I have heard that in horses, when breeding full sized stallions to pony mares, the size of the mare decides the birth size of the offspring. I copied the text below from a Gypsy Vanner site:
Many years ago, studies were done in England by Ron Barely where pony mares were bred to draft horse stallions. These mares foaled pony size foals, which developed into draft size adults. They then bred draft horse mares to pony stallions. These mares foaled larger than the average pony sized foal that developed into smaller than draft size adults.
The mare limits the size of the fetus to her own uterine capacity and therefore pelvic capacity. Fetal oversize is a very rare occurrence in horses and is usually associated with brain abnormalities (tumours or abnormal development) rather than to breed differences. As a mare has more and more foals, the uterus becomes more stretched, and so fetal size may increase over several years during the mare's breeding career. However, fetal size usually reaches a peak after several foals and then only genetics will play a role.
Studies have even been done where full-blooded shire embryos were transferred into Shetland pony mares. Each of the mares foaled, without difficulty, these purebred shire foals! Again the size of the fetus at birth was determined by the mare's uterine capacity than by genetics, although once the foal was on the ground and nursing, genetics kicked in and the foal quickly outgrew the mare.
So, while it is not generally recommended breeding draft horses to ponies, you can do it without worrying about injury to the mare. For maiden mares, it is generally safer to avoid breeding to stallions that tend to throw larger foals, to allow for ease of the delivery of its first foal. This makes the foaling experience a little easier for the maiden mare.
This may very well apply to rabbits as well. Personally, I'd breed your doe to the Netherland for her first litter or two, and then try the angora buck.
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