The Blue SF did not pass :(

[skysthelimit]

And I am bummed.

I need to cull some more buns too, and I only have a blue herd sire left and a group of does that carry blue.

I don't have money or time for more unshowable colors.

Anyone have their copy of DR to tell me how many showings this was? I need to know if they have another chance next year or will the COD be terminated?

 

[Zass]

I'm sorry the blues didn't pass.

I'm a bit bummed too.
Velveteens passed for their first year with Lorre Stillo...but I'm not sure I'm going to like the new standard. I think ear length was increased a whole inch.
The original concept for the breed was for a rabbit that had much of the e-lop look, but with shorter and heavier ears. They were to not be able to damage their own ears. The new concept seems to be for mini e-lops with a rex coat. They are now breeding the ears much thinner to allow them to pose like e-lops.

I already feel so sorry for the rabbit that I purchased from her, with his over sized far-too-delicate ears, and the fact that he cannot move correctly because he is always stepping on them. V-lops were not supposed to have that problem.

Both my husband and I agreed that that was NOT what we wanted to raise. We made a 12hour trip in the opposite direction to get a v-lop buck who's look was more "traditional" for the breed. Unfortunately, he is no longer showable if the ear length was increased.

 

[skysthelimit]

Velveteens passed for their first year with Lorre Stillo...but I'm not sure I'm going to like the new standard. I think ear length was increased a whole inch.

Both my husband and I agreed that that was NOT what we wanted to raise. We made a 12hour trip in the opposite direction to get a v-lop buck who's look was more "traditional" for the breed. Unfortunately, he is no longer showable if the ear length was increased.

Oh no. That would make me angry. There are very few things that would make me leave a breed, and changing the standard would be one of them.

 

[Zass]

Velveteens passed for their first year with Lorre Stillo...but I'm not sure I'm going to like the new standard. I think ear length was increased a whole inch.

Both my husband and I agreed that that was NOT what we wanted to raise. We made a 12hour trip in the opposite direction to get a v-lop buck who's look was more "traditional" for the breed. Unfortunately, he is no longer showable if the ear length was increased.

Oh no. That would make me angry. There are very few things that would make me leave a breed, and changing the standard would be one of them.

I'm not angry, but sad.

If the standard and the popular opinion moves in a direction that I feel is unhealthy for the rabbits (delicate scratched up ears, or animals that can't move freely)....I'll drop them quick.

I only really liked their personalities. More like dogs than rabbits. Not just friendly, but even the breeding does I've met are downright LOVING. I forgive them their lopped ears, and rexed coats are rather nice. But I really don't see any reason to make them more extreme, and intentionally make them more delicate.
Well, Lorre Stillo tells me that crown balding is a good trait that should be selected for too.
This is what her buck threw with my doe. I just can't bring myself to believe that this is what is best for the rabbits.

The new buck I purchased has no history of curls or balding in his kits. I'd like to find a doe without it too so that I could have a balding-free v-lop line.

 

[skysthelimit]

Balding hmm.

I know it's fairly common in Astrex, but I thought Vlop was more Rex than Astrex?

 

[Zass]

Balding hmm.

I know it's fairly common in Astrex, but I thought Vlop was more Rex than Astrex?

A curly v-lop would be DQed at show. They are supposed to have normal rex coats.
I'm told that the curly kits are fine because they will lose the curls and lack the genes that would fix the curls on the adult coats. She insists that it isn't astrex. The astrex folks seem to think it is astrex genetics, just not ALL of what is required to make an astrex.

I'm torn between going for no-curl-genes v-lops(to get rid of the balding trait), or giving up on v lops altogether and starting my own line of US curly lops (with reasonable ears). It wouldn't take much...

 

[skysthelimit]

Ok.

I have never seen a normal coated Rex go bald, so I'd side with the Astrex folks on this one.

The SF boards are oddly quiet. I guess no one wants to talk about it.

 

[Zass]

Ok.

I have never seen a normal coated Rex go bald, so I'd side with the Astrex folks on this one.

The SF boards are oddly quiet. I guess no one wants to talk about it.

I don't believe blue SF are going anywhere, now that they have picked back up in popularity. It's probably just a matter of time until someone gets them passed. They certainly are pretty.

 

[skysthelimit]

So finally someone answered. I'm thinking they just got home.

This is the end of the COD. It will take another three years at least, another three Conventions.

That means, in the meantime, I am producing a bunch of culls. And if I don't introduce new lines, my closely inbred herd will become a bunch of blue culls. It will only take a year, not three, before I have mainly blue rabbits. I simply cannot waste money raising unshowable colors.

I can't really afford new stock right now, I can't barely afford to keep what I have.

I think this will be the end of the road for Silver Fox here.

 

[cmfarm]

So finally someone answered. I'm thinking they just got home.

This is the end of the COD. It will take another three years at least, another three Conventions.

That means, in the meantime, I am producing a bunch of culls. And if I don't introduce new lines, my closely inbred herd will become a bunch of blue culls. It will only take a year, not three, before I have mainly blue rabbits. I simply cannot waste money raising unshowable colors.

I can't really afford new stock right now, I can't barely afford to keep what I have.

I think this will be the end of the road for Silver Fox here.

Could you maybe find someone that is interested in working with the blues that you could do a little rabbit trading with?

 

[Zass]

At least, the blues are just as tasty as the blacks. :dinner: (or at least make good dog chow)

You would be much better off with a black herd sire. Could you perhaps grow out a black buckling to replace him? Because blue is recessive, you should be able to reduce the number of blue kits to 25% if you only breed black to black. From there if you keep selecting for only blacks, you will eventually get non-carriers who don't throw any blue kits. The incidence of blue will slowly reduce, even if you inbreed.

I dunno, I dropped my SF because I never purchased or raised one single doe I liked, and honestly, I have to thoroughly cull even my SF-mutt lines for temperament because of the neuroticism that ran so heavily in all the SF lines we had.

I bred them with rabbits that were much more docile, but...when we get a jr doe who acts mentally retarded despite having a gentle upbringing, even the kids shake their heads and say "too much silverfox in the lines."

 

[skysthelimit]

Could you maybe find someone that is interested in working with the blues that you could do a little rabbit trading with?

That would be nice, if I have anything someone else wants, and I can arrange transport. <br /><br /> __________ Thu Nov 06, 2014 2:08 pm __________ <br /><br />

At least, the blues are just as tasty as the blacks. :dinner: (or at least make good dog chow)

You would be much better off with a black herd sire. Could you perhaps grow out a black buckling to replace him? Because blue is recessive, you should be able to reduce the number of blue kits to 25% if you only breed black to black. From there if you keep selecting for only blacks, you will eventually get non-carriers who don't throw any blue kits. The incidence of blue will slowly reduce, even if you inbreed.

you know, I just have't had anything worth keeping. That's how I wound up with a random blue buck, half of both litters were blue, and the only ones worth keeping were blue. I sold the two blue sisters for that reason.
I can't say I am happy with the temperments of these foxes, but really I'm not happy with the temperaments of any of the adults I have here that I didn't raise, so I don't think I can blame it solely on genetics at the moment. I culled my last batch of SF last summer because no litters and temperament, this is round two.

 

[HendricksHearth]

I'm sorry to hear blues didn't pass, but I also think they will eventually. The four colors of SF are all gorgeous and unique IMHO. I also think having colors contributes to interest in a heritage breed. Are a number of lines neurotic? I've never had one, but it is an interesting read to compare the reputations of some breeds. The New Zealands and Mini Rex I used to have were all over the place temperament-wise, but my Harlequins always seem to pop out friendly and clownish and I never knew an Elop to be anything less, too.