What breed does my doe most look like?

[Tbgb1912]

So I'm wondering what breed my doe looks like, seeing as she hasn't taken any of the traits common to her genetics. Her mum is pure mini lop and her dad is a mini lop netherland dwarf cross. The sire looked nothing like a nethie, more like a larger ML with ears like hers. Yet my doe's sister, from a different litter but same parents, is a fawn lop? How can one litter come out non-lop and another lop from the exact same parents? It's got me stumped anyway.

Mind the grey patch where she's pulled fur from her last kindling.

 

[ladysown]

it's all in what happens with the ear carriage.

Your sister's doe looks like a lop (probably acts like one too).

Yours looks like a standard mixed breed, with some nethie temperament.

 

[Dood]

Getting proper (or any) lop ears is tricky business even with two lop eared parents - I had a lop mutt doe who NEVER had lop eared kits even when crossed to my Mini Lop bucks who had near perfect crowns

What is the weight of your doe ?

 

[Tbgb1912]

it's all in what happens with the ear carriage.

Your sister's doe looks like a lop (probably acts like one too).

Yours looks like a standard mixed breed, with some nethie temperament.

The fawn lop is my chocolate doe's sister - they're from the same parents so I found it odd that one kit had the lop and the other didn't. Maybe my fawn doe follows after her dam (purebred fawn lop) while the chocolate doe follows after her sire (chocolate mini lop x nethie)?

Getting proper (or any) lop ears is tricky business even with two lop eared parents - I had a lop mutt doe who NEVER had lop eared kits even when crossed to my Mini Lop bucks who had near perfect crowns

What is the weight of your doe ?

What age do their ears usually lop at? Or does it vary?
My buck, mini lop cross, his ears didn't lop until maybe 3 months and even now they aren't permanently lopped - they have a mind of their own :lol:
But my fawn doe, we got her at 6 weeks and her ears didn't lop until maybe 8 weeks.

So even breeding my lop buck and lop doe may not result in lop kits? due to mixed genetics? I was hoping I'd get loppies

Regarding the weight, I'd have to weigh them both tomorrow as I've shut them up for the night. But my chocolate doe has kindled again today, would that make much difference to her weight? (Dramatic loss, inaccuracy, etc.?) or just to give you an idea?

 

[Dood]

You may not get lop ears from your cross - it really depends on the crown and ear carriage of the parents and whether they pass their lop eared head structure onto their offspring.

Lop breeders must often do trial breedings to see if the doe and buck produce lop kits, sometimes it just isn't a good match and they produce some wonky eared ones but can have all lop ears when bred to different mate - like I said it can be tricky

I like to have my rabbits ears lopped before 8 weeks but it can take months, especially in true dwarfs who have smaller ears that tend to stay in the helicopter position for a while but finally lop once they are mature

You should get her weight when she is not pregnant as you want the does weight, not the doe plus "X" number of fetuses - she may be slightly heavier due to milk engorgement but not significantly so and will give an idea of her size

PS I'm pretty sure your does colour is seal and not chocolate

 

[LopLover]

If I may also add, time off year can affect ear carriage as well. Winter ears tend to be thinner and shorter and not lop as nicely while summer ears are thick and tend to lop nicely. I have several litters and after the warm spell yesterday, their ears are all lopping nicely. I don't know if you are talking about Hollands with taking several months to lop but my mini lops are usually lopped by 4 weeks.

 

[Tbgb1912]

PS I'm pretty sure your does colour is seal and not chocolate

Thanks! I'll weigh both does when I get a chance

 

[Susie570]

My Mini lop crosses didn't start lopping until around 6 weeks or so. It started off one ear on one kit. The kit was adopted out at 8 weeks and the other ear lopped shortly thereafter. Two other kits, from a litter of 9, lopped (or at least partially lopped) over the next month or so.

They are a little over 3 months old now, so I don't know if they are finished with any potential lopping our not. Hard to tell. I'm surprised I ended up with any lops because the doe is a Dutch (smallish ears) and they were a winter litter, but kept indoors. :shrug: