Making a new breed

So I really want to work on a new rabbit breed that I really do not care if it gets recognized or not. It's more of a fun thing for me. I want to mimic the Hereford cow breed only with rabbits with the bold white face, white feet, and maybe white belly. People were critiquing me saying it was a silly want as it was basically a mismarked dutch. I absolutely love the idea and think it would be striking in rabbits! I found something similar to what I was thinking that someone posted to one of my Facebook threads below.



Only it is a vienna, and vienna markings are hard to get to express consistently, but I love love love the blue eyes against the white. I was thinking dutch as a base though as it would be a touch easier to get consistent markings and maybe skip the belly marking? I'm basically wanting to mimic my favorite mouse verity down below which are called hereford.



I just think that this marking on a rabbit with a deep rich black or chocolate would be to die for! I would think it would be a meat breed so would have the commercial body type maybe crossed with satin to add a nice sheen to the pelt. Any opinions? Also anyone see any promising babies in my recent litters for this project?


Week old


About 4 days old

I have no problem with developing a new breed, but I'm not sure there are any genes that would enable the repeated specific marking. so it would be hundreds of kits to get similar colored rabbits. And it would be accidental.

But I may be mistaken.

Sorry, cant add to the topic, but give that bunny on the first pic a little scythe and it would be the rabbit equivalent to Pratchetts Rat Death, too cute. :lol:

SixGun":1czgkt2f said:

I have no problem with developing a new breed, but I'm not sure there are any genes that would enable the repeated specific marking. so it would be hundreds of kits to get similar colored rabbits. And it would be accidental.

But I may be mistaken.

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It's pretty much the same thing with Dutch. You can have a whole litter of mismarks or get one potential show baby out of 10

Agree, but the Dutch colouring is controlled by a specific gene, I believe.
Since I've not seen anything with the colouring you describe, I would think it would be more like 1 in 1000 kits born.

I wish you well, - I think it looks "cool"
my only advise would be ..-- try to remove any "undesirable" genetic traits as early as you can [after getting the initial breedstock with your desired markings]

Cool. I'm working on creating a new breed too. I've already been bashed by being told I'm just making unwanted mutts. Don't see how they are unwanted since if they don't meet my very specific type judgment they get eaten. Then I was called horrible for eating rabbits :roll: just can't win. I'm aiming for a Netherland dwarf sized, full arch, rex furred rabbit. One day I was day dreaming and pictured a rex furred English Spot and thought "that would be awesome as a dwarf" and so here I am. I plan to call mine Mini Plush Spot. How about you? What are you thinking about calling yours? Here is a first generation doe kit of mine so far my only keeper to the program too (I'm also making them Tri-colored because I think it would look awesome)

I wonder how new breeds even get recognized. Do you have to submit them to some form of committee? What if you try to sell your "new breed" but its not recognized? Do you have to advertise it as a "mix?"

TeaTimeBunnies":2y1v8zy9 said:

Cool. I'm working on creating a new breed too. I've already been bashed by being told I'm just making unwanted mutts. Don't see how they are unwanted since if they don't meet my very specific type judgment they get eaten. Then I was called horrible for eating rabbits :roll: just can't win. I'm aiming for a Netherland dwarf sized, full arch, rex furred rabbit. One day I was day dreaming and pictured a rex furred English Spot and thought "that would be awesome as a dwarf" and so here I am. I plan to call mine Mini Plush Spot. )

Click to expand...

cool , I wish you the best...

LunarFantom":20jgyfgr said:

I wonder how new breeds even get recognized. Do you have to submit them to some form of committee? What if you try to sell your "new breed" but its not recognized? Do you have to advertise it as a "mix?"

Click to expand...

Here is info on how to get a new breed accepted by the ARBA: https://www.arba.net/PDFs/COD_Packet.pdf

As for advertising...as long as you are VERY clear that the breed isn't accepted by the ARBA or is a "breed in development without a COD", you should be fine calling them by the name you've chosen.

My only breed at the moment is one that is in development...the COD holders are presenting them this coming convention. Because there IS an active COD, I can show my rabbits...I just can't register them yet, or win anything substantive, or compete for BIS.

This is funny because I have thought about Hereford rabbits to! I have mostly white rabbit's now but that's mainly because I don't want the kids getting attached to any of them. But if there was some Hereford looking meat rabbits I would have some I have a Hereford bull I just got 3 month ago, and I've looked into some Hereford pigs! So Maleficent if you figure this out I want to be your first costumer! I Love it! :explanation: