What should I do?

[xlt]

Have a Black buck that throws some Reds with my Red doe (New Zealands)... there are some picture here somewhere.

I bred the same buck to my NZW/CA cross doe (large meaty litters, excellent mothering skills.) Came out with a couple chestnut agouti... one which has what appears to be substantial rufus modifiers present?

My question is, in the absence of readily available unrelated Reds to add, if I wanted to increase the size (individually and litter size of my reds)... would it be OK to breed this chestnut doe(ling) to my up and coming Red buck(ling) when the time comes?

I want to maintain the red color in as pure a form as possible, but I read here somewhere that the gene that makes the CA markings also suppresses the red coloration?

Any opinions?

 

[akane]

The gene that makes the CA himi markings covers all other colors the same as REW(NZW) and covers REW. A NZW/CA has one himi gene and one rew gene. The chestnut doe has either the himi or the rew gene. One copy of either gene should not do anything to other colors. Reds should still appear red. 2 copies of rew makes rew, 2 copies of himi make himi, and 1 copy of each makes himi. Your first generation chestnut x red will have normal reds (they may have lost some color from diluting the rufus modifiers) and chestnut in about 50/50. They may carry rew or himi. The problem is you now have a time bomb. Generations later you may suddenly get a himi marked rabbit. I have a creme d'argent doe with new zealand in her background but not on her pedigree. She can throw blacks. The self gene from the NZ got passed down through 5 generations of cremes to make the doe not breed true if bred to another rabbit that isn't pure creme. It makes me hesitant to sell any offspring as anything but meat mutts even if I do cross her to a pure creme d'argent buckw which would give me all cremes. Someone crosses the line back on itself and oops blacks (champagnes) instead of cremes. The only way to be reasonably sure what you are selling or breeding can't pass on himi is to breed a couple times to a NZW. You should get a few himis if they carry it or rew if they carry that. Technically the odds are 50% should be himi or rew but in real life there is a small chance you could miss seeing it. With something that has even lower odds of appearing you may never be confident it's gone. That's why it's bad to breed recessives in to a color line.