Rex fur genetics

[TroubleMakerAcres]

I have a couple does I bought as NZ/Rex, if this were true they would be Rr for Rex fur, correct?
If I bred them to Rex bucks, I’d have at least one kit with the Rex fur by now, right?
4 litters in and not one Rex furred kit, can I safely assume the does are more NZ than Rex?

 

[caroline]

It's not a question of "more" or "less" with Rex fur.
Either the does carries the r gene, or they don't

It's just like chocolate, or self, or any other recessive gene.
If a Xx doe is bred to an xx buck (over time) you will get
1/2 Xx (dominant) and
1/2 xx recessive
If you have several litters with NO Rex furred kits,
I would assume that the doe only carries the R gene for fur.

The good news is that, bred back to the sire, 1/2 the resulting kits will have Rex fur,
because you KNOW the back ground of the rabbits you have bred.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Just a little caveat to caroline's answer... getting 50% kits with rex fur from an F1 cross back to the sire is a statistical prediction. In real life, you could get all rex kits, no rex kits, or, more likely, something in between those two extremes.
Otherwise I agree, while it is *possible* that with an Rr doe x rr buck you could get 4 litters with no rex, after that many misses it's a good guess that the doe does not carry the rex gene.

 

[TroubleMakerAcres]

Thank you very much Caroline and Alaska Satin for your answers. It’s actually been 5 litters with ‘NZ/Rex’ x Rex amongst the breeders I have and nary a Rex furred kit!