes them so fascinating. A goat's color can be the "icing on the cake" of an otherwise good goat, and can be an important final touch to a goat's appearance.
Goats have great variation in color and the genetic control can be tricky, although this is more true for some breeds than for others. The huge variation in goats. Goat Color Guide: A comprehensive guide to identifying unique goat coat patterns and colors, with pictures and descriptions to help you identify your goat's unique pattern.
Learn about the common goat coat colors, patterns, rare colors, and how their coat color changes with seasons. Discover the factors affecting goat coat color. Examples of Colors in Pygmy Goats Caramel Pattern The caramel color pattern can range FROM white to caramel hairs, intermingled with white in the top coat making the top coat appears to be a shade of white/cream to tan.
The undercoat has the same base color (black or brown) as the dorsal stripes, socks, and face accents. ©D.P. Sponenberg, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 Some of these coat patterns can come in any color, while others are more color specific.
Also keep in mind that any white markings can mask some or all of a pattern. Pattern Description Examples White or tan wholly tan, red, or white.