# Help with a colour?



## Duckfarmerpa1 (Apr 29, 2020)

Ok, so I’ve been reading up on genes and colours of rabbits...even writing the word with the extra ‘u’ makes me feel like a weird-o...🤣. Anyways..I’ve decided to keep this little NZ doe..because her color is so unique...but, as I was reading last night...on a rabbit forum..it said she was a tan/patterned with pink eyed dilute?  I don’t think my bunny has the pink eyes...I’m pretty sure she doesn’t.  Could she be a Lutino  otter?    It also said that the tan/patterned one turned yellow, which is still an unusual colour... after molting.  But..I’m not so sure I want a yellow...and if that’s the case..I think I want to sell her..,because as it is right now, I’m at full capacity for hutch space..and I’d like to have an open hutch, for the uh-oh, situation.  I can always put a bunny in a cage in my ‘house/barn’. ...but that isnt Ideal for long term.  So, can you take a look at this darling bunny.  I know she’d sell like a flash...but if she’s going to change to yellow, and not carry this tan/patterned...then, I just don’t th8nk I want to breed the yellow in my line...I’m not sure..I haven’t seen any than other on the webpage...anybody have any cute ones?


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## promiseacres (Apr 30, 2020)

The color is tort, or tortois
Basically it's self  with
aa B- C- D- ee
It's common and accepted in some breeds but not new Zealand


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## secuono (Apr 30, 2020)

Color is tort.
Are you sure parents are NZ, pure? It doesn't look like one in body shape.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Apr 30, 2020)

I’m not sure sure...I know the male was, mom was ‘sold’ to me as one, but you know how that goes..so, if you had guess..what breed...and if I but her with my black NZ, what should I expect?  Or do I need a different buck to suit her colour?


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## JHP Homestead (Apr 30, 2020)

If you breed to a black buck, you’ll likely get mostly black kits. If the buck carries the recessive “e”, you could get more torts. 

And of course, you could get red-eyed whites, or several other colors based on any recessive  color genes, but the chance of that is probably small


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## JHP Homestead (Apr 30, 2020)

I actually have a litter now from a black doe and a fawn (the Agouti version of Tort) buck. I got lucky and the doe carries “e”, so I have a good mix of blacks and torts. I love the torts, your doe is very cute. 

Here’s the litter I mentioned:


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (May 1, 2020)

Ok, so now I need to try to ‘create’ or buy a tort Buck of some colour to breed with this young doe?  Ugh...this gene stuff is sooo complicated...but, I’m really enjoying learning about it.  I really wish I had someone here to explain it to me in real life..,for me, it’s hard to simply read it...I think I need to make some charts.  I sold my Cali buck..by mistake.  Chris never let me breed him, because he did it like the eyes. But, he, and I didn’t realize at that point, that that was how I got the spots! So, now I found a new Cali buck, but we have to drive pretty far, and pay more money.  I told Chris, next time I want to sell an animal on impulse..stop me..because I always, always regret it!!  Oh, do you know of any great websites that explain the genes, for dummies?🤣


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## JHP Homestead (May 1, 2020)

Whether or not you need a tort buck to breed to this doe just depends on what you want. If it was me, I’d breed to your current buck and see if he carries the non-extension gene (e); but if you need an excuse to buy another rabbit, then yes, you should get a tort buck 🤣




Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> But, he, and I didn’t realize at that point, that that was how I got the spots! So, now I found a new Cali buck


Depending on the genetics of your new Cali buck, he might not give you spotted kits. The white colors (Cali and solid white) cover everything else up. If your previous Cali colored buck threw broken kits with a solid doe, that means that he was a broken buck, you just couldn’t see if because the Cali gene makes everything white. Your new buck might not carry broken. 

Sorry, I’m not very good at explaining the genetics, and I don’t really know a good website that explains it. I think they’re all confusing when I start reading them. The way I’ve figured out what little I know, is to look at each rabbit I have and figure out what their genotype is. That helped me start to piece together what each letter (ABCDE) meant. I wrote down what each of my breeder’s are, and then for fun, I’ve been doing different breeding to figure out some of the recessives they carry.

I do use this website: http://www.ephiny.net/tim/pedigrees/color_calc.php
It’s a calculator that tells you what colored kits you could get from certain breedings. I think it’s a little clunky if you have a lot of unknown recessive genes, but it’s still fun to see use.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (May 1, 2020)

Ok, thanks a ton!!  I had two Cali bucks, one had a more pronounced gray/black nose and one had more brown one his features..the one I’m buying Sunday...from the pictures, it’s kind of hard to tell?  I think he looks a bit grey/black tips...that’s like the one one I used to breed.  Can I ask...how many rabbits do you currently have to breed that you are able to play around with the gene patterns?  I have 8 NZ does, 1 NZ buck..1 Cali doe...that I, stupidly sold...ugh, why do I do this stupid stuff?  Now I’m buying 1 cali buck.  I have 1 Cali/NZ doe and 1cali/NZ buck..then I have a bunch of other breeds...bu5 I haven’t messed around with them...yet!👍😀🐰. But I seem to get the great spots from my Cali cross doe..shell have 1/2 and 1/2 of each..and definitely all spots from my Cali doe when I cross her.  That’s why I’m buying a new Cali buck..to breed with all my NZ does...spots sell really well around here, plus, I just really like them too, and I’d like one in my line-up too.  Thanks for the website info too!!


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## JHP Homestead (May 1, 2020)

I have 5 does and 3 bucks right now. 
2 broken black NZ does
1 solid black NZ doe
1 blue NZ doe
1 blue NZ buck
2 Calis, 1 buck and 1 doe
1 fawn mixed breed buck

I haven’t bred my Californians to anyone other than each other to see what other colors they might have, but I get a lot of spots from my 2 spotted does. They seem to either throw black with spots or solid white with only rarely having a solid black or blue kit. The spots sell well here too.


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## CraftyHen (May 1, 2020)

YouTube: Flat Wabbit Rabbitry
"Color Genetics 101 Series"
Its several 10-15 min videos explaining each locus and he shows examples of the color or pattern using his rabbits.  
It's very well done. Take notes!


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (May 1, 2020)

Thanks ton!!  Videos make learning easier for me!


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## Larsen Poultry Ranch (May 2, 2020)

Could you post pictures of some of your rabbits? That way we could help you try to figure out their genotype, which will give you a solid guess as to what the kits could look like with different pairings. If you've tracked what color kits you had from previous pairings that will help too.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (May 2, 2020)

None of my rabbits are special...most are broken somewhere...but I love them all the same...and now with this gene thing, we’ll, it’s opened my mind up to being able to ‘create’ colours...and that is a very cool idea indeed!  I’ll get snapping today!


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (May 5, 2020)

Ok, need more colour help...so, I’m buying a cinnamon today...from what I’ve read, they come from a NZ...crossed wayyyy back.  So..what do I need to cross her with, to tr6 to reproduce that colour?  I haven’t seen another cinnamon.....

plus, great news...I have a chocolate kit..that I created out of luck here on the farm!!  Better be sure I’m keeping that kit..and I’m praying it’s a buck!!


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## promiseacres (May 5, 2020)

Rabbit Genetics
		









						Rabbit Color Genotypes Chart | The Nature Trail
					

Below is the most extensive color family chart on this website. It contains most of the rabbit colors you might think of, though there are some exceptions. For example, there are no "steel"




					www.thenaturetrail.com
				




these are two websites I like.


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## Larsen Poultry Ranch (May 5, 2020)

Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> Ok, need more colour help...so, I’m buying a cinnamon today...from what I’ve read, they come from a NZ...crossed wayyyy back.  So..what do I need to cross her with, to tr6 to reproduce that colour?  I haven’t seen another cinnamon.....
> 
> plus, great news...I have a chocolate kit..that I created out of luck here on the farm!!  Better be sure I’m keeping that kit..and I’m praying it’s a buck!!


If you know the genotype of what you have, and the genotype of what you want, you should be able to figure out a cross to get that rabbit, or determine if you need different genetics to cross with to get the results you want.

Just looked up the cinnamon, looks like it's a chocolate agouti A- bb C- D- E-


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## Larsen Poultry Ranch (May 5, 2020)

Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> I have a chocolate kit


Chocolate is recessive, so by creating this color you now know both parents carry the gene for chocolate.


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## messybun (May 6, 2020)

This may not be the case, but with one of my gray lops he turned almost completely yellow during his first shed and then went back to a gray/gray sable color.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (May 6, 2020)

Ok..I have a NEW BUNNY.. that I bought, just to breed with the black tort that I bred....when i saw a picture of him from the breeder I only sa2 his nose...I thought he might be a ‘cinnamon’..after reading up on the colour.  I figured it would be great to add to my line.  First the breeder told me that this 13 week old bunny was a doe...oops..it turned out to be a buck!  Maybe better because now I can use him to cross with my many NZ?  When I bought him..it was clear to me he was not a cinnamon..or, maybe he is, but I’m leaning more toward a black tort as well..or even his body shape looks like a Japanese harlequin...which..I’ve been looking for, because I just like the tri colour.  This guy isn’t really tri, except for a white foot, which is why I’m thinking might not be a black tort..plus those ears..oh my goodness, I love those ears!!  They are adorable!!  I got him for a steal! $15!  Guy didn’t know what he had...his other bunnies were a rip off, so, it evened out..🤣❤️🐰. So, if all can look at this little fellow, and think of what he could be?  The guy said he was an NZ....which is another reason I was thinking cinnamon or the tort, since I read the cinnamon cane from NZ wayyy back.  Ok, here are his pictures...thanks!


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## JHP Homestead (May 10, 2020)

He kinda looks like a black Tort to me, but I don’t know if his white paws change that. Maybe he has some Dutch way back in the pedigree or something? 

I’m not experienced enough to know his breed or color but I do know one thing, he is super cute! I bet he’ll throw some cute babies for you.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (May 10, 2020)

That’s what I think too!!  My real concern is how to market the kits,...I can’t say “cute bunnies for sale”. That won5 work...I cant say...’meat mutt’...that awful!!  I think I’m just going to stick with NZ cross and i plan to pair  him with my black tort for sure!!  She’s just 9 weeks...it’s goin* to be a looong wait!!  From now on, unless it’s really special, I’m only buying breeding age!!


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