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liver chestnut?

haffyluv December 08, 2010 February 22, 2011

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hi everyone. Just wanting to ask a silly question :roll: :smile: Is there any difference between chestnut and liver? I understand the basics of colour but wasn't sure. My mare is liver and she has just had a chestnut colt. The sire is a darkish chestnut but not liver. Anyway i guess my question is, is liver chestnut genetic or is it just luck of the draw? Will he go dark like mum? or am i just wishing :-D This is her. She's in paddock condition with no rugs or colour feeds [img]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/boonooloo_hills/IMG_0715.jpg[/img] [img]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/boonooloo_hills/969b3df4.jpg[/img] and this is him at 2 days old. [img]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/boonooloo_hills/IMG_0669.jpg[/img]

Jenks Wed, 12/08/2010 - 08:06

Beautiful! I think you will have to wait and see, but I don't know....I'll find some pics of a liver I had when he was a newborn. He looked very similar to that, and first shed he looked very dark with a red mane, then lightened up a little as he grew. I'm sure it's genetic, there is some debate about whether it's sooty on chestnut or just extra condensed melanin I think.

rabbitsfizz Wed, 12/08/2010 - 09:52

What a smart boy!
That is one lovely foal, I would not be risking it with that rope halter you have on the mare! (Who is also lovely!)

haffyluv Wed, 12/08/2010 - 18:04

Thanks guys :smile:

very interesting, will see how he sheds out. fingers crossed :-D

she only had the halter on while i was handling them, maybe on 10 minutes, then it came off ;-)

rodeoratdogs Wed, 12/08/2010 - 18:21

I do like those darker liver chestnuts esspecially when they have the lighter redish manes, I agree your mare is quite lovely ;-) .

rabbitsfizz Thu, 12/09/2010 - 15:19

I turned my mare out for five minutes, and I was there, watching. She caught her foot in the halter and, whilst I was freeing her, the foal spooked, ran off and ran into a fence and broke it's leg.........
Not getting at you personally, but, everyone who thinks it is OK to turn an animal out in a life threatening piece of headware....it isn't!! :cry:

Dilutes Fri, 12/10/2010 - 18:15

I love liver chestnut. The mare and foal are just stunning! 8-)

(Mind you so is the liver chestnut gelding!)

rabbitsfizz Sat, 12/11/2010 - 09:49

I think that is why I like Silver Bays so much, some of them resemble a lighter Liver, and they are often misregistered as Chestnut...

critterkeeper Sat, 01/22/2011 - 09:35

Thanks for the updated pixs...I do have a tip to enhance the color - feed BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) in their grain. It doesn't take much, as little as a 1/4 cup to a day's rations will do the trick... it kept my liver dark most of the year (still lightened up in winter) and even her foal stayed dark until her yearling shed (now she is a rich red chestnut :? ) .... :love

It has long been speculated that sooty has something to do with liver, but who knows how much or to what degree until they find the actual gene that controls the effect/affect of sooty and the dept to which it displays. It can sure make a coat difficult to determine without DNA test. :booty

Jordie0587 Sat, 01/22/2011 - 23:29

Liver is pretty much the only version of chestnut/sorrel I care for :) My best friend has two FABULOUS babies this year and I know the boy is probably slightly better quality than the filly but I LOVE her color haha. She's a gorgeous, almost black liver.

LOVE your mare's coloring. Dark liver with that orangy mane and tail is stunning!

Fledgesflight Mon, 01/24/2011 - 03:40

[quote]On another note i saw a pic of the mares full sister who is a very sooty pally, found that interesting [/quote]
Do you mean half sister?
Beautiful mare and foal btw!

haffyluv Mon, 01/24/2011 - 04:45

[quote="Fledgesflight"][quote]On another note i saw a pic of the mares full sister who is a very sooty pally, found that interesting [/quote]
Do you mean half sister?
Beautiful mare and foal btw![/quote]

Thanks :smile: . Nope her full sister, a year younger i think. Both my mares parents are pally.

Jenks Mon, 01/24/2011 - 07:24

My liver stayed darker liver (even through the GA summer turned out) once I started not only BOSS, but also free choice loose minerals. Chestnuts for some reason are more prone to certain mineral deficiencies - I want to say Copper? I bet your mare would be even darker with BOSS and the minerals. They stop licking the mineral blocks once they've got all their salt, but not the rest....so they are not as effective though I still keep those and plain blocks out too.

The foal looks like he'll be liver...

accphotography Mon, 01/24/2011 - 14:58

Yup, it's copper. It effects blacks too. I have a friend who pretty much keeps her black from fading by feeding copper.

Jenks Thu, 01/27/2011 - 18:21

[quote="accphotography"]Yup, it's copper. It effects blacks too. I have a friend who pretty much keeps her black from fading by feeding copper.[/quote]

Any clue how it's connected? And a black? That sounds like it's less chestnut related than thought?

Haffyluv - I'm fascinated by the second original pic (aside from the stunning mare) - is that a shaded paddock/turnout area? What's the material? It looks light-weight?

Monsterpony Thu, 01/27/2011 - 20:36

Copper is involved with melanin production and function so it affects both red and black pigment.

critterkeeper Fri, 01/28/2011 - 08:45

Hubby was coming home from Up North the other day and while coming now I-81 through Va., he spotted to "black horses with red manes, tails and legs" and just fell in love with them. He came straight into my office and demanded I "look up that 'breed' that has that fantastic color"... I just laughted at him and pulled out Destiny's foal shed pixs and asked him if they were similar in color...he said NO, these were BLACK with red...so I dug out one pix taken from about 100 ft away and sure enough it was of Akina and Destiny looking all black with red points...although Akina's mane and tail looked black also... :rofl I just wish Destiny had of stayed that color, but sure enough on her yearling shed she turned out a bright red and has stayed that way (there isn't enough BOSS in NC obviously)... :sad

Jenks Fri, 01/28/2011 - 09:56

[quote="Monsterpony"]Copper is involved with melanin production and function so it affects both red and black pigment.[/quote]

I noticed my greys do not ever touch their minerals in the stall.... Thanks!

Funny critter!

haffyluv Thu, 02/03/2011 - 20:35

[quote="Jenks"][quote="accphotography"]Yup, it's copper. It effects blacks too. I have a friend who pretty much keeps her black from fading by feeding copper.[/quote]

Any clue how it's connected? And a black? That sounds like it's less chestnut related than thought?

Haffyluv - I'm fascinated by the second original pic (aside from the stunning mare) - is that a shaded paddock/turnout area? What's the material? It looks light-weight?[/quote]

Its netting over our ponds, we have a Eel farm :smile: Its light weight nylon i think. It keeps the birds/rats/cane toad from getting in. Its not shaded at all.

Dilutes Thu, 02/03/2011 - 21:02

[quote="haffyluv"]Its netting over our ponds, we have a Eel farm :smile: Its light weight nylon i think. It keeps the birds/rats/cane toad from getting in. Its not shaded at all.[/quote]

Oh, so does it keep mozzies, midgies and flies out? Would be very handy to have up north if it did :ymsmug:

NZ Appaloosas Tue, 02/08/2011 - 20:38

Smoked, fried, broiled, pied..eel's not uncommon as a meat (not common, but not uncommon).

Diane

Jenks Thu, 02/10/2011 - 12:47

[quote="Fledgesflight"]Oh wow! I thought the mare was PB Arab!!![/quote]

Me too. That's based on the both parents being pally comment?

Fledgesflight Thu, 02/10/2011 - 15:44

[quote="haffyluv"][quote="Fledgesflight"][quote]On another note i saw a pic of the mares full sister who is a very sooty pally, found that interesting [/quote]
Do you mean half sister?
Beautiful mare and foal btw![/quote]

Thanks :smile: . Nope her full sister, a year younger i think. Both my mares parents are pally.[/quote]

Jenks- that, and this...?