> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.creatures.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# Coat color calculator and visualizer

Use a [Coat Color Calculator](https://creatures.com/tools/coat-color-calculators) to explore what a pairing could produce. Use a [Coat Color Visualizer](https://creatures.com/tools/coat-color-visualizers) to explore one animal's coat or laboratory results.

The calculator covers Highland cattle, miniature donkeys, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and horses. The visualizer covers Highland cattle, miniature donkeys, and horses. Choose the species first because the questions and evidence differ.

## Explore a pairing

For Highland cattle and miniature donkeys, choose each parent's visible color and add known genetics when the page offers them. For Nigerian Dwarf goats, choose the visible parent patterns that fit best. The goat tool uses observed coat patterns, not a commercial coat-color DNA result.

The horse calculator offers two clear starting points:

- **Start with appearance** when you do not have laboratory reports. Choose the closest color for the stallion and mare, then add patterns or markings that help describe them.
- **Use DNA results** when you have reports for the parents. Example values are filled in to help you explore. Replace them with the parents' actual results and choose **Not tested** for tests that were not run.

![Horse coat calculator appearance controls for parent colors and optional pattern details](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/2d0/ab1/a3b/1d843.png?width=1760)

For horses, select **Reveal their possible foals** in appearance mode or **Explore possible foals** in DNA mode. After an appearance result, the button changes to **Update foal possibilities**. Highland cattle and miniature donkeys use **Calculate**; Nigerian Dwarf goats use **See what the kids could be**.

A percentage or range describes the possibilities supported by the information you entered. It is not a promise about a particular offspring. Unknown genetics can widen the range or leave you with a laboratory-result summary instead of offspring percentages.

## Explore one animal

The Highland and donkey visualizers let you change genetics choices and watch the illustrated coat update.

![Bay example in the horse visualizer with the Explore my horse action](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/dbd/32d/8f7/be36e.png?width=1760)

For a horse, select **Explore my horse** to reach the DNA form. Replace the example values with the results from your horse's laboratory report and choose **Not tested** for tests that were not run. Select **Show my horse’s color** to update the result.

## Read the result safely

- **Possible** does not mean guaranteed. Inheritance is random within the supported possibilities.
- A visual match does not prove the same genetic makeup. Similar coats can have different genetic causes.
- Representative artwork shows a color family, not the exact markings or shade of every animal.
- Health notes summarize published evidence. Ask a veterinarian or genetics professional what a result means for a particular breeding decision.

The tool explains the sources and limits that apply to its species. For the broader Creatures workflow, see [Genetics overview](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/genetics-overview-1ddink3/), [Recording a breeding](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/recording-a-breeding-h3gp9n/), and [The breeding dashboard](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/the-breeding-dashboard-1hgc4gz/).

### Related information

- [The Creatures Tools page: calculators, visualizers, and generators](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/the-creatures-tools-page-calculators-visualizers-and-generators-1tt6jus/)