Domestic sheep come in a wide range of colors, from white, brown, grey, tan, red, and black. If your lamb was born black and you notice its wool whitening, you might wonder, do black lambs turn white?
Yes, some black lambs turn white as they grow. An example is the lambs of the Suffolk breed. While not all Suffolk lambs are born black, most have a black color at birth, which turn white with age. However, these lambs’ faces, ears, and legs remain black, and only the areas covered by wool turn white.
Let’s look at whether black lambs turn white and if they change color as they grow.
Overview of Black and Colored Lambs
Most domestic sheep are all white, with some solid-colored and a few with a mixture of white and color, such as spots and stripes(quite rare, but it is documented). The colored breeds can be naturally black, grey, light brown, cream, tan and red.
The parent’s genetics determine the color of lambs, and most colored sheep will give rise to a colored generation.
There have been instances where a white ewe has given birth to a colored lamb. Such an occurrence would be expected if the ewe mated with a colored ram.
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However, it’s surprising when two white parents give birth to a colored lamb. In such a case, the ram and the ewe have recessive colored genes that combine to become dominant in the offspring.
Sheep breeds that are colored even in adulthood give birth to colored lambs whose color remains constant till maturity.
At the same time, in some sheep breeds, the lambs are colored in infancy, but the color lightens as they age. For other breeds, the color of their wool turns white while the rest of the body remains colored.
Let’s explore whether black lambs turn white as they get older.
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Do Black Lambs Turn White?
Yes, some black lambs turn white as they get older. Most lambs of the popular Suffolk breed are born black, but their fleece turns white as they grow.
The whitening happens gradually as the black fleece lightens to greyish color, eventually becoming white, especially after shearing. However, only the part covered in fleece turns white; the face, ears, and legs remain black even in adulthood.
Some black lambs also lighten as they age, but the fleece turns greyish or silverish instead of white.
An example is the Romanov breed; the lambs are black at birth, but the wool turns silver-grey as they age. The Romanov’s head might have a white patch, but the face, neck area, ears, and legs remain black.
Do Lambs Change Color?
Yes, some colored lambs change color as they grow. A lamb may be born black, but as it ages, the fleece turns white or a lighter shade, such as grey or silver.
Others will be born with a rich shade of brown, red, or tan, but as they grow, the fleece fades or turns into a lighter shade of the original color.
Examples of lamb breeds that change color are the Tunis and Herdwick. The Tunis lambs are born with cream wool on the body and cinnamon-brown legs.
Over time, the cream wool and cinnamon brown legs lighten. However, the wool doesn’t turn white, only a lighter shade of cream.
For the Herdwick, most lambs are born solid black, with some having a few white patches on the face or head. As the lamb grows older, you’ll see the white patches become bigger gradually, and before you know it, the lamb has an entirely white face against a black body.
The legs also develop white patches over time, with some sheep having white legs. The body wool also lightens over time, with most Herdwick adults having a mixture of grey, white and black fleece.
At What Age Do Lambs Color Change?
If your ewes gave birth to black or colored lambs, you might wonder when is the right time to look out for color changes.
Some breeds will not change color and carry the same color they were born into adulthood. However, some breed’s color will lighten as the lamb grows.
So, at what age does lamb color change? Growth and development vary from breed to breed, and so does the color change.
For instance, Tunis lambs will start changing color between 3 and 4 months, and Herdwick at 6 months. On average, most lamb breeds will change color between 3 and 6 months.
Related Questions
What colors are lambs born in?
Lambs are born in various colors, depending on the parents’ genetics. The most common lambs are white, but you can get black grey, red, brown, and tan lambs.
Do black lambs change color?
Yes, some breeds of black lambs change color as they grow. The black fleece may turn white, become lighter shades such as grey and silver, or develop patches of white wool.
Why are some lambs born black?
It’s normal for black sheep to give birth to black lambs. However, finding a black lamb among a white flock is surprising.
When this happens, each parent( the ram and the ewe) carries a heterozygous(recessive)black gene, such that after successful conception, the offspring gets two recessive genes that become homozygous( dominant). The lamb is, therefore, born with a black color.
What sheep breeds have black lambs?
Several sheep breeds give birth to black lambs. These breeds include the Suffolk, Black Welsh Mountain, Herdwick, Romanov, Hebridean, Black Hawaiian, and Zwartbles.
Final Thoughts
Some black lambs turn white as they get older. The color change occurs between 3 to 6 months. An example of a breed whose black lambs turn white is Suffolk, whose fleece turns over time. However, the face, ears, and limbs remain black.
Besides the black lambs turning white, other colored lambs also change over time., whereby the birth color fades or lightens. You may find the black fleece fading to a silvery greyish color or cinnamon brown wool turning light brown.
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