Can you explain these kits?

[sfjulia74]

I crossed a red New Zealand buck to a blue doe. We breed primarily for meat and don't show our rabbits. I expected a lot of chestnut kits, but there isn't a single pink belly in the bunch, and every one of the 8 kits looks to be blue. I am trying to understand how that could occur genetically.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I'm not the biggest on genetics, but since the Doe was Blue, and all of the kits look Blue, maybe the Buck has a recessive Blue gene

 

[caroline]

I raise Rex, so I am assuming, from my knowledge of that breed, that a NZ red has
A_B_C_D_ee genotype
blue genotype is
aaB_C_ddE_

perhaps your NZ red buck is not "pure" NZ and may have picked up some recessives
Thus, AaB_C_Ddee

your "blue" kits may then be
aaB_C_ddEe

In the next generation, if his daughters are bred back to him, I would expect
blue aaB_C_ddEe
black aaB_C_DdEe
red AaB_C_Ddee
fawn AaB_C_ddee
chestnut AaB_C_Ddee
opal AaB_C_ddee
black tortoiseshell aaB_C_Ddee
blue tortoiseshell aaB_C_ddee

you may even get some REW if he is actually AaB_CcDdee
My favorite, is all the surprises these bunnies give us in the nest box

 

[sfjulia74]

Thank you!!!