Rex fur in kits should look like what?

[GBov]

My first ever litter of rex kits is three weeks old and look really good but two of them have looser fur than the other four. Those four have very short plush fur like their parents.

Is it normal to have kits with fur that isn't as good as the others? Even with two pedigreed parents?

 

[3mina]

Completely normal, I get all degrees of coat quality. I call the poorer quality ones dinner

 

[Zass]

My "rex" kits look like poodles. :shock: (Velveteens are small rex coated english lops)

Most people are assuring me they will grow up to have normal rex fur. But...this isn't at all what I expected from rexed kits. I don't really think it's what most people see in their nest boxes.

They do have the proper curly whiskers though.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that there must be quite a range of appearances...

 

[caroline]

Here are some picutre of Pedigreed Rex kits at 6 weeks

 

[Zass]

See...that is closer to what I was expecting! Anyone else have rex about the same age?

 

[Ramjet]

My first ever litter of rex kits is three weeks old and look really good but two of them have looser fur than the other four. Those four have very short plush fur like their parents.

Is it normal to have kits with fur that isn't as good as the others? Even with two pedigreed parents?

The fur on my Rex is very uniform from kit to kit and even litter to litter from different pairings of parents. They all have the same short , straight , dense fur without variation.

I'm thinking you have some non-rex in the tree somewhere not too distant.

This kinda gives me pause in one of my breeding projects.

I have a Rex crossed with a Cali/Altex introduced to my line for color (black & blue) , improvement in the shoulder , overall size & growth rate. My biggest concern is the coat loses its uniformity and density in the first generation to show Rex fur.

I'll be away from home for about a month here soon .... so this breeding plan is on hold with one mature doe from that pairing. She's a Rex carrier only. When I do breed her , I should get ~50% Rex coated kits and 50% without. She missed on her first breeding attempt. With the heat here , I may not get around to breeding her again until October.

 

[GBov]

Ah, so when I paid for pure bred, pedigreed stock to start my herd with, perhaps I didnt get the quality I paid for?

Well, at least it will make culling for quality easier. :roll:

 

[Zass]

As I suspected! :lol: The velveteen breeders keep assuring me that is what they are supposed to look like, but...it looks like a fail rex to me....

 

[Ramjet]

That looks an awful lot like that Astrex gene you all were discussing in another thread.

 

[Zass]

That looks an awful lot like that Astrex gene you all were discussing in another thread.

None of the velveteen breeders seem to think it's astrex.
They keep assuring me those kits are normal and will grow up to have regular rex coats. :?

So...it's all still a bit of a mystery to me.
Are they normal...or not?
Comparing that particular coat to how rex should look seemed like it would be an important part of figuring it out.
If velveteen breeders say yes it is, and rex breeders say no it isn't...it might give me an important clue.

 

[Ramjet]

That looks an awful lot like that Astrex gene you all were discussing in another thread.

None of the velveteen breeders seem to think it's astrex.
They keep assuring me those kits are normal and will grow up to have regular rex coats. :?

So...it's all still a bit of a mystery to me.
Are they normal...or not?
Comparing that particular coat to how rex should look seemed like it would be an important part of figuring it out.
If velveteen breeders say yes it is, and rex breeders say no it isn't...it might give me an important clue.

Never seen a Rex kit with fur like that .... My experience is limited to ~ a dozen litters or so. If I had to answer the question with an honest answer - No , its not normal.

 

[skysthelimit]

I've had quite a few litters of Rex so far, in the relatively short time I've had them. I've had wavy kits, plush kits, thin furred kits, coarse fur, prominent guard hairs...

I've been told use coarse coats to increase density, wait till 4-6 mos to judge a coat etc... Now I just cull at 8 weeks anything that doesn't look right.

Rex fur is complicated. It's a genetic mutation, so I assume the modifiers for other things are still there, and there are many modifiers to make it just right. Even the standard allows for slightly different lengths of coat, so there are variations. Then there are different interpretations of what it should feel like. Most people say it's so soft. The coat should not be soft, but springy. It should feel plush and resistant. You really have to feel several different types of coats to know what is the correct one. It's possible to breed what you think is soft, what's considered right in your region, then get somewhere else, and see people breeding other types of coats.


But... I do suspect that somewhere, way down the line, something else was used when Rex were in short supply, as they always seem to be.

I have also noticed that West Coast Rex are significantly different. My theory is most of the older breeders, who would have had Rex before the loss of their status as excellent meat rabbits, seem to live on the West Coast, or West of the Rockies at least. They seem to have purer stock. Over here on the East Coast, there seems to be a lot of "junk in the trunk" as my breeder puts it.

So I cull and cull and cull, and although I'd like a larger, faster growing Rex, I would not dare cross them, because it's not that easy to get that fur back. Instead, I had Rex brought to me from the West. From breeders who had them since the 70's at least.

So yes it is normal, but no it should not be. Strive for more consistency and cull anything else. <br /><br /> __________ Mon May 19, 2014 7:19 am __________ <br /><br /> Look at the fur on these Rex

want-to-help-me-figure-out-my-keepers-t8295.html?hilit=%20keepers

 

[OneAcreFarm]

My "rex" kits look like poodles. :shock: (Velveteens are small rex coated english lops)

Most people are assuring me they will grow up to have normal rex fur. But...this isn't at all what I expected from rexed kits. I don't really think it's what most people see in their nest boxes.

They do have the proper curly whiskers though.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that there must be quite a range of appearances...

Those are Astrex babies! <br /><br /> __________ Mon May 19, 2014 8:05 am __________ <br /><br />

That looks an awful lot like that Astrex gene you all were discussing in another thread.

None of the velveteen breeders seem to think it's astrex.
They keep assuring me those kits are normal and will grow up to have regular rex coats. :?

So...it's all still a bit of a mystery to me.
Are they normal...or not?
Comparing that particular coat to how rex should look seemed like it would be an important part of figuring it out.
If velveteen breeders say yes it is, and rex breeders say no it isn't...it might give me an important clue.

Velveteen is a fairly new breed, yes? I have never had a Rex baby look as much like a poodle as that one you showed us. I have had thick, plush and thin,sparse and thick, wavy and long....but never a poodle baby. I think that is an Astrex kit.

 

[Zass]

AH, I'm not trying to steal the thread
It's just that astrex people are saying it IS astrex,
Rex people that it IS NOT rex (thank you, BTW),
Velveteen people are saying it IS rex.


Seems like velveteen breeders are going to have some serious trouble if they don't get that sorted out!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

AH, I'm not trying to steal the thread
It's just that astrex people are saying it IS astrex,
Rex people that it IS NOT rex (thank you, BTW),
Velveteen people are saying it IS rex.


Seems like velveteen breeders are going to have some serious trouble if they don't get that sorted out!

It is definitely NOT normal Rex fur....as to what Velveteens look like as kits, I cannot say, since I don't raise them. 'Astrex' is a gene that can pop up in almost any breed, not just Rex.

@GBov, did this kit happen to get wet at all? I have see Rex fur look like this temporarily after getting wet...

 

[GBov]

AH, I'm not trying to steal the thread
It's just that astrex people are saying it IS astrex,
Rex people that it IS NOT rex (thank you, BTW),
Velveteen people are saying it IS rex.


Seems like velveteen breeders are going to have some serious trouble if they don't get that sorted out!

It is definitely NOT normal Rex fur....as to what Velveteens look like as kits, I cannot say, since I don't raise them. 'Astrex' is a gene that can pop up in almost any breed, not just Rex.

@GBov, did this kit happen to get wet at all? I have see Rex fur look like this temporarily after getting wet...

:lol: My kit question was about fur quality rather than poodle kits and my question was answered by reply three! I love it when a thread goes off in different directions though as I learn so much more that way.

 

[skysthelimit]

:lol: My kit question was about fur quality rather than poodle kits and my question was answered by reply three! I love it when a thread goes off in different directions though as I learn so much more that way.

Especially when there are pictures.

 

[Zass]

:lol: My kit question was about fur quality rather than poodle kits and my question was answered by reply three! I love it when a thread goes off in different directions though as I learn so much more that way.

Especially when there are pictures.

I was sending those pics to V-lop lop breeders and hearing that it was a good coat, and the balding was normal and no problem. That those kits would have BETTER fur quality than normal ones.

Erm... so I thought maybe it was a normal variation
and then I decided to take total advantage of the thread to get a good look at proper rex kits. :mrgreen:

So...yeah, seems like velveteen breeders are often selecting FOR this odd trait instead of removing it from the gene pool. Don't be surprised to see velveteen lops vanish and a new breed of "poodle lops" taking their place :rotfl:

 

[GBov]

:lol: My kit question was about fur quality rather than poodle kits and my question was answered by reply three! I love it when a thread goes off in different directions though as I learn so much more that way.

Especially when there are pictures.

I wish like heck I could figure out posting pictures but so far, no good. But when y'all take and post such good ones, mine are hardly needed! :lol:

 

[Ramjet]

:lol: My kit question was about fur quality rather than poodle kits and my question was answered by reply three! I love it when a thread goes off in different directions though as I learn so much more that way.

Especially when there are pictures.

I wish like heck I could figure out posting pictures but so far, no good. But when y'all take and post such good ones, mine are hardly needed! :lol:

I post them to my sons facebook first (I don't have FB and don't intend to get one) I use that as my "photobucket" to get a link to post here.
Once you have done that , its easy to post them here. Copy & paste the link and put it between [*IMG]<link>[/IMG]
(remove the asterisk)