Genetic Colors

[Heritage Homestead]

:stars:
That is what comes to mind when I think about genetics as far as colors are concerned. I know a little, but not enough to fill a thimble (for my pinkie!). So I need to learn.

It was not important when I was doing just NZW and Calis. Now the plan is to advance to something a little different when the rabbitry gets restocked.

Question...
I am wanting to have some color this time around. The plan is to get 2 does and a buck and from them get to 10 does. We want to have brokens and solids. So, what color assortment would probably be the best? Should I get a solid buck (white?) and broken does or do something else?
I am hopelessly lost!

Any info would help as well as any books or websites that you think would be helpful.
Thanks!

 

[-HRanchito]

The easy part is -- if you see broken, you can get broken from it. If you don't see it, you don't got it. So as long as you always keep either a broken buck or a broken doe, you will keep getting broken kits.

It might be best to do either buck or does being broken, because broken bred to broken will get you some bad markings and no solids at all.

Edit: www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit.../broken ... lie-solid/ This explains the broken gene and how it works pretty clearly

 

[Dood]

Do not get white! Anything can hide under that coat.

If you get a mostly white broken buck called a 'Charlie' (2 broken genes) he will only have broken kits and those kits can have broken and solid kits.

When you say solid do you mean black, chocolate and blue or is chestnut, opal and chinchilla the idea? Or both?

 

[Heritage Homestead]

The easy part is -- if you see broken, you can get broken from it. If you don't see it, you don't got it. So as long as you always keep either a broken buck or a broken doe, you will keep getting broken kits.

That is simple enough!

It might be best to do either buck or does being broken

That is what I was planning on doing.

When you say solid do you mean black, chocolate and blue or is chestnut, opal and chinchilla the idea? Or both?

Oops! I forgot to say that I am still planning on staying with New Zelands. So it would be black, red, and blue.

Do not get white! Anything can hide under that coat.

The reason I thought white was because I did not think that it would be desirable to breed a (say) solid blue to a broken red. ?

My mom is on a role! She wants to breed a solid red to a solid blue and get a purple! :lol: Then breed that to a solid red and get the first and only rabbit member of the purple and red ladies hat society! :laugh2: Or we could get some whites and a bunch of kool-aids and get whatever color we want ( a method of coloring wool)! Tye-Dye rabbits! Mom is good at making jokes!

 

[Bad Habit]

I find food colouring to be a better source of pet dye. I don't trust Koolaid, since it is all chemicals and flavouring, I'd be worried about them ingesting too much.

 

[Dood]

I would not recommend working with any reds. They carry the agouti gene and will give you chestnuts, opal and eventually fawn and tortoiseshells as you plan to keep stock for future breeding.

I would get a broken blue 'charlie' buck and two black does that had had a blue parent. The first litters would all be broken black and broken blue and those does would give me self black and blues and broken blacks and blues.

 

[Bad Habit]

If they bred back the 2nd gen does to the charlie buck, they'd get brokens and charlies only though. I'd suggest a broken buck and solid does. That way, no matter what you keep, you get broken and solid, and possibly charlie if broken x broken.

 

[skysthelimit]

Broken to broken will not always get you broken. Each broken also carries the solid gene, if it did not, it would be a charlie. Statistically, broken to broken gets you 50/50. You will get good markings if you have two broken that are nicely patterned, and come from nicely patterned families. Even a solid without the right modifiers can give you bad brokens. I breed broken to broken frequently, and out of 11 I had two charlies, out of 12 I had three. I bred my last broken doe to an otter, and the resulting doe is very lightly patterned, lighter than the broken to broken breedings.

Pretty much, never bred red to anything but red, black in some occasions, but not in your breed.

 

[Bad Habit]

If you bred charlie x solid, you get 100% broken.
If you breed one of those broken does back to the charlie, you get 50% charlie/50% broken.

If you had a charlie buck and two solid does, and kept back a broken doe with intent to get solids, you'd need either a solid buck, or a broken(not charlie) buck.

The way I read dood's comment, it seemed they were saying that keeping back a doe from the charlie x solid breeding, and breeding said broken doe back to her charlie's sire, they would get solids, which is not the case.

 

[jessie15273]

Or we could get some whites and a bunch of kool-aids and get whatever color we want ( a method of coloring wool)! Tye-Dye rabbits! Mom is good at making jokes!

My sheep at the county 4h fair. I couldnt resist sharing (again)

 

[Heritage Homestead]

Okay, I decided to let this sleep for awhile while I work on processing everything and consult mom (my partner in crime :mrgreen: ). After talking it over my mind did not blow up, so I am back with a response.

I would not recommend working with any reds. They carry the agouti gene and will give you chestnuts, opal and eventually fawn and tortoiseshells as you plan to keep stock for future breeding.

Pretty much, never bred red to anything but red, black in some occasions, but not in your breed.

Well, there goes my broken reds. We want more than one color, so that is out (now I pause to pout and then resume my typing :cry_baby: :laugh: ).

My sheep at the county 4h fair. I couldnt resist sharing (again)

Thanks for sharing! My mom loved it. :lol:

Okay, so here is what we are tentatively planning on getting.
1 Broken (not charlie) Buck
1 Solid Black Doe
1 Solid Blue Doe

Do you see any flaws? Also should the buck be a broken black or blue? I forgot to mention that I am wanting to raise these for 4-H and show, so I need colors that are reconized.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Forgive me if I am a little slow. Genetics are hard for me to understand. :shock:

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Okay, I decided to let this sleep for awhile while I work on processing everything and consult mom (my partner in crime :mrgreen: ). After talking it over my mind did not blow up, so I am back with a response.

I would not recommend working with any reds. They carry the agouti gene and will give you chestnuts, opal and eventually fawn and tortoiseshells as you plan to keep stock for future breeding.

Pretty much, never bred red to anything but red, black in some occasions, but not in your breed.

Well, there goes my broken reds. We want more than one color, so that is out (now I pause to pout and then resume my typing :cry_baby: :laugh: ).

My sheep at the county 4h fair. I couldnt resist sharing (again)

Thanks for sharing! My mom loved it. :lol:

Okay, so here is what we are tentatively planning on getting.
1 Broken (not charlie) Buck
1 Solid Black Doe
1 Solid Blue Doe

Do you see any flaws? Also should the buck be a broken black or blue? I forgot to mention that I am wanting to raise these for 4-H and show, so I need colors that are reconized.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Forgive me if I am a little slow. Genetics are hard for me to understand. :shock:

I am not positive, but I think that Blue is not yet an accepted color in NZ. They are working on it, but in the meantime I would go with a Broken Black buck, a Self Black doe with a Blue parent and a self Blue doe with a Black parent. That way, you have Black and Blue and Broken possibilities in each litter.

 

[Heritage Homestead]

I am not positive, but I think that Blue is not yet an accepted color in NZ. They are working on it, but in the meantime I would go with a Broken Black buck, a Self Black doe with a Blue parent and a self Blue doe with a Black parent. That way, you have Black and Blue and Broken possibilities in each litter.

They are not! I did not know that (thought they were). Thanks!
What do you mean by a "self" Black/Blue doe? Guess I don't know all the lingo yet!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I am not positive, but I think that Blue is not yet an accepted color in NZ. They are working on it, but in the meantime I would go with a Broken Black buck, a Self Black doe with a Blue parent and a self Blue doe with a Black parent. That way, you have Black and Blue and Broken possibilities in each litter.

They are not! I did not know that (thought they were). Thanks!
What do you mean by a "self" Black/Blue doe? Guess I don't know all the lingo yet!

"Self" is solid/non-agouti in Black, Blue, Chocolate or Lilac.

 

[hoodat]

I am not positive, but I think that Blue is not yet an accepted color in NZ. They are working on it, but in the meantime I would go with a Broken Black buck, a Self Black doe with a Blue parent and a self Blue doe with a Black parent. That way, you have Black and Blue and Broken possibilities in each litter.

They are not! I did not know that (thought they were). Thanks!
What do you mean by a "self" Black/Blue doe? Guess I don't know all the lingo yet!

"Self" is solid/non-agouti in Black, Blue, Chocolate or Lilac.

Black and blue rabbits? Shame on you! I'm calling the humane society on you.

 

[Heritage Homestead]

Black and blue rabbits? Shame on you! I'm calling the humane society on you.

:lol: Well, I don't have them yet, so it would be a false alarm! Mmm... then I would have this post deleted, so you would not have any proof! :mrgreen:

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Black and blue rabbits? Shame on you! I'm calling the humane society on you.

:tease:

 

[Heritage Homestead]

I just found this on a website that talks about NZs.

Currently there is a C.O.D. out for the development of the Blue variety.

What does C.O.D. mean? Cash on Delivery? :lol:

 

[Dood]

Certificate of Development.

Usually one breeder gets a C.O.D. to lay claim to creating the new recogonized rabbit colour.

 

[Heritage Homestead]

So if blues are not yet accepted, would it be wise not to even get them or do you all think they might be accepted in the very near future?
If not I can always pick up blues once they are accepted and start breeding them then.<br /><br />__________ Wed Jan 09, 2013 2:54 pm __________<br /><br />Another question...

Do 4-H groups follow the same recognized colors that the ARBA do?