What does the buck contribute to his progeny?

[RoosterMania]

Hey gang,

When breeding rabbits, what attributes does the buck usually pass on to it's progeny? Is there a general rule or is it pretty much dependant on the individuals themselves and how the biology arranges things?

For example, I have the opportunity to get a rabbit that is 50% satin, 25% nz, and 25% flemish out of a litter. Would it be best to get a buck or doe and what variables should I consider to make such a decision?

Thank you!

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

What's progeny?

 

[RoosterMania]

Sorry. Offspring or descendants.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Sorry. Offspring or descendants.

K thank you

 

[Preitler]

Imho, the only thing that depends on the bucks contribution more than the does is the Y-chromosome . All the other stuff, colour, dwarf, broken, size , body type, instincts - whatever is a statisticly random mix of the does and bucks alleles, which is a quite big pot, so on average most offspring is somewhere between the parents, or some of the possible combinations. Easy to see with colour, not so much with some other attributes.

With mixes, I would just judge what sits in front of you. It really depends on what you want, what you are aiming for. If you want fast growth, I would one of the bigger kits in the litter. If you're out for a special colour, pick this.

That now is speculation from my long forgotten shallow knowledge of colour genetics: If you want a lot of variety in your rabbits colours there might be some things to consider, like, if you want some agouti but not too many it would be better to get an agouti doe and others with different colours, and a buck that has more recessive colours. Or something along that lines, my herd developed into black and agouti over the years because I didn't think of that, I would prefer more agouti for the pelts.

 

[RoosterMania]

Thank you, Preitler. Make sense to me.