Jetisoning my Harlequin New Zealand project

[GBov]

Well, I got good color at last but managed to remove ALL traces of meat production speed!

My latest batch are 9 weeks old and are the size of PB NZs at 4 weeks of age :shock: GREAT harlequin color and friendly as can be but NOT what I want to be butchering!

So I am going to get rid of the entire line with any mongrel pet blood in them, nice as they are, and start fresh with my two pure bred harlequin does and my biggest NZ buck and go from there.

Knowing more now about what I want in a rabbit I will be able to cull better, trying for production FIRST and color second.

Second time around might be the charm except that my two does are a lavender and a chocolate harlequin instead of the Japanese harlequin color I really want.

Never mind, at least they are all made out of rabbit meat :lol:

 

[ladysown]

okay... that's what you should have done in the first place. Keep the best and toss the rest. Ignore colour because it will come.

 

[WallTenter]

"my two does are a lavender and a chocolate harlequin instead of the Japanese harlequin color"

... a bit confused by this? Do you mean you have a chocolate japanese and a lavender japanese, and you're wanting black japanese? If that's the case don't worry you'll probably get black japs from a NZ.

And yes breed type totally ignore the markings at first those have a low heritability vs. type and growth has a high heritability.

 

[GBov]

"my two does are a lavender and a chocolate harlequin instead of the Japanese harlequin color"

... a bit confused by this? Do you mean you have a chocolate japanese and a lavender japanese, and you're wanting black japanese? If that's the case don't worry you'll probably get black japs from a NZ.

And yes breed type totally ignore the markings at first those have a low heritability vs. type and growth has a high heritability.

Don't know :shock: the breeder called them lavender and chocolate magpies but, harlequin terminology isn't my strong suit so am probably totally wrong :lol:

They are just two colors instead of three, one has lavender stripes on cream and the other has milk chocolate colored stripes on a cream background. Both are big girls and very wide through the back and are nice and friendly.

So, do I just keep the kits that grow fast and well and not pay any attention to color at all? How many generations do I do that?

Getting it totally wrong isn't a really bad thing, its going to empty 8 cages, give many meals, several prime pelts and lots of learning but being almost two years down the road and starting again, that's a bit pooper dooper.

I looked at my 9 weekers today and thought, you poor little things, my quail give a better meal than you lot will!

 

[WallTenter]

They are not magpies then, they are Japanese.

Harlequin breed comes in two groups - Magpie (white and color) and Japanese (orange/fawn and color). Both groups can be black, blue, chocolate or lilac.

Sounds like you have a Lilac Japanese and a Chocolate Japanese. If you bred these to NZs you would end up probably with black Japanese, dependant on what your NZ has back there.

I wouldn't say don't pay attention to color at all, but bodies should come first if that is important to you. Try to choose growthy animals with the best type (bodies) you can, and all other things being fairly equal choose the ones with the most clarity of color. Your first generation should be very brindled but by second generation you should start seeing some distinct markings and you'll notice some are more distinct than others.

 

[GBov]

They are not magpies then, they are Japanese.

Harlequin breed comes in two groups - Magpie (white and color) and Japanese (orange/fawn and color). Both groups can be black, blue, chocolate or lilac.

Sounds like you have a Lilac Japanese and a Chocolate Japanese. If you bred these to NZs you would end up probably with black Japanese, dependant on what your NZ has back there.

I wouldn't say don't pay attention to color at all, but bodies should come first if that is important to you. Try to choose growthy animals with the best type (bodies) you can, and all other things being fairly equal choose the ones with the most clarity of color. Your first generation should be very brindled but by second generation you should start seeing some distinct markings and you'll notice some are more distinct than others.

Third try with both pedigreed harlequin does failed to produce any kits. Shall keep trying until Mid winter and then, if no kits, casserole instead.

Grow out is very important to me! I sell quite a bit of meat and we eat all the rest so 8 week fryers are mega important. But the kids and I brain tan so the color is also important. Good thing with rabbits is all failures are tasty! :mrgreen: