Netherland dwarf gene

[squidpop]

If a Netherland true dwarf was cross bred with a larger breed of rabbit, like a mini rex, or a thrianta, could some of the offspring wind up inheriting the dwarf gene and be cute and small (round head small ears etc...)?

 

[akane]

They all come out in between. The sizes vary but none are as small as a pure netherland.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Well, a mini rex already has the dwarf gene so that would end up the same as breeding 2 nethies together except you would get a butt ugly head shape. I have seen it when a few bright bulbs decided to put nethies into Mini Rex to try and keep them "Smaller" Ugliest thing I have ever seen. It would also depend on the "natural" size of the nethie used if it didn't have a dwarf gene. A Thrianta does not have a dwarf gene so the odds are a lot lower that you would get any dwarfs at all.

 

[akane]

My MR x ND are quite cute. They sell well as pets. They also are not like breeding 2 ND at all. You don't get anywhere near the same kit sizes with a much greater range.

I do not believe there is 1 dwarf gene. I think it is a group of modifiers. Some small pairs may never throw peanuts while some medium pairs may throw tons of peanuts. You also don't just get small, medium, and large rabbits. You get a huge range of rabbits even from pure netherland and pure mini rex.

__________ Sun Jun 03, 2012 4:27 pm __________

Here's a buck I decided to keep for my MR x ND breeding program

Some young ones by another doe with a squarer head

program automatically takes red eye out making the himis look black

My bucks

 

[squidpop]

Thanks for posting photos Akane! Yes those hybrids are extremely cute! The eye shape is same as an Netherland Dwarf and the heads are still a cute shape too- with big ears, very nice looking rabbits. I'm about to post another question you might be able to answer, I want to know what peoples Big Ugly Doe brood hen netherland dwarfs look like. How ugly are they really? About to post that question right now.

 

[akane]

I just have Shimo who is a petstore netherland and doesn't make size or shape but some of her kits by those bucks weren't too bad.

My other doe is show quality and I kept a show quality doe kit from her to expand plus I kept 2 does and a buck from shimo just to play with the colors with one being a pretty good example of a netherland. The other doe has an ugly long head (ended up with a worse looking rabbit out of pure ND than crosses) and the buck is a little large but I wanted the chin gene he has.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Well, a mini rex already has the dwarf gene so that would end up the same as breeding 2 nethies together except you would get a butt ugly head shape.

The point here is that the mini Rex HAS A DWARF GENE. Not what size the mutt kits would be, but about the ODDS of inheriting a dwarf gene. My OPINION is that they get butt ugly head shapes. That is not going to change. Although up here luckily that cross is no longer common nor wanted, as a young lad has found out in my area much to his dismay.But then again he flooded the area with this cross and Kijiji is now flooded with year old rabbits plus all the Easter ones.

 

[akane]

The point here is that the mini Rex HAS A DWARF GENE

My point is that there is not A dwarf gene but a group of modifiers for size that if you get the wrong ones end up with peanuts. Not the number of them so much as the type. The mini rex seem to carry a different set from the netherlands as a general rule. When you cross the 2 you do not get anything near what you get when you cross 2 netherlands especially when we are talking about each line being closely bred on itself and then crossed. You specifically stated a MR x ND would be the same as ND x ND because MR carry the dwarf gene.

that would end up the same as breeding 2 nethies together except you would get a butt ugly head shape.

What you actually get is something entirely different in size ratio from a ND x ND breeding.