Rex/Satin Angora Genetics Project

Good afternoon. Some of you might be familiar with my post in the Rabbits For Fur forum titled "Standard Rex and Satin Angora". Essentially, I am planning on crossing a Standard Rex with a Satin Angora to see if, eventually, I can come up with a satinized Rex that I can also develop some semblance of wool from.

For those unfamiliar with this project, here is a link to the thread: http://rabbittalk.com/standard-rex-and-satin-angora-t5859.html

Well, in the course of working through this idea, I have came up with another question that I would appreciate opinions on:

1. Would I be better off breeding the Rex doe that I will be getting to a Satin Angora buck with no guard hair (REW who has what I refer to as having "cotton candy" wool) or would I be better off breeding the doe to a buck who has a balanced amount of guard hair (red buck)?

Thank you for your consideration, in advance.

Respectfully,
RW

Doesn't really matter since you'll be culling for body type for a long time before you start worrying about fur type. Most Satin Angora do not have proper body type for meat.

What kind of fur are you going to be working toward? Rex or Angora?

A breeder taught me to select for (in order of priority) -

1. Body Type
2. Fur/Wool Type
3. Color

Body is hardest to fix. Color is least difficult, but I would not call it easy.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

I am trying to work towards a stainized Rex fur type that still maintains at least a bit of the Satin Angora wool length. Since the SA wool length is shorter than the other breeds of Angora (I could be wrong?) and it is what I have to work with, I am curious if the two fur types will "cnacel" each other out because the Rex fur type requires a short coat and the Angora wool requires a longer coat.

Initially, I am more concerned with fur type and body type and am less concerned about color. However, I would like to keep some form of b body type intact through the various breedings. I am just not certain if the offspring will turn out more Rex-typed, more Satin Angora-typed, somewhere in between, or destroy both body types altogether. That is one of the concerns that I have at this point...would I be better off repairing body type later after I see what can be done with the fur type? Would I better off taking fur type and body type together and culling those that are offspring that are horrid on either account? Or, would I be better off dealing with body type initially since, usually, the SA is not great for meat and dealing with fur-type later?

Respectfully,
RW

I see too many variables in play.

*from rabbitgeek notes*

Genetics is a lot like the dice game Yahtzee. You try to get sets of numbers to fill your scorecard. Sometimes you can "hold" or "fix" some of the variables by holding some dice before the next roll.

It can be amazing how many unseen genetic factors can be found when one keeps bringing in "outside blood" to avoid inbreeding.

Genetics can be like dealing poker hands. You take out (cull) the cards (genes) you don't want, shuffle the deck and deal again and soon you get the kind of combinations you want on a consistent basis.

Adding outside blood is like adding another deck of cards and trying to predict what combinations will occur. Then spend the next generations taking out the cards that are not wanted (selection). Trying to juggle the combinations from 5 or 6 different decks (bloodlines) can bring you to your knees, especially if something like white spots, bad teeth, or mismarked toenails become fixed in your herd. **

You have at least three decks in play here, Satin, Angora, and Rex Fur. Not to mention the REW which is a color Wild Card that hides the "real" coat color under Ruby Eyes and White coat (REW/Albino). One could discover some steel or chinchilla coloring under the coat that would be annoying in some color sets. Throw in another deck of cards for building body type and size.

The possible combinations make the mind wobble. If the goal is Satinized Rex Angora (SRA) wool then we're looking at a lot of breeding for an outcome that I'm afraid does not have a market. If there is no market, or no need for the product, I see no need to put the rabbits through all the breeding and culling to create SRA.

That's just my opinion. You are of course free to do whatever you want with your rabbit.

Have a good day!

I have some questions for you that will help all of us figure out a plan of action. What exactly are you trying to accomplish by combining 3 diverse fur types? Is it simple curiosity to see what comes up, or are you trying to improve an aspect of wool quality? Is it your goal to have a meat rabbit that also produces wool? Is the wool ultimately going to be used for spinning, or do you want fuzzy pelts for crafts? Inquiring minds want to know!

Now, on to your question of what to concentrate on first: it depends on what your main goal is- meat or fur? Personally, I'd work on good meat type first, so you can eat your mistakes. Of course, you can eat a rangy rabbit too, but you wont be getting as much meat.

I assume you are comfortable with line-breeding and inbreeding? Because you are going to have an awful lot of that going on. Your second generation is going to come from either a brother sister pair or father/daughter mother/son, 3rd generation bred back to sire or dam, grandsire or dam, or bred brother to sister again. I'll be doing the same in my Astrex program, although I am working with 2 doe lines and a common buck.

Personally, I would only breed from the meat types initially, and consider wool a bonus. Once you have body type set, if necessary you can line-breed back to your original angora to work on the wool, keeping in mind that you will again mess up the body type you have worked so hard for.