BEW Mini Lop [best colors to cross with?]

[Peach]

Well to embark on my rabbit journey I chose to start with BEW mini lops. I know they are extremely difficult,but I enjoy a challenge. As of now I have my BEW buck and black steel gold tipped doe that I plan on breeding in a few weeks. I decided on her because (hopefully) I want her to transfer her ear carriage and thickness to their offspring. I want to know what colors would suit crossing with the BEW best. There seem to be so few mini lop breeders in Ga,so I guess I'll have to wait for the show at Perry,Ga to find another good foundation doe, but I want to know what to look for. Thanks!

 

[JessicaR]

What I was told when I was breeding BEW lionheads, the best thing is to breed the BEW togather or with VM's. Breeding Bew to solids creates a lot of mismarks for showing that show breeders dont want to intoduce into their lines of solid.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Congratulations on your new bunnies, Peach! Welcome to RT!

Sorry I can't be of any help to you, but I'm sure quite a few people here will be able to. We all love to see pictures, too, so post some if you can. You've piqued my curiosity about the color of the doe- I'd love to see her, it sounds a very pretty color.

 

[Peach]

Thanks Jessica. I've been getting that a lot with all the research I've done. Unfortunately there are just hardly any mini lop breeders in Georgia, I actually had to purchase this BEW without papers. I purchased him from BigBunniesGa. She purchased him herself from a mini lop breeder,but he kept no papers. I basically have no history on his background (which would of been helpful) but I'm waiting to receive my doe's in the mail. The breeder I purchased him from said it would be best to breed back the offspring back to the father. I understand that others will be carriers and such. The plan is to keep the best for me (of course ) and sell the rest according to quality. Right now I just know to stay away from chocolates and sables. Should I try to get a solid(finding a BEW mini lop breeder in GA just isn't happening for me xD)? I understand that unshowable liters will occur.

And thank you mamasheepdog! I'm still getting used to this board stuff.

This is my doe and buck Her picture is from the breeder,but I'm treating her for mites right now so she isn't really photogenic right now haha When they are gone I'm going to take better pictures

 

[MamaSheepdog]

They are very cute! What a neat color on the doe! I award you 50 extra points for posting pics so quickly! (Non-refundable, nor transferable for the coveted BunnyBucks!)

 

[JessicaR]

They are both cute! Why stay away from chocolate and sables? From what I was told if you are going to breed to other colors you shouldnt breed to brokens because you can get kits that will appear to be BEW's but are really broken, and if you breed it to a BEW thinking it is a BEW you will get VM kits in the litter instead of all BEW's

Anyways I had trouble finding BEW lionheads so I had a BEW buck and a VM blue tort. I have to say though I do like the VM's they are cute.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

When you breed a BEW to anything you WILL get ALL Vienna marked 100%. It doesn't matter what colour or pattern they will be all vienna marked. The kits will have a variety of white markings from almost full dutch pattern down to a tiny white spot on their foreheads. When breeding a carrier/marked to a normal you will possibly get some normal showable colours then. Bew does mask another colour and not knowing what it is may sometimes mess up colours if they are not compatible but it won't matter in the first generation anyways because the kits won't be showable. You can still use brokens especially in a BEW cross because you already know they will all be carriers/ marked anyways.Its when you start using marked/carriers to brokens that the waters get kind of muddy and it becomes hard to tell.

 

[ladysown]

if you are looking to breed BEW then breed for it. Breed to whatever other colour you want, and breed the best of the kits back to the dad. PLEASE...for the sake of other breeders though make sure they know that the kits are VM or VC. The vienna gene can really mess things up down the line colour wise.

IF you are able to find another buck or good doe to use, find another and then you can cross back and forth between the two. ALWAYS keep the best and sell or use the rest.

 

[Honorine]

Color means absolutely nothing in Mini Lops, very few points for color, so often they are all bred together with little regard as to color. This creates rabbits that carry a lot of different genes, I had a tri-color ML doe that would produce tri's, torts, chinchillas, sable points, and of course harlequins and brokens, never tested her for REW. Thats just too many colors for one rabbit to carry, not to mention chinchilla is a big no no with a chestnut based color. You already know to avoid chocolate because it will make the blue eyes look violet, you also want to avoid REW or REW carriers. Get a REW buck and do test breedings to avoid adding it into your lines. I'd avoid Chinchilla personally, unless its the best Mini Lop you've ever seen. Other than that ignore color, look only at type, keep the best vienna carriers and breed them back to their sire or to each other. I built my BEW line with one buck, added in a doe later, its easy, all you do is add the gene, breed back and you've got BEW's. I personally have stuck with black otters in my BEW program for the most part, personal choice, and in Mini Rex otters are of very good quality, right up there with castors these days.

 

[SleepyhollowRabbitry]

I had a VM mini lop, she wasn't so motherly so i gave her back to the woman who had her before me. I fostered her babies to a MR (Mini Rex) and looks like i have 2 VM lops. If i kept those 2 depending on their gender and bred them together could i get a BEW? One is a Steel VM lop the other is a Chestnut VM lop