Colors?

[Edge of the Wilderness]

Rabbit #6. This is a Satin/New Zealand cross. It is a half-sibling to Rabbit #5. This and the 7 rabbits that follow are from the same litter.

The kids had a few technical issues while we were photographing this group. A couple of the rabbits had to have some shots redone. I think I assigned the re-takes to the correct rabbits.

 

[Edge of the Wilderness]

Rabbit #7.

 

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Rabbit #8.

 

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Rabbit #9.

I'll try to finish uploading the other 4 rabbits tomorrow.

 

[Bunnylady]

So far, I'm seeing pointed whites and chins (and maybe one chestnut). Part of the problem with all the variation is the usual thing of baby colors sometimes being a bit weird, and having to wait for the junior coat to come in to really see what the animal looks like (though it appears that you have junior coats coming in on some, which means you will know soon).

Another thing is the mixing of the breeds; since some breeds work with certain genes to get their particular variant of a color, you may get more red, or less lacing, or a different undercolor - things that may make that color a bit different than the generic description of that color.

Some variation is normal, even within a breed. When you read the breed standards, some things may be listed as faults for one breed, and DQ's for another, or the same fault may be just mentioned for one while for another it is considered a severe fault (meaning a deduction of several points). Sometimes, what is desirable for one breed is a fault in another, so you need to know your breed's standard when showing!

With the Cali/NZW crosses - you might have one blue, or they may all be black, it's hard to say. The Himalayan/Pointed White gene (ch) is dominant to the Ruby-eyed White gene (c), but not completely; the fact that these guys are chc means the points will be lighter and smaller than on an animal that is chch. Plus, this is a temperature-sensitive color, and summertime warmth will affect the expression. Eumelanin is actually very dark brown in color, not quite jet black, and when you thin it down, that fact becomes pretty obvious and can cause confusion.

The gene for chinchilla (cchd) takes most of the pheomelanin (red/yellow pigment) out, and a bit of the eumelanin out, too; it isn't usually as obvious in the agouti-patterned chins, but once again, though we talk about chins as being black and white the "black" isn't true black, and the "white" is really more of an off-white or cream color.

 

[Edge of the Wilderness]

Rabbit #10.

 

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Rabbit #11.

 

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Rabbit #12.

 

[Edge of the Wilderness]

Rabbit #13.

This is the last one. The primary reason we got these rabbits was to breed for personal meat. I know the satin/nz and flemish/nz may not be 100% ideal for those purposes, but we live in a remote area and couldn't find many options in a 2hr radius. I respect the animals that provide for us and with that in mind I try to waste as little as possible. The thought was to come up with a use for the pelts and in that aspect I was trying gain a better understanding of colors and color genetics. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and always enjoy gaining a better understanding of the animals we work with. Thank you!

 

[Edge of the Wilderness]

As a reply to @Bunnylady, at what age do they get their junior coat?