Tri Color Mini Rex ~ What Color to Cross in

[Skyz84]

Hey everyone! Need some opinions/advise here...

I've been working with Tri Colors for several years now. Unfortunately, I've had terrible luck finding NICE reds (or even castors). I've been spinning my wheels with pet stock for years. I have nice colors but poor type.
I tracked down a breeder that had AWESOME reds but they were over 5 hours away from me. So ring around the transport chain..... and I managed to get a beautiful buck from her. Best red color I've ever seen. Paid a pretty penny for him and transport. I go and pick him up and ... he was sniffling What am I to do? I wasn't going to drive him back home 5 hours! LONG story short he was slinging white snot a few days later. I managed to treat him (in quarantine) for a few weeks. Got him well long enough to breed all my does and culled him. So now I have lots of 1/2 siblings or closer that are nicer quality. Some I plan to line bred and others I don't want to. SO I'm back to where I started.. who to bred to who? I'd love to bring in another nice buck.

I have a breeder not far from me with nice quality.. BUT... they only breed black, blue and REW. They have a few nice Broken Black and REW bucks now.

Just how bad would I ruin my reds if I brought in a color other then red?
If I bring in one which is better.. REW or Broken Black? (I know REW can carry almost anything but several generations of REW to REW would be a total mystery! )

My other option is just line breed for pets right now. Not keep any babies back and then next spring I'll be traveling for goat shows. I may be able to pick up a new buck then... LOL I'm just terrible at waiting...

What would you recommend?

Here is one of my favorite girls, just for fun

 

[RustyPocket]

I have no experience in Mini Rex what so ever, but based on colours only I would keep line-breedoing the good loking buck's ofspring and bring in Broken Blacks rather then REWs.

 

[skysthelimit]

For the REW, you'd have to know what it really is.

None of those colors will mess up Red, it's actually the other way around, Red brings in the the non extension gene to other colors and causes issues, but since you are raising MR, the colors you get from Red to black, would be showable. If and when you get torts from the cross, just keep the torts away from your Tris.

Line breeding with poor stock is just going to get you no where. You don't have the genes you need in the gene pool. Been there done that.

 

[Prisma]

Go to the ARBA site, go to MR specialty club site, look up the BEST breeders in your area. If you have to get on a waiting list. Get the BEST castor or REW from castors you can afford from there, make sure the price is actually worth the rabbit. And then breed up using that rabbit (if you are lucky enough to get 2 or 3 from the SAME line with GOOD/GREAT traits, do it, will make it well worth it and cut time down). I've been working on tri color's in MR since I started breeding back in 2001, I started with similar looking long/flat rabbits and just now getting some thing with some depth and height WITH adding in some substantial genes and literally a small fortune. Its going to take time and money invested to get better stock to add in. If you can't afford to get a better whole package at once, buy parts animals. I had to do that in the beginning, part of the reason I'm just now getting offspring with decent depth and width but its not all in the same one yet. I disregarded color for the biggest part (avoided torts and those that had a heavy tort past) and bought based on type/fur quality. I sold some pets, some broods/show possibles with disclosure of the ones that came from the tri program, and even more terminal culls.

 

[DumansArk]

My other option is just line breed for pets right now. Not keep any babies back and then next spring I'll be traveling for goat shows. I may be able to pick up a new buck then... LOL I'm just terrible at waiting...

What would you recommend?

Here is one of my favorite girls, just for fun

In the event that you do get some progeny out of linebreeding that you like; why not? You might as well enjoy babies until you can get better stock. And there is no harm at all in raising rabbits purely for the enjoyment. Lovely girl you have there!

 

[Skyz84]

My other option is just line breed for pets right now. Not keep any babies back and then next spring I'll be traveling for goat shows. I may be able to pick up a new buck then... LOL I'm just terrible at waiting...

What would you recommend?

Here is one of my favorite girls, just for fun

In the event that you do get some progeny out of linebreeding that you like; why not? You might as well enjoy babies until you can get better stock. And there is no harm at all in raising rabbits purely for the enjoyment. Lovely girl you have there!

That is what they have always been
I love healthy happy bunnies. Particularly in Tri Color. I know, never raise for color! I raise goats for show. I should know better! Ha, I just haven't been lucky to get a hold of nice stock but my babies sell as pets anyways. I'm just always trying to improve type in every generation. I made up my mind to go look at the broken bucks. They breed for show and they are one of the few breeders close to my house.

BTW: LOVE your avatar! English are my new project LOVE them!

 

[Celice]

I think that to get a better red in Tri you can breed them to a black Tort or a solid black.