Do Charlies have gut issues?

[caroline]

I read somewhere that a double dose of the En gene can/does result in
some kind of gut issues/enteritis.
I have hesitated to keep a Charlie doe for that reason.
I did keep one a couple of years ago and she DID die while she was pregnant
I tried again with a tri charlie doe and she is now feeding her first litter and doing well so far.
What are others' experience with Charlies?

 

[ladysown]

in my herd all true charlies get culled to the freezer, false charlies do not.

How do I tell?
True charlies simply (in my personal experience) aren't as thrifty as any other kit.. they will show their lag by the time they are six weeks old if not sooner.

The raptor rescue has a firm appreciation for this policy.

 

[akane]

It seems to not always be a major problem. Some lines/breeds are worse than others. I never actually had any problem with mini rex charlies and some checkered giant crosses. I used a large gene pool though. My checkereds were already new zealand crosses and crossed with d'argent breeds and my mini rex came from WI, IA, and southern IL so I wasn't just combining the lines around me. Others have found most of their charlies end up with complications or don't produce well without life long special diets.

 

[michaels4gardens]

JMHO, -- anytime a "recently modified" blood line is bred,[or any blood line] ruthless culling is all important, passing on descendants of a rabbit with any known defect is not responsible behavior. I have seen some good "Charlies", and some just full of problems.-- only time will tell you what you really have...

 

[Prisma]

Use charlies quite a bit, that being said though I KNOW my lines. I've had them for several years, and then I know the people I got them from to boot that have worked several more. This goes for MR mostly but HL too. It really depends on how well genetically they are stacked, some lines even normal brokens seem to be sickly let alone charlies. I just follow the rule of only keep the best to breed/use, markings don't mean a thing.