Good cross with rex?

[crystalineshadow]

Silly me.

I saw an ad on CL for a free rabbit with cage and go to get it (just for the cage). Turns out the rabbit inside is a mini rex and now I'm in LOVE with the rex fur. Unfortunately it is crazy hard to find a standard rex around here, so I was thinking about looking hard until I find just one and then making him my herd buck. The question is... what to use for does? My original thought was NZ as I can get one purebred and papered for $15 to 25 (depending on the color), but I've heard that they can be skittish moms.

How likely would it be to get the rex fur from a first gen rex cross or would I need to have a litter then cross the babies back to the dad in order to get a good likelihood of the rex coming through? If I need to breed back to the dad, how bad would it be to have my entire herd be the offspring of one doe (just keeping the best of several different litters of course)?


Aaaahhhhhhh, too many questions, not enough time. .... well, actually I do have a lot of time... I don't plan to move from 'trial bunnies' to 'actual breeding stock' until after the new year.



Crystal

 

[ottersatin]

The offspring of that cross will carry the Rex gene.
I would save the Does and breed them back to the Rex Buck.
Breed those offspring back to the Grandparent Rex Buck
and you may have a pure Rex or at least some of them will be.
It takes three or more generations to produce a purebred from the cross.
Perseverance and good culling choices will be the determining factor.
At least you can eat your mistakes!
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[GBov]

My NZs are great mums! Very calm and quiet, even with my youngsters checking on the new babies about a 'zillion times a day.

 

[hoodat]

I had a great meat line going with a cross Rex buck and a cross NZ doe. I was really getting them the way I wanted them when I had to give up the line to go into the hospital.
MSD was generous enough to give me a pair of standard Rex (thanks again MSD)so I can get some great medium sized Rex for meat. I'll also keep an eye out for a good NZ doe to use with the Rex buck for a larger line. I'm restricted for room so two does and their litters are all I can handle.