Normal vs Dwarf kit question

[quintex]

My recent litter had what I thought initially was just a runt, but now I am wondering if the small one is just the only dwarf in the litter.

Is there an obvious way to tell normal vs dwarf in kits? Since I am new to this I am having a little trouble.

First photo is their first day, second was taken today. They'll be 2 weeks on Sunday and the small one is the only one that hasn't yet opened its eyes. I also weighed the blue one and the small one, they were 3.8oz and 2.4oz.

 

[akane]

Not really. I think people way over simplify the dwarf genes. If there were just 2 simple genes we would not have the range of results we do and you would get more predictable results when crossing out breeds and with peanuts. Runts will usually catch up as they grow while rabbits with a differing effect of dwarf genes will increase in size difference. Sometimes though you do just get a small offspring out of any animal pairing.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

Well it definitely was not a peanut(double dwarf gene) because of has lived this long. But it could be a fader which grows but stays smaller and eventually dies at a couple months. Or it could just be a small rabbit...which is not a bad thing cause one of my best herd bucks was the smallest out of the litter but had the best type and balance so smaller might be better.(after all I am small myself lol)

 

[curlysue]

Peanut babies(double dwarf gene) can live up to 4 weeks.they have a bulbous looking head and skinny hindquarters.I have seen true peanuts in breeds that are not supposed too have peanuts.i wish you had a side picture of the first one.

 

[quintex]

Not really. I think people way over simplify the dwarf genes. If there were just 2 simple genes we would not have the range of results we do and you would get more predictable results when crossing out breeds and with peanuts. Runts will usually catch up as they grow while rabbits with a differing effect of dwarf genes will increase in size difference. Sometimes though you do just get a small offspring out of any animal pairing.

My last litter was all consistently sized so I was wondering if this runty one was just obviously a dwarf or something. The dwarf gene doesn't cause them to 'dwarf' in a similar degree, I guess? Similar to humans?
Learning, learning, learning!

Well it definitely was not a peanut(double dwarf gene) because of has lived this long. But it could be a fader which grows but stays smaller and eventually dies at a couple months. Or it could just be a small rabbit...which is not a bad thing cause one of my best herd bucks was the smallest out of the litter but had the best type and balance so smaller might be better.(after all I am small myself lol)

My last litter (and first one) had a peanut in it so I have experience with them, unfortunately. Are faders relatively common?

Peanut babies(double dwarf gene) can live up to 4 weeks.they have a bulbous looking head and skinny hindquarters.I have seen true peanuts in breeds that are not supposed too have peanuts.i wish you had a side picture of the first one.

Yeah, this little one is definitely not a peanut. Isn't deformed looking at all like a peanut.. just half the size of everyone else.

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

No not really. I've only had a couple in just my Jersey woolies so not that common.

 

[akane]

The dwarf gene doesn't cause them to 'dwarf' in a similar degree, I guess? Similar to humans?

No but it would cause them to have x number of peanuts and x number of large sized rabbits every litter for every breed crossed to netherlands that carries the dwarf genes and this just does not happen. Some lines have lots of peanuts and some lines hardly ever see them. Some lines have some large rabbits and some lines are all within size also without having many peanuts. So if there were just one set of dwarf genes and 1 equals small rabbits while 2 equals peanut then it would not work this way. It would be very predictable how many peanuts and how many too heavy for standard you would get each time you crossed rabbits of a certain size range. Just like we can predictably tell how many charlies and how many solids you get from 2 brokens. The numbers aren't always dead on each litter but over several litters and over the entire line of rabbits it comes out to 50% broken, 25% charlie, and 25% solid irregardless of what lines or breed of rabbit you cross. Dwarf rabbits don't come out like that. Supposedly mini rex can throw peanuts but I've bred some rabbits from small lines, the sire of my blue buck was below the weight limit for standard, that never threw over sized rabbits and haven't seen a peanut. This should not be genetically possible over dozens of litters if there is just one set of dwarf genes.

 

[curlysue]

The dwarf gene is weird because i get some does have whole litters of peanuts.some have one some never have any.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Remember the odds of a normal, dwarf or peanut are for EACH kit; not for the total number in a litter. It is all the luck of the draw and what genes match up for each and every egg released.. in family lines there may be a tendency to produce a lot more eggs/sperm cells with the dwarf then others, its all random.

That is not a peanut and he is just a smaller little dude than the others, may be good or bad depending on how he meets standard.

 

[akane]

But my point was the odds do not line up even after you have dozens or hundreds of kits. It just does not match a simple gene pair no matter how you look at it or what breed you use.