What's hiding in a rabbit's genes?

I've been reading up on rabbit genetics and colors. The more I read, the more complex it seems. Is there a hierarchy if colors that will hide others other than the white ones?

I'm trying to figure out possible color combinations I might get from a pair of my rabbits. The buck is a New Zealand White (and so are all of his forbearers as far as I know). The doe is a TAMUK Composite agouti. http://users.tamuk.edu/kfsdl00/rabb.html Her parents were steel (doe) and chinchilla-colored (buck), but she also has BEW, REW, chocolate chestnut, and black further up her family tree. One of her half brothers was a beautiful golden-red color (from another agouti (doe)/chinchilla-colored (buck)). All but one of her litter were agouti.

From what I've read, the BEW tends to be recessive and the REW can be dominant (but not always?). I'm confused about the other colors as far as what tends to be dominant. I'm sure she'll have some REW kits, but is there any way to guess what she'll throw other than that? Could she have chocolate, steel, chinchilla, [mystery] kits or would they mostly be agouti? I know there's no way to know beforehand, but I love playing with hypothetical situations.

One of my friends has a black and white charlie doe that was bred to a solid red buck. One of the daughters is a lovely broken red. If the broken red is bred to a REW, would the offspring be just REWs and broken reds, or could there be broken blacks in there from her mother?

Thanks for any help!

Yes, there is heirarch of colours - for example
A_ B_ C_ D_ E_ is chestnut and the most dominant colour in rabbits
aa bb cchl_ dd ee is a lilac sable point and one of the most recessive colours in rabbits

PS There are over 12 known colour loci in rabbits but usually people just use the 5 most common ones - for a complete list review this sticky rabbit-genotypes-list-t19367.html

If you really want to understand colour genetics you've got to get familiar with the nomenclature

REW is actually a recessive colour but it can hide the dominant colour genes a rabbit might have, himilayan and BEW can do the same

REW = __ __ cc __ __
Himilayan = __ __ ch_ __ __
BEW = __ __ __ __ __ vv

The blank spaces are the unknown colours hiding under their white coat

You don't mention the colour of your doe so I cannot tell you what you might get if bred to a REW buck

I think she's some kind of brown agouti, but I'm not sure what to call it.

I see agouti, full colour but with a chin parent she will carry a recessive gene on her C-locus, not dilute. The two that are stumping me are chocolate and non-extension :hmm:

i cannot tell if she is a chocolate agouti = A_ bb Ccchd D_ E_
Or a very dark/smutty fawn = A_ B_ Ccchd D_ ee
Or just a light chestnut = A_ B_ C_ D_ E_

Either way the only way you'll get chocolate or fawn/red is if the REW buck carries these recessive genes. But usually NZWhites are genetically
chestnuts = A_ B_ cc D_ E_
or steel = A_ B_ cc D_ ES_

With this breeding you will most likely get chestnuts and chinchilla or REW (depending on which recessive your doe carries). If you get anything else it will help fill in the blanks on the parents genotypes

They should be some very interesting litters

Thanks, Dood!

I'll let you know what I get!