The satin gene

[andyva]

Could someone explain the Satin gene for me. We have mutts, but our buck we were told was a satin. He is a little small at seven pounds (wonder if he is part mini-satin) so now that we have NZs and Champs it is time for him to go.
We will, however miss that shiny coat. Even the doe we kept out of him and our Belgian doe is a very shiny rabbit. We bred her back to him, so I guess she will have 3/4 of whatever degree of satin he had.

If we got a buck out of her that was a little bigger, we might just keep it. (breed it back to her or something else and then cross back to her?)
I know that the most practical thing would be to just go buy some satins, but why do that when you can play with meat-mutts?
Maybe make a satinized black belgian meat mutt. BTW he is REW, the Belgian is red, so he throws half black and half of what I think you call chestnut agouti, making him genetically black. We kept a black doe, so I'm guessing I could see anything from black to rew in the nestbox?
But, anyway, just wondering how the satin genetics work? And, how can you tell satin from "really slick and shiny"?<br /><br />__________ Fri May 31, 2013 5:30 pm __________<br /><br />When I said "she will have 3/4...", I meant her kits would be 3/4.

 

[Disney]

Can you tell by his coat that he's shiny satin? It sounds like you're not very sure of it.
You should see and feel the difference by comparing him to normal coated rabbits.

However if he is a satin, all his kits will carry the gene, which is a recessive gene that needs 2 copies to express itself.
Breeding the daughter back to dad will give you 50% satin and 50% satin carriers.

If he is genetically a black and his daughter is too, you should expect black and rew in their litter. If they carry recessives for other colors, you might get some surprises too.

I have satindwarfs myself.