Mini Rex.. Comformation Critique

[Skyz84]

I was hoping you guys could help point out some flaws in my Mini Rex. I know they are all "pet" quality but I really want to start improving the next generation.

I'm actually looking for a new red buck of show quality to bring in. Trying to decide who I should retain a few females from and who I should part with all together.

I'm wanting to focus on mainly Tri's.. The Tri's pictured are the ONLY ones I have to work with. They just are not easy to find here.

So if you can please be honest and tell me where I need to improve I'd greatly appreciate it. What other picture angles should I get to help with critiquing? Above?

Hoping to get some input to help me decide my next step in my breeding goal.


Dottie: I really like her fur quality compared to my other Tri's but I think her shoulders are too long? She is my best Tri.




Wiggles: This is my original buck. I really like his fur quality. I've kept many of his offspring. I like him the best of everyone here but he doesn't carry the Tri Gene. The girl listed above is his grand daughter. Thinking about breeding them together to see how the babies turn out... Opinions?




Cadbury: Daughter to blue buck above. Doesn't carry the Tri Gene but I really like her fur quality. I have her bred to Sprinkle to hopefully retain a few babies.




Sprinkle: Don't really like this buck.. His color has washed out.. Don't like his fur. He's very lanky and "thin"... but he brought the Tri Gene in. He is a littermate sibling to the next 2 I'm posting




Smores: Don't like the fur quality on this guy at all. But he has made some nice babies when paired with my better females. Again, lanky and "thin" like his brother above. Ears are way too long.




Spice: Sister to the boys listed above. I haven't kept any of her babies back. I like that she is on the small side compared to everyone else in my herd. Doesn't show here but her ears drop apart and hang to the side. Can't decide if I should sell her or try to use her in my Tri Program.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Disclaimer!!! I am fairly new to Mini Rex so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

It may be the way they are posed, but everybody looks a little long and low, if that makes sense?

Dottie: I just don't like that hindquarter. The angle detracts from her depth. She needs more depth, too. I like her color.

Wiggles: From that photo, better depth than Dottie but I do not like those shoulders. They don't "fit" him, for lack of a better term.

Cadbury: I think this doe is cute. Still a little long/low, and big honkin' ears, but I do like her. My concern is that her hips may be SLIGHTLY pinched. That or she's just sitting funny.

Sprinkle: ...yeah I do not like the look of that buck.

Smores: Wow those ears! Really big ears. Might be a little undercut in the back end but he looks like, if he were posed a little more keenly and had ears to match the rest of him, he'd be okay.

Spice: Those are just some...great big muley ears. She looks like she may have some long shoulders, too. Not my favorite doe on this list. Don't like her hindquarters much either.

I guess my question is...what is your goal? Produce quality pets? Breed for showing?

I would make a list of "unforgivable sins" and remove any rabbit with those faults from your herd. One of my rabbitry "sins" is big ears. I have a THING for tiny, tiny ears on a Mini Rex, lol. So I admit, I am harsh on ear size. Pinched hips is another "sin"...it is SO hard to breed out. You need to decide what you can live with and work with to improve, and what you simply cannot tolerate.

I would also suggest investing in a stellar buck to boost your program. Excellent animals CAN be affordable...a buck with a chewed ear, or a non-genetic DQ such as a scar, or an older buck that is no longer needed by the breeder. You can also contact some of the best breeders and see if they will sell their "culls" because sometimes, the top breeder "culls" are amazing show-quality broodstock, just not to their level of personal goal.

 

[ladysown]

none of them are posed correctly which makes it harder to say what is what.

be careful how to breed the otter in.. otters can leave a marten effect on ears.

 

[skysthelimit]

I was going to say the same thing on both accounts. Unless the otter is superior, or carried tri, scratch it from a tri program, you just don't deal with the the color issues.

 

[lonelyfarmgirl]

measure those ears!
3 1/2 " maximum

 

[jessie15273]

have been doing mini rex for a while but have just recently dropped all my colors to work on tris.
If I were you I would breed dotting and spice to wiggles, and keep the best buck from dottie as all of the offspring will carry tricolor, ditch the others. I have successfully used otters in my tricolor line as well, where people have issues with this is the fact that correct trtricolor is an agouti color. Tricolor can self tan or agouti. Breeding in an otter may make tan based tris where breeding in black may make self based tris(often called torted tris)
I will try to postpictures and helpful link ttomorrow
.<br /><br />__________ Wed Aug 28, 2013 3:48 pm __________<br /><br />this is a good one http://gardenshedbunnies.weebly.com/bre ... olors.html

These two does are from the same litter. one is a torted tri and the other is not torted tris will be darker inside the ear and usually grayish on the butterfly.



gotta love how they each have the other half of the butterfly :roll:

 

[Birds Buns N Bees]

I would not recommend using self colors (black, blue, chocolate or lilac) in a tri program. As Jessie mentioned above, you can really screw up the tricolor with selfs. I'd rather use a nice Castor to improve type -- and a good Castor should be *relatively* easy to come by since it's a much more developed and common variety than most others. At least with a Castor you're still getting that Agouti gene.

 

[jessie15273]

It is OK to use self and otter, but you need to really know about genetics of it so you can correct color after you have the type

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Interestingly enough its the otter that has the best shoulders.. that and the blue buck. However if the top Tri is the grandaughter of the blue buck, then you have a serious shoulder issue going on here, because it got worse, not better in the next two generations. Breeding these rabbits together at this point will make nice coloured tris, and if for pets then that's awesome. If you are going to show you will need an awesome buck with type and fur that has ears in balance with his body. BTW on my monitor Sprinkle actually has the best colour; its a nice clean red. Unfortunately the type is not there. I think if you keep the lines separete, that otter is worth keeping and bringing in a shorter more compact buck for her. Otter will coexist with the tri in some cases, so not a good idea to put that tan gene into the non extension or the self as you will get torts as well.

 

[Peach]

This is from an outsiders perspective and only meant to help you

A lot of these Rex look very "soft" with their coats. You otter is probably your best, but even though she isn't posed correctly, I feel she's going to have an egg shape to her and not a nice round shape. Also work more on getting posing down Your rabbits are very over posed. Learn to stack them correctly, but be warned....sometimes people like to "mold" their rabbits instead of seeing them for what they really are.

Go through the same steps as a judge: Inspect, stack, step back, and look at the rabbit in front of you. They should be balanced and pleasing with your eye. If your rabbit is fighting you, then come back and try the next day and make sure it's cool outside (That does effect how your rabbits will posed. They have fur coats on and dont want you touching them when they are already hot)

If they don't have the correct build/type, no matter what you do,it will not change. A correctly built rabbit will be able to hold a pose

Check out this webstie:http://iceboxrabbitry.homestead.com/articles.html

I remember when I really wanted to do a color project, but I did not have the skill or experience to know what to cross what with what. In that case, I went with common, developed colors to learn what I need to learn to work on projects down the road. It's like trying to paint the Mona Lisa without ever taking an art class. Unless you are naturally talented, you aren't going to get far!

So proceed with caution with color projects. Sometimes you try to breed them better....but the genetics have to be there to make it happen.