Harlequin (the breed) specifically Magpie

Rabbit Talk  Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Aug 18, 2016
Messages
717
Reaction score
15
Location
Amherstburg, Ontario
I am really seriously considering breeding Magpie Harlequin......
I have the standards book... checked this site.... started reaching out to folks with Harlequins.....

I still have tones of questions!!!
Do I cull all the kits with smutty coats? (smutty=no defining black/white.. kinda more grey/black)
Should I be looking to keep all the kits with good face divisions?

I would love if anyone with experience with this breed could give me tips on what to look for... I am shopping for a new buck.

Thanks

(I will post some photos of the kits I have to work with later today, tomorrow, or some time this week....lol) <br /><br /> __________ Tue Oct 25, 2016 11:04 am __________ <br /><br /> Here is the doe and buck I got to start the ball rolling....
DOE: Ester
Ester and Kit.jpg

BUCK: Blaze
Blaze.jpg

The first litter:
Kits.jpg
Only three of these kits made it.... lost the centre to heat and the top left to feed change last week.... they are currently 5 months.
 
I have previously raised this breed. Both Japanese and Magpie. I found that good face division is a difficult characteristic to keep, so yes, definitely always keep that high on the list of keeping breeders. Color and pattern is everything in this breed, so only keep something that is better than a parent, IMO. In the 10 litters or so I raised, so approx. 70 kits, I never had one meet my standards to keep, and I had relatively good stock to begin with. I had to leave them abruptly and miss them. I strongly considered raising them again this time around. I loved raising them before, and they fit my needs really well as I fed raw to 7 dogs and I always had culls. They've got a good grow out rate and never had a personality problem.
 
You shouldn't keep the brindled ones for breeding unless it is really good otherwise, in my opinion

While the face split ones are nice for showing, you can also keep ones without facesplits for breeding if they have well defined markings and good type
 
Looks like good starter stock to me. :)

Preferably, I only want to save those kits that I'd be willing to take to a show.

I routinely get 9-10 finished fryers/litter from mine, so there has been no shortage of kits to sift though.
 
I've managed to touch base with one Harlequin breeder that will be at the show this weekend..... She only works with Japanese (spelling?) But I really want to pick her brains for suggestions.

Thanks again everyone!

__________ Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:22 pm __________

Just a few photos of my current stock of Magpie Harlequin:

New Buck:
I will see what he throws in the next litter and decide if he stays or goes...
Chester Bailey.png

Kiki:
BOG winner at Show A & B MSU show in Nov 2106
She won't be old enough to breed for another month -two months....
Kiki.jpg

Dolly:
Great temperament Doe with nice crisp lines
She is from the same litter as Kiki and Gigi
Dolly.png

Sheri:
This doe is from my meat rabbits....
Sheri.png

Fiona:
Just bread today to Chester Bailey
She is a nosey girl and very hard to photograph
Fiona.png <br /><br /> __________ Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:40 pm __________ <br /><br /> Gigi, Kiki and Fiona at the MSU show in November 2016:
These three does are full sisters

Gigi, Kiki, Fiona.png

Ester is my foundation doe:
She's a bit small and fine boned, but she threw Kiki and Gigi.... so she can't be all that bad. :lol:
Ester and Kit.jpg
 
Oh nice bunnies!! Especially Kiki <3 I just trimmed my herd down to only two brood does, and one buck. I know I should be selecting for markings, but somehow, temper always seems to win me over. At least they seems to be putting on some size. Harlequins can be very slow to reach their full weight.
 

Attachments

  • DSCN7206.JPG
    DSCN7206.JPG
    343.8 KB · Views: 2,661
Zass
Temperament is so important to me.... a brood doe with bad attitude will last a couple of litters if she throws kits I want.... but, she is only making her replacement!

I really like the breed in general.... My meat rabbits I select breeding partners to get pelt colours and patterns, so Harlequins just seemed like the logical next step....lol

Your rabbits look healthy and happy!
(I'm hoping to do a colony pen some day) <br /><br /> __________ Mon Feb 13, 2017 10:15 am __________ <br /><br /> A question for all you Harlequin Breeders.... I have a Mixed Meat doe.... I was experimenting and bread her to my Magpie harlequin buck (I am waiting to pick-up a new one as this buck is a brother to all my current does.)

She produced two show marked Harlequin kits!
If their type is good, could I keep them for breeding, or am I just screwing up my Harlequins.

8Feb2017 - 1 week.png
 
Wait to see if they have the right fur type. I wouldn't sell the kits or their descendants as harlequins, and I wouldn't linebreed back to them, but you could use them
 
SableSteel":3ib1rwho said:
Wait to see if they have the right fur type. I wouldn't sell the kits or their descendants as harlequins, and I wouldn't linebreed back to them, but you could use them

Thanks Sable
I didn't think I wanted to use these guys for my "Harlequin" breeding... but I can show (If they have right fur type) and keep them in my meat breeding line.
 
keep them and the line separate for at least four generations so you know what you have in there. Keep good records, keeping breeding their offspring harlequin. Toss each older generation (sell as proven breeders). Eventually there will be enough harlequin in them to call them harlequin.

Keep clean marked animals.
DO NOT keep animals with two white feet side by size, especially in the front... it breeds true...
Good clean face markings is a WOOT WOOT but not if the rest of the body is garbage.
A well put together rabbit will show off it's markings... a poorly put together won't. I used to breed harlequins.... they are a marvellous animal. Sold all my show quality rabbits to a guy who would show them all over the place and he placed with them consistently. :) Judges repeatedly told him what great rabbits they were. :)

Got out of them because I made a bad choice with a new buck and everything he produced was (to me) small and undersized and I got fed up and sold the lot of them.
 
ladysown":39v9u7hz said:
keep them and the line separate for at least four generations so you know what you have in there. Keep good records, keeping breeding their offspring harlequin. Toss each older generation (sell as proven breeders). Eventually there will be enough harlequin in them to call them harlequin.

Keep clean marked animals.
DO NOT keep animals with two white feet side by size, especially in the front... it breeds true...
Good clean face markings is a WOOT WOOT but not if the rest of the body is garbage.
A well put together rabbit will show off it's markings... a poorly put together won't. I used to breed harlequins.... they are a marvellous animal. Sold all my show quality rabbits to a guy who would show them all over the place and he placed with them consistently. :) Judges repeatedly told him what great rabbits they were. :)

Got out of them because I made a bad choice with a new buck and everything he produced was (to me) small and undersized and I got fed up and sold the lot of them.

I like to show, so getting a split face on a kit is always exciting....
My foundation pair, were not the best quality, but they were what was available at the time, so I will do as you advised and keep that line separate (If they produce TYPE animals) until I am sure they will only throw Harlequin.

My foundation doe does not have the best "type", she was bread to a buck (sold him) that had good "type", but was a bit muddier than I wanted. They produced a buck that is not showable, also a bit muddier than I want, but I got him evaluated by a judge, and the judge had a lot of great things to say about his "type".
So, my foundation pair has produced a buck with good "type", and 3 does, 2 with good "type" and one built like her mom....

I am getting new stock next week.... New buck and two mature does, bread to a different buck.
I am hoping the "type" on this buck is a win... because 1 of my does has won BOG in 3 shows and has 1 leg.... I'm really hoping to expand on this and not go backwards.

This is my girl, Kiki
She is eager to meet her new boyfriend!
Kiki.jpg
 
kiki is a gorgeous rabbit. :)

Keep that type. Know that 9 of 10 rabbits will be worthless as show stock...but not necessarily horrid as brood. Keep your end goal in mind. And remember they are a meat rabbit...not fancy show stock..

Breed for them to be at the higher end of their weight class and good type will show off their markings the best.
 
Just a quick update on my Magpie Harlequin Herd.

Kiki won her second leg at the MSU MSRBA Show 4 March.
By the time Lapeer, MI rabbit show came around on the 25th, I had all the girls bred! lol (... well I thought I did....)

Mr. G did get a Best Opposite, but there wasn't enough rabbits to get a Leg for him.
Mr. G.png

I have added two new rabbits to the herd.
Alice is the Grandmother to my founding Doe Ester and a young Chocolate Buck (Eric) who's pedigrees have been lost. (with his intense Colour saturation, I am willing to overlook that)

Eric:
Eric - left.png


Alice:
ALice - right.png

Cinderella has been bred to Mr. G
Sheri has been bred to Eric
Fiona had a litter of 5 by Mr. G
Kiki, Ester and Dolly all missed the last breeding and will be bred outside to outside rabbits to improve the type on my rabbits. (so no Harlequins from them this round)
Lenny is feeling neglected (too bad buddy, better than being eaten)

I am really excited that Fiona has thrown a kit with a ear, face and front paw split!! the bars/banding on the body have a lot to be desired... but it is a start... lol ... Sheri has kits that have great body banding/barring, but lack of face markings... I'm seeing play dates in their future!!. :lol:
Fiona - 2 day old kits.png
2 week old sheri kit.png
 
So I might be getting lured this way. I know we have a lot of members raising Magpies' out in eastern Canada. I just found out, via a kijiji ad, that there is someone out my way who claims to be a registered breeder selling Magpie stock. She's got these two young bucks available for the moment. I've got a message out getting a feel for her stock, and what she typically has available - because I am insanely curious.

Harlequins.JPG

I'm getting a little frustrated with my meat-mutt stock. One of my does gave me a no-holds barred bite last week, so she's on the culling short list right now (she may be bred, so she's getting a short reprieve for kindling/weaning). And while I'm still having some level of fun, my goals right now involve getting a consistent body type, working in the harlequin gene I found in Onyx, and trying to improve the temperament in my herd - all things I realize, someone else has done in established breeds, and I'm just frustrated enough that I might consider "cheating" on these goals and getting stock that's already improved...

I know they're a little smaller than your typical NZ, but I've heard really good things about mothering skills and temperament. It's tempting, because as I told my husband while discussing my current herd - productivity is all well and good and one of my main goals, but because I'm not a commercial raiser (I really only DO this for fun after all...), I should probably make sure that I ENJOY working with my rabbits - productive but unpleasant rabbits need not apply.

So for those of you raising these little guys, I know a lot of you do it for show with culls as a side product. How would your rate them for someone who would be focusing on meat/pelts more as a primary focus, and how do you find their temperament/behavior?

-Update-
A response from the seller indicates she only had a pair and recently lost the buck, so there likely will not be other stock forthcoming. These two bucklings may be it. Part of me wants to get one and switch him for the Harlequin patterned mutt buckling I am growing out (chinchilla and Harley genetics in one neat little package!)... And the other half is really, REALLY suspicious about what got her buck... :shock:

-Update- to the Update.
Supposedly the buck was a case of sudden, unexplained death. He was a little older so she suspects old age as the culprit. Grain of salt and all that...

I am horribly tempted though to get the chocolate marked magpie buck as a second buck (unrelated, nice colour, supposedly out of stock with a nicer attitude), and keep him incarcerated in my garage for a nice long quarantine period. He was born 4 days after my litter I am growing out for new breeders, which makes him around 11 weeks in the photo. So tempted...

... But need more rabbits like I need a hole in the head. I promised all my new cages to the Angoras. So if I do this someone has to go. (Maybe that someone is bitey-doe though)
 
I'm Currious as to if you got that chocolate buck Ferra.... I would have...lol

I have been breeding the Magpie Harlequin for about a year now ....
I have been struggling with type and muddy bars/bands...
Well... I've got some crisp lines and all 4 colours!!

I have 3 very exciting litters born this past weekend!!

Dolly X MrG.png

Fiona X Eric.png

Kiki X Eric.png
 
Back
Top