Brought home more bunnies...Harlequins! POPPLE UPDATE!!

[HendricksHearth]

Yay! Another Harlie person! <3

The only thing I would say is that although type is not worth a lot of points for show in this breed, good type (like full HQ and wide loin)= better meat rabbits. I know a lot of show breeders focus almost exclusively on clarity, color, and markings to where some of them cull in the nestbox, but I actually think it makes them less desirable as a multipurpose breed. I feel like I can be pretty objective in saying this since I'm on both sides of the fence (I like shows once in a while but also have homestead goals). Some of the best marked rabbits come out of those with very poor markings.. the ideal Harlie pattern is a genetic lottery. Food for thought!

I only work with Japanese, but I love your Mags. Wish I had room for both, haha. Grats on your new lovelies!

 

[Zass]

Ok...so far, I LOVE this little doe.


She was bred awfully young, because we ran out of cage space a while back and she was allowed to share a pen with the buck for a bit while I sorted everything out. So yeah. I guess she was ready.

She greets me with kisses.


Count them!!
9 fed little popples from a first time doe who is an absolute sweetheart who did everything right.


I think I see one or two in there with decent markings..

 

[WhWRabbitry]

They are adorable!!!! Congratulations!!

 

[curelom]

:congratulations:

 

[Marinea]

Oh my, those are cute! Congrats!

 

[katiebear]

Oh, my now I must have harlis....
*adds to want list* thinks how long list is getting,,*

 

[Zass]

Thanks everybody I hope this ends my losing streak with purebreds.

Oh, my now I must have harlis....
*adds to want list* thinks how long list is getting,,*

The other pure breed in my "want list" is French Angora. I just don't have the room.

 

[Phacelia]

Congratulations!! They are SOOOOOOOOOOOO cute!

 

[Susie570]

Omg... those are gorgeous!!! And that doe looks like a total sweetheart what a good momma! :congratulations:

 

[EnglishSpot]

They're adorable!!!

 

[nvstickbow]

Congrats on the babies. Looks like you do at least have one correct patterned kit there. Harli's are gorgeous rabbits and all the breeders I've spoken with out this way rave about there dispositions.

 

[JenerationX]

So, what is considered good or bad markings for harlis?

 

[cmfarm]

They are so cute! I love how you can see how their markings will look even when just born. :up:

 

[Zass]

So, what is considered good or bad markings for harlis?

This webpage has a good explanation, with handy drawings near the bottom:

http://anhrabbitry.weebly.com/harlequins.html

 

[JenerationX]

Sounds like it would be hard to get the right markings for show... but even the "badly marked" rabbits would be stunning.

 

[Zass]

Just thought I'd update this thread, since I brought just that one pair home, last February.

Since then, the herd has expanded to 5 adult harlequins.
My little jap doe Sinphonia, is on her third litter. She's given me 9, 15(all live), and then 7 kits. She hasn't lost a single kit, but I only allowed her to raise 9 of the 15.

Two daughters from her were saved, and bred back to the magpie buck.
That would be Checkerface and Euryale.
Only Checks poppled, giving me my first three magpies.

Euryale may not have been quite ready, but she was bred back and is due again soon.

My magpie buck carries chocolate and Checks must have inherited it, so we get to see pretty colors like chocolate jap!! Yay, I love chocolate bunnies.!

He's OK, he just gave up on consciousness for a bit. :roll:



I'm not 100% accurate at determining genders at this age, but I'm pretty sure I have two magpie doelings and a buckling. This little girl is being eyed up as my next potential brood doe.
She lacks the face split, but I kinda like the rest of her markings.

Eventually I'll be filling the whole rabbity with only magpies, so that I can concentrate on improving just one variety.




I have a super affectionate jap buck hanging around as a backup too.

He has a nice face and ears, but is lacking in other areas... He'd throw magpie kits for me if I ever decide to use him. Maybe I will, or maybe I'll breed him back to his dam, just to see what comes of it...

 

[FourRingCircus]

I know I have said it before, more than once, but how I wish you lived closer! I am so in love with them! Absolutely beautiful!

Just for some simple clarification (because my brain has been sorting through the colorings as you post):

Jap - two colors - black and orange with no white?
Magpie - white added - two or three colors total?
Chocolate jap - brown and orange with no white?

 

[macksmom98]

Oh my furry goodness!!!!!!!!

 

[Petlover500]

OWEH MAH GERSH!!!
ADORABLENESS!!!
I want to do harles now :lol: :lol:

 

[Zass]

I know I have said it before, more than once, but how I wish you lived closer! I am so in love with them! Absolutely beautiful!

Just for some simple clarification (because my brain has been sorting through the colorings as you post):

Jap - two colors - black and orange with no white?
Magpie - white added - two or three colors total?
Chocolate jap - brown and orange with no white?

Japanese harlequins can come in black and orange, chocolate and orange, and dilutes of either that basically look blue and cream or lilac and cream.

Magpie is genetically just chinchilla jap.
It makes them just black and white (or chocolate and white, blue and white, lilac and white)

If you look at my magpies there, they are only black and white, but they do not look like broken patterned rabbits at all.

They completely lack the symmetry broken patterned rabbits tend to have.

Tri color is broken pattern and Japanese harlequin pattern. It's not something that is showable or desirable in the harlequin breed.