Breeding & Culling

by Chris Zemny, ARBA Judge

NOTE: This article was written for holland lops, but the general principles are excellent guidelines for all breeds.

The most important thing one must realize when breeding Holland Lops is that CULLING is a must. Hollands do not always breed true. You can breed two grand champions and end up with all pet store bunnies. You can also breed two average Hollands and end up with phenomenal stock.

In breeding try to always breed faults to good points. If one Holland has weak hips, do not breed it to another with weak hips, as that is all you will produce. Try to match up any faults in one rabbit to good points with the one that you are breeding it to. This is not as easy as it sounds. You will often find yourself doing a balancing act when trying to match up faults with strong points. For an example, a buck with a good crown and fair body, could be bred to a doe with poor ear carriage and a good body. Ideally, you should always attempt to breed rabbits with the fewest faults.

Another trap breeders get into is breeding by pedigree. What you see in a rabbit is often what will show up in its descendents. If there are good genes in the background, it will be easier to pull the good traits out, BUT you need to have what you are trying to pull out. Do not get caught in the trap of breeding certain Hollands because they have famous ancestors in the background. Remember that what you see is most likely what you will get.

Some lines of Hollands have certain traits that tend to be dominant. Massive heads, good bone, good type, size, condition, and fur all are very inheritable traits. Different Holland Lop lines are dominant for certain traits and very few lines are dominant for all. If you are breeding for massive heads, be sure you are working with a line that is known for dominant heads, or if you are breeding to improve size and condition, be sure you are working with a line known to be dominant for these traits. Temperament, although not a part of the Holland Lop standard, is also very inheritable. A mean feisty doe will produce mean, feisty offspring; and likewise, a gentle, curious Holland will produce more of the same. I will personally not keep Hollands with the nickname of "Fang".

Not all lines of Holland Lops are compatible and some will have a synergistic effect, with the offspring being much better than the parents. You will have to work this pattern out in your own herd by trial and error. If a buck from line A is breed to a doe from line B and the offspring turn out fantastic, most likely that same buck will produce fantastic offspring with other does from line B. Likewise, if you produce some stock from this breeding that even a pet store wouldn't like, I would be very cautious of breeding this buck to any other does from line B. Some crosses are definitely synergistic and some are definitely antagonistic. This is why you will need to keep accurate records and be sure to record any trends that you see.

One suggestion, when establishing trends within your lines, is to take your best buck and breed him to all your does. You will quickly see which lines work and which do not.

INBREEDING VERSES OUTCROSSING

Inbreeding is the breeding of related rabbits of different generations, father to daughter, mother to son. Linebreeding is the breeding of a particular animal to several generations of his offspring. Both linebreeding and inbreeding will intensify or fix a trait, good or bad.

Outcrossing is the breeding of two unrelated rabbits. This is especially good for establishing hybrid vigor. Most rabbits that are inbred over several generations tend to lose vigor. For example, after several generations of inbreeding, a line may turn up a susceptibility to colds, enteritis, or pregnancy related problems. Outcrossing helps to eliminate these problems.

Often, in the breeding of large livestock and plants, two tightly inbred lines are maintained. The best stock is produced by the crossing of these two inbred lines. This is known as an outcross. The trick to doing this with rabbits is to work with two compatible lines. As discussed earlier, not all Holland Lop lines are compatible.

An example of an effective outcross would be to cross a dominant head line and a dominant body line. Crossing these two lines could produce near perfect Holland Lops.

Other breedings which should not necessarily be avoided are broken to broken crosses and brother to sister crosses. When breeding broken to broken the worst things that could happen are the occurrence of "charlies", which are brokens carrying two broken genes and have very little pattern, and the occurrence of fuzzy Hollands, which make good pet shop bunnies. Breeding of a heavy pattern lop with a light pattern lop will produce heavy to light patterns, with the majority being good, if not perfect patterned lops.

When you breed brother to sister, you really intensify the dominant traits. The catch with this breeding is that you have to cull severely. When it fixes the traits, it fixes both the good and the bad traits. We have produced a few of our best rabbits, and also so me of our worst with this type of a cross. You may only get one good rabbit each litter, but they have been worth it, and they tend to be more genetically pure and typically dominant. Just be sure to realize that as much as it strengthens the good qualities, it also strengthens the bad.

CULLING

Culling is the most important part of any breeding program. Two key words that need to be used when culling are "strict" and accurate". Everyone culls, the trick is to do it well.

For accurate culling you will need to breed to the standard. To do this you will need to have a picture in your mind of a perfect Holland Lop. Without this mental picture, good culling will be next to impossible.

When you are looking at your Holland try to visualize what is not there, as well as what is. It is easy to see faults that are there, narrow head, long muzzle, poor ear carriage, pinched hips, etc. Looking for what is not there is a little harder, but will easily show you flatness of crown, unfilled cheeks, sloping hindquarters, incorrect topline, and other body faults.

I cull my Hollands at 5 to 6 weeks (on teeth and disqualifications only), 12 to 13 weeks, 5 months, and 10 to 12 months of age.

After 5 to 6 weeks of age, most Hollands go through an ugly "teenage" phase. I try not to look at them during this time frame. By 12 to 13 weeks of age, they seem to again blossom and can be culled on type. One needs to remember at this age they still haven't reached their head potential, but most body faults are easy to see.

To evaluate the head, check the profile for proper curvature. A good head will be round in every direction: side profile, front profile, and top profile. There should be nothing extra at the lower muzzle and no flat planes. I try to visualize drawing an upside down triangle on the Hollands face. The two side lines of the triangle are the lines between the eyes and the tip of the nose. The long bar of the triangle is between the corners of the eyes. This bar between the eyes should be longer than the other two lines. Look for good full cheeks also.

When you look and feel the body at this age, a good topline, a late start (when the spine is flat across the shoulders before it curves up across the back), undercut hindquarters, and pinched hips are already apparent. There should be a very slight taper from the shoulders to the hindquarters. Remember that shoulders increase in width with age.

Another aspect which helps me cull is to observe the bone. You can check the bone best by looking at the rear feet. Are they short and wide, or are they long and thin? A bunny with long thin feet and legs will almost always have a long and narrow body and will usually be long in the muzzle. You want the shortest, thickest, and heaviest bone that you can get. Be sure to also check for length of bone. The front legs should be short and stocky, not long and fine.

At five months most Hollands are showing their true show potential and by 10 months to one year, their heads are beginning to broaden. This is when senior Holland heads begin to really shape up. This process will continue throughout the life of the Holland, which is why the heads on 2 to 3 year old bucks look so much better than on younger rabbits.

EARS

There has been much discussion regarding temperature and ear length and carriage. Holland babies born in the winter do tend to have slightly shorter and thicker ears than those born in the summer months. But if you have a severe ear carriage problem, look at your Holland's crown development before you blame the weather. You not only need a crown that is wide on the head, but also one that is deep. Far to many Hollands today have lost their depth and width of crown, producing fair to poor ear carriage.

I have found that this problem can be corrected in one generation so it is a relatively easy fault to fix. All you need is a rabbit with a good crown to cross to your lops that have crown problems.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

There are several other problems that you should be aware of in your culling program, most of which are disqualifications. Many of us would like to believe that these problems do not exist, at least in our own herds, and very few are willing to admit to them. But believe me, they do exist and at one time or another, you will probably encounter one or two of them. Make sure you realize that most of these problems are genetic, and that breeding them into your herd could result in major problems in future generations.

TEETH

I cull on bad teeth at 5 to 6 weeks and again at 1 2 weeks of age. If the bottom teeth are in front of the top teeth at 5 to 6 weeks, I cull the rabbit. If the teeth meet straight on (peg teeth), I wait. Often a bunny that has peg teeth at 5 to 6 weeks, will have perfect teeth at 12 to 13 weeks of age. The top jaw grows out from the skull first, and is followed by the bottom jaw at 3 to 5 weeks of age, which is why this discrepancy occurs. This top jaw then grows again at around 12 weeks of age and will often correct a peg tooth problem. This skull changes again at 8 to 12 months of age, which can also affect the teeth.

As we are breeding rabbits with large round heads, proper curvature of the skull is critical. If either the upper or lower jaw is off even the slightest, malocclusion is the result. I believe that it is a combination of genes that control the rabbit's skull shape and not just one pair.

Not all head types are shaped the same. I have found that by breeding a rabbit with straight on teeth to one with a large gap between the front top and bottom incisures, the resulting litters have good teeth 99% of the time. Please do not misunderstand, me, I do not recommend that everyone keep Hollands with straight-on or bad teeth, unless they are willing to risk culling the offspring of future generations.

I have also found that teeth that go out at a later age, six months plus, tend to be very genetic, and do not keep any of these animals in my herd. I don't like to worry about teeth going out on senior animals, or waiting to see if the offspring from these animals have good teeth at eight or months of age.

DOES THAT BECOME BUCKS

I recently had the most gorgeous doe that place second at a local show. Two weeks later, she developed testicles. I had discovered my first split penis. Also called hypospadias, it is when the urethral opening is not on the tip of the penis but constitutes a large slit on the entire under side. There can be varying degrees of this problem, from a normal sized opening located too far down on the penis, to an incomplete closure of the urethral opening, creating a penis that is split all the way from the tip down to the base. These bucks will frequently look like does when sexed at an early age.

The penis will look better as the rabbit gets older, but these bucks will have a very characteristic curl to the penis when sexed. Upon closer examination, you will see the complete split. They will also be fertile, but as this is a highly inheritable trait, they should not be used for breeding.

EYE SPOTS

I have occasionally seen Hollands with whitish spots on their eyes, which is another genetic problem. Often there is a flaw, crimp, or pucker in the upper eye lid. These crimps and puckers can be seen at a very early age, and can be easily found when the upper eyelid is gently pulled back with your finger or thumb. The whitish spot is usually found on the surface of the cornea, below the iris. The spots usually develop after 4 to 8 months of age, and are usually easier to see on an older rabbit, which is why we check all young juniors for crimps or puckers on the eyelids.

There are two theories about eye spots and crimped eyelids. One theory is that the irregularity in the eyelid wears and abrades on the surface of the eye, causing the characteristic white spot on the cornea. The other theory is that the crimp creates an air pocket, which leaves the cornea dry creating a small abscess (spot). A eye infection, either by bacteria or fungi, will also cause scaring (white spots) on the cornea.

WHITE SPOTS

White toenails and white spots are other genetic outcrops that we as breeders do not like to see in our herds. Rather than plucking white spots and stray white hairs, we as breeders should be breeding and culling to eliminate them. Do note that white spots can be caused by injury, or by genetic predisposition. Keep the former, cull the later.

Some breeders feel that an abundance of brokens in the background will cause white spots and stray white hairs, but I have not found this to be true. To clean up blacks with stray white hairs, you need to bred to clean blacks without the stray white hairs. It is easily corrected by breeding in this manner.

WHITE TOENAILS

White or mismatched toenails are usually found on the middle toenails of the front feet. Questionable toenails can be best compared to the dewclaw, which will be darker. Questionable toenails will usually lighten with age, rather than darken. This is also a inherited trait, usually showing up on the same toenail(s) in future generations.

I've covered several genetic problems, and I am sure that there are several others out there. We all have different beliefs about what genetic problems we will or will not tolerate in our own herds. The bottom line to avoiding them all is to cull. I cannot stress enough how important culling is. It is the mechanism to change your herd. The harder you cull, the quicker the change. Be honest with yourself in your breeding program, as the only person you ultimately fool is yourself.

BUYING STOCK

If you are serious about breeding Holland Lops, the best suggestion I have for you is to purchase the best buck that you can afford. You will need to get a picture in your head of what a perfect Holland Lop looks like, and find a buck which comes as close to your picture as possible. If the perfect buck comes with a high price tag, wait, save and buy the rabbit. The investment will be worth it. Just remember that when you are linebreeding, you always return to your best animal which is usually your herd buck. He is the most important acquisition to your breeding program. You will use him generation after generation.

GOOD LUCK

With a little luck and a lot of persistence you should find your nest boxes full of quality little Hollands which will do well on the show tables.

Developing Your Own Family Line

by Dwayne Neal, NY

Many new breeders and/or new buyers have asked me for my recommendation on how to get started with a good breeding program. Of course, they want to know how to get consistent production of hollands… here is what I tell them.

 1) Buy the very best herd buck from a reputable breeder. This buck should have many, if not most, of the qualities that you see to be consistent with the standard. This is very important, for if you have junk, you will breed and produce junk.  Bite the bullet, don’t be afraid to start all over if you realize that what you have is marginal at best, and purchase the very best set of genetics you can get your hands on.

 2) If you aren’t able to purchase a trio of animals (the herd buck with two does), try your best to mix your new herd buck with does that have something genetically that he lacks.  Compensate for his shortcoming and hope that the “blend” happens.

 3) Breed the doe’s female offspring back to the herd buck.  This is one form of “line breeding” and it is the fastest way to improve your chances of getting offspring that closely resembles what it came from.  In this case, since we are compounding the herd buck’s genetics you should end up with animals that look like him… thus emphasizing the point I made in tip number one!

 4) Keep the best animals after watching litters develop completely into adults.  This may sound like a lot of work to do, but it is the only way for you to be sure about the “family” line of genetics you are developing.  By watching a few generations you can learn how your line develops, bow quickly or slowly, whether there are growth spurts at certain points in time causing them to go through “the uglies”, etc.  With this knowledge, you can gain the confidence and accuracy required to effectively cull at earlier stages and not end up getting rid of all the “right” animals before you even know what you have.  How many times have you heard the story from someone about selling what they thought was an absolutely ugly junior, only to regret it later on as they watch it winning BOB at the shows?

Progressive Culling

by T. L. Andrews, PhD, ARBA Judge

Will it be a winner? That is the question on my mind as I see a rabbit in the nest box. We all wish that every rabbit born would be a show winner. Unfortunately, they are not. How do you decide which one will be good? That process in called culling.

Every successful breeder has learned to cull his herd. Methods and procedures vary from person to person, but it must be done. I have a method that I will try to describe, although I really believe success only comes with practice.

To begin with, you must have numbers to choose from. The more you can raise, the more you have to look at in hopes of finding that "special" one. Also, have in mind what you want the mature rabbit to look like. I am looking for a short-bodied rabbit with width and depth of body about equal. The shoulders should be about the same width and depth as the hindquarters. The head should balance with the body, with the crown and ears forming a horseshoe shape around it.

After the kits are born, I examine them thoroughly for defects and abnormalities. All such are culled immediately. Other than checking on their well-being every few days, I don't examine the kits until they are four to five weeks of age. In my herd, there seems to be a definite relationship between "type" at this age and "type" at maturity.

Each rabbit should be thoroughly examined for structural development. This includes all bones and teeth. The teeth should have a normal overbite (top over bottom) even though as the head continues to grow teeth problems could still occur. Legs should be straight without being too long or of a fine bone. The body shape or type is the easiest matter to evaluate. We are looking for round and smooth hindquarters with a full loin. This characteristic will never be any better than it is as this age. The body must have depth to balance with the length and width. The shoulders will need careful examination. They will "fill out" some as the rabbit matures; therefore, we can allow a slightly more narrow shoulder at four weeks than we would want on the mature rabbit. However, depth at the shoulders must be there now.

Our standard emphasizes head shape and quality. Now our big question is: "What will that head look like when the rabbit is grown?" Honestly, I don't know. In the profile, we want a roundness to the head, especially from the crown to the nose. There must be a good width between the eyes for the head to be approximately the same width as the body. Ear carriage can change with age, but the shape and thickness of the ear can be evaluated now. Thin, narrow, or folded ears are undesirable and usually are found on long narrow heads. A good wide space between the ears is necessary for a proper crown development.

This is the time to check for color disqualifications in the fur and eyes. Count the toenails and check their color. Any rabbit with general disqualifications should be culled.

Why not temporarily mark each rabbit in one ear with a magic marker; then examine them again in a couple of days. This procedure has helped me to find the ones that should be culled and the ones that should be tattooed. It will also be a good test of your consistency in judging animals.

Most rabbits go through an ugly stage. This begins at about eight weeks of age and lasts for about eight weeks. Does tend to mature faster than bucks, and there are always exceptions to the rules.

At about four month of age, I can tell more about the quality of my Holland Lops. The good ones should be ready for the show table. But before we enter them in any show, every rabbit should be carefully examined. I use the same procedure that I did when they were four weeks old. By keeping records, you can see if that one you thought would be good turned out to be so. Eventually, you must decide "Do I keep it or cull it?" Don't be afraid to say, "That is not what I want." Go ahead and cull it.

One more area of culling is in terms of production. Reproduction traits are highly inheritable. Does that have a poor conception rate, small litters, or poor mothering ability should be culled. Breeding records on bucks should be kept and those with a poor performance should be culled.

Culling is a must since we can't keep every rabbit that is born. I admit it is not easy, but with careful study, you can do it. I hope you find a good one.

Reproductive Disorders in Rabbits

 by Lisa Iverson, DVM 

Since we ail have rabbit breeding in common, I thought I would write my first article about breeding rabbits and some of the problems that can occur.

Unique things that are normal for rabbits

Rabbits are induced ovulators, which means that a doe does not release her eggs from the ovaries unless a buck stimulates her during copulation. The doe's heat cycle is 16-18 days long, with about 12 fertile days. Average rabbit gestation is 30-33 days but can be as short as 29 days or as long as 35 days. A few days to a few hours before giving birth, the doe builds a nest of hay or straw and from hair that she pulls from her own body. Nest building behavior starts with: digging, at about 6-8 days prior to kindling; then nest building, 1-3 days before kindling; and finally hair pulling 24 hours to minutes before giving birth. Kindling usually occurs in the early morning hours and only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. Rarely are the young born several hours apart. Anterior (head first) and posterior (hind quarters first) presentations are both normal.

Pseudopregnancy

If ovulation does not result in pregnancy, the doe will have a pseudopregnancy, or false pregnancy. This may be due to a sterile mating with a buck or by being mounted by another doe. Occasionally a doe that lives alone will learn to stimulate herself to ovulate, resulting in recurrent pseudopregnancies. This can be a problem for the breeder. Pseudopregnancy usually lasts 16-18 days, during which time the doe is unable to conceive. A doe goes through all the hormonal changes of pregnancy during a false pregnancy in a shorter period. At the end of a false pregnancy, the doe usually builds a nest and may even lactate. Fertility usually then returns to normal.

Pregnancy toxemia (ketosis)

Pregnancy toxemia is very complex, and although it is fairly common, very little is known. This will serve as an overview. Perhaps, if there is interest, another article will be devoted to pregnancy toxemia. Signs vary from lack of appetite, weakness, and depression, to abortion to sudden death. Does are usually affected during nest building, but pseudopregnant does and does that have recently given birth may also be affected. The liver becomes enlarged and infiltrated with fat cells (a condition known as hepatic lipidosis). This fat interferes with the normal metabolic processes of the liver, leading to an accumulation of toxins in the blood. Obese does and does with an obstruction in the stomach (such as a hairball from building a nest) are at greatest risk. The goal of treatment is to get the doe to eat, even if that means force-feeding. Some people also recommend treating with a steroid anti-inflammatory; these are available only through a veterinarian. Because most does do not survive severe toxemia, the best treatment is prevention: do not allow your does to become obese, and do not increase carbohydrates in the diet at the end of pregnancy.

Dystocia

Dystocia, or difficult labor, is not very common in rabbits. Predisposing factors include obesity, large kits, and a narrow pelvic canal. Since we breed for a large round head in Holland lops, dystocia may be more common in our breed than in many others. Signs of dystocia are straining and bloody or greenish vaginal discharge. Oxytocin and calcium gluconate can be given to strengthen uterine contractions. There is a risk of uterine rupture if oxytocin is given before both cervices are dilated. If the doe does not deliver her kit within 30-60 minutes of this treatment, a Cesarean section should be considered.

References:

Mannin & Pingler, and Newcomer (ed.), The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit, Second Edition, Academic Press, 1994
McNitt, Patton, Lukefahr, and Cheeke, Rabbit Production, Eighth Edition, Interstate Publishers, Inc., 2000
Okerman, Diseases of Domestic Rabbits, Second Edition, Blackwell Science, 1998
Richardson, Rabbits Health, Husbandry, & Diseases, Blackwell Science, 2000
Hillyer and Quesenberry, Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents Clinical Medicine and Surgery, W.B. Saunders Co., 1997

Pedigrees vs. Registrations:

Pedigrees--What They Are

The new breeder. The new, proudly owned breeding pair.  The papers. Wait a second.  What are papers, anyway?

On purebred breeding or show stock, ‘papers’ are the pedigree, which tells you the ancestry of the animal, and if the animal is old enough and has been registered, the registration certificate, which tells you that the animal has passed inspection by a licensed ARBA registrar.

The pedigree is the most important piece of paper you will ever have regarding that rabbit!  It is more important than the registration, the legs of grand champion, or the Grand Championship Certificate. Hmm...if it is that important, must be pretty complicated, you think.

Well, you aren’t far off.  It’s pretty simple, though, when you take it step by step.

What is a pedigree? A pedigree is a piece of paper listing on it the most recent three or sometimes four generations of the rabbit’s ancestry. That’s it...that’s all....it tells you who sired whom out of which doe, for three generations. Three generations is considered a complete pedigree by the American Rabbit Breeders’ Association.

What is all this stuff on here? Is it supposed to be there? What is supposed to be on the pedigree? For each and every rabbit on the pedigree, the following data are required:  Name or ear number; registration number if available; color; and weight.  Optional extras are full name, ear number if  registration number is present, grand champion number, show winnings, and breed.

So--what about when I name my new rabbits, do I put my initials there? Everyone else seems to. Okay, here is where it starts getting a little complex--but let’s take it one step at a time. On many rabbits in the pedigree, you will see a prefix, which is usually a name like Whosis’ or initials such as RRR’s.  This prefix denotes who the original breeder of that animal is, and may not be changed or removed.  The only time you may put your prefix on a pedigree is if you actually bred the animals together which produced the one you now have. As far as naming is concerned, if it is not registered, name it anything you like...but that prefix, if any, stays.

I bought a bred doe--what about the kits? Again, we are talking about the original breeder.  Opinions on this one vary, but ARBA says the original breeder’s prefix goes on the pedigree.  An agreement at the time of sale may smooth things out considerably.  If I purchase a bred doe, for example, I tell the breeder that their name, or prefix, will be on the kits--and most are quite appreciative.  On occasion, the breeder may not want a prefix on the kits, so this is certainly something you would want to ask questions about before buying.

Wow--these names are long. How long can they be?  There are two limited entries on a pedigree. One is convention, and that is the use of no more than five letters, digits, or any combination of those in an ear tattoo.  Names must be no longer than 22 letters if you wish the entire name to be entered when the animal is registered...and, once registered, the name may not be changed! This number includes the prefix, too...so the shorter, the better. Most prefixes are only two to four letters, or else the name is very short!

Hey--this one color back here isn’t recognized for the breed!  What do I do? Nothing. The presence of an unrecognized color in a pedigree or registration does not affect the showing, pedigree, or registration of the animal. The animal itself, however, in order to be registered, must be recognized.  But an unrecognized animal may be fully pedigreed.

What is ‘purebred’, anyway? Purebred is a word which in rabbits, speaking on a practical level, means that all of the animals on that pedigree are the same breed. If there is a Mini Rex hiding on a Standard Rex’s pedigree, or vice versa, or a Fuzzy Lop hiding on a Holland Lop...well, you had best hope that the breeders back there were honest--and put the breed down when the pedigree was copied! Pedigrees are largely a matter of trust, in many ways. If the ‘foreign’ breed is obvious...for instance a four pound animal in a pedigree on which all else are eight to ten...the registrar has every right to reject that animal as not being purebred.

So what about blanks? Some of these don’t have weights! It has become required that all weights be present on all animals on a pedigree in order to register that animal.  However, for many years, few people registered or weighed their stock, which led to a nice blank spot on your pedigree.  How you deal with that is up to you.  Your ethics will determine whether you follow the common practice of putting in a weight (top wt for small breeds, bottom weight for larger ones), or stand by what you know, personally, to be true--if you never saw this animal, how do you know what it might have weighed? I have not had a registration ‘bounced’ back yet for a missing weight....but some of these animals have mysteriously gained a weight reading!  I sigh and ignore it.....at least it wasn’t me who put it there, and I have the pedigree to prove it.

What does ‘import’ mean? Imports are animals brought into the US lines, usually from Europe or the United Kingdom.  ‘Import’ on the pedigree, however, can cause a serious problem when registration time comes around, for an ‘import’ cannot be registered...it lacks the required data, unless the name, ear number, color and weight are present! Many pedigrees simply read ‘import’ as some imported animals lack pedigrees.

How do you make a new pedigree from the parents’ two? It’s really simple!  Lay your new pedigree blank on the table, to your left.  Place the sire’s pedigree a litter further away in front of you, and the dam’s closer, just like the sire and dam on their pedigrees.  See now where they go? 

The information on the father should be entered on the sire blanks, and the information on the mother entered below that, on the lines reserved for the dam.  Copy the information from each of their pedigrees onto the new form, just exactly as it is on the original.  Be sure to write it legibly...block printing is usually preferred, typing is even better, and a computer? Hey, you are with it! :) 

Be sure to sign your new pedigrees, and that all information is complete and accurate. At no time should you ever omit or change information on a pedigree to suit your convenience.  If the color as recorded is incorrect, and you have the rabbit in front of you, then it may be changed....but make sure you are right!

 

Article from www.showbunny.com

 

 

 

English Angoras- Form Following Function

Eric Stewart 

Any beginner in rabbits attending their first show is most likely to comment most about those strange looking rabbits known as angoras.  They are often referred to as looking like dogs or stuffed animals.  “Are they for real” is often the question.  New judges are often left in the same predicament when asked to judge the breeds for the first time as well.  “Long wool, fluff, soft” are regular comments along with fair type, rough in flesh condition, and faded in body color.  Granted, they can be intimidating at first, however, a well rounded all breed judge is required to have an understanding of each breed.  This article is directed, primarily, upon the English Angora breed, yet some of the comments herein may also be applied to other wool factored breeds.

As with any breed, handling is generally the first consideration while judging.  English should not be lifted by their coats, regardless of the condition of the coat.  Wooled rabbits require a great deal of time to attain their finished coats, therefore damaging follicles by tugging at the wool, plucking or scruffing the animal could potentially cause irreversible damage to an angora’s show career.  Care should be taken, if at all possible, to not tug at or scruff angoras when turning them over for examination.   Although not overally common disqualifications in the breed, white toenails and cryptorchid are most often missed on angoras as the excessive wool hinders the ease of checking.  Due to the length of the coat, visualizing foot placement is next to impossible, making it necessary to manually determine if the rabbit is properly posed.  Breeders normally spend an exurbanite amount of time grooming their animals prior to judging, therefore it is a courtesy to the breeder to take an initial overall look at the rabbit before checking for disqualifications.   Lift, uniformity of length, and general appearance may observed at this time.  

The body is described as short coupled and compact with a very slight taper from hindquarters to shoulders.  The topline is to peak over the hips and the overall animal is to exhibit overall roundness.  One may note that length in the shoulders and pinched hindquarters are often more difficult to notice on prime coated rabbits.  That is why one should manually evaluate each part of the body.  Poor hindquarters are easily missed if the coat begins to web or felt at the base, giving the illusion of fullness.  The coat should be lifted in order to properly evaluate the fullness of hindquarter.   Note the emphasis placed on cobby type as opposed to commercial type, there is a tremendous difference in boy type from that of all other angora breeds.

The head is to be short, broad and balanced with the body.  Points allotted to the head also apply to furnishings and side trimmings.  Furnishings/bangs are the wool from the ear base to the nose and side trimmings are the wool along the cheeks and jowls.  Generally speaking, these serve little purpose yet add to the breed character,  thus the disqualification for complete lack of wool on the head.  The description of the ears is similar in that there is to be a great deal of wool coverage on the ears with a complete absence constituting a disqualification.  Ears are to be carried in a wide “V”, thus accentuating the impressive appearance of the tasseling/coverage.  The feet and legs must be completely covered with wool, natural fur being a disqualification.  

One paragraph on type to summarize the standard for head, ears, eyes, feet and tail; another to summarize type; this should be an indicator of where the point distribution lies within the breed. 

Wool, the primary purpose for the breed.  Angora wool is sought after for it’s durability, warmth and of course, texture.  English Angoras are most commonly recognized for the difference in their head coverage from other angora breeds, but also for the texture.  It is often erroneously  referred to as soft or fluffy.  There is much more to consider in evaluating the coat than it’s length or that it is ‘fluffy.’ 

Density carries the greatest consideration when evaluating the coat, logically to maximize harvest potential.  Density may be determined by blowing into the coat in addition to manual determination.  Care should be taken to lift the entire coat as to prevent false density created by coat from the upper portion of the body draping onto the lower regions.  Felting, webbing, and matting can also create a false sense of density.  This is yet another reason to blow into the coat, not in merely one area, but throughout the wool.  Not only is density to be considered, but also uniformity of density.  Another reason for lifting the coat is to properly evaluate uniformity of density, especially over the back.

Texture is described as silky and contrary to popular belief, English Angoras should have guard hairs.  The guard hairs are just not as prevalent or as thick in diameter.  The texture is to carry adequate crimp yet not to the point of being kinky.  Under no circumstances should a piece of wool be plucked, floated, twirled or in any way removed from the body.  Again, never pluck any wool from the body of any rabbit when judging.  Crimp and undercoat may be evaluated by blowing into the coat, placing one’s hand in the center of the coat separation, then blowing a thin layer of coat against the palm of one’s hand.  This provides a background to view the crimp and distribution of guard hair to aid in texture evaluation.  English Angoras go through a number of coat changes in the life of their coats.  One season an animal may have a coarser textured coat, however after molting into a new coat, the next coat will be ideal.  Guard hairs generally grow faster than the underwool and are also usually the first to fall out in a molt (aka pitting.)  Cottony coats are a terror to work with and definitely not preferred by breeders or valued in the standard or market.  These coats tend to mat and web exponentially faster than correctly textured coats.  Hair coats are equally as undesirable.  A good description of a correct coat would be that of an ultra dense, lively, silky textured underwool, lightly haloed by fine guard hair tips, draping/flowing over the underwool.  Guard hairs should be fine or silky as thicker diameter guard hairs create a harsher texture.  If one cannot find the fine guard hairs on the coat, it is either entirely incorrect or beginning to blow.  Remember, the sole purpose of the breed besides exhibition is for the production of a usable product, WOOL.  Coats lacking bloom or well past prime are not as marketable and definitely less desirable than prime coats, the texture is probably dry or incorrect.   Again, form following function reflected by the standard.  Juniors are usually softer in texture, yet coat potential may be determined by evaluating the crimp and guard hairs by hold the erect coat up to the light or on one’s palm.

Length is a point of heated discussion from time to time.  As breeders have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of the English Angora breed, the length attained on some coats is absolutely amazing.  Generally speaking, an incorrectly textured coat will rarely reach astonishing length as the tendency to mat and web is often too great.  Length over 5 inches is not to be given greater advantage according to the standard.  Some argue that excessively long coats were achieved through cross breeding and offer no advantage to the wool industry.  According to the standard, ideal length is 3 ½ “ to 5”.  UNIFORMITY of length is actually the primary consideration when evaluating length of coat.  Some animals chew their coats, some molt in odd manners, and uniformity is sometimes distorted by poor grooming.  Regardless of one’s opinion with regard to how long the coat should be, the bottom line is to get as much  QUALITY wool as possible.  Two animals of equal type, texture, and density with one carrying a 5” coat and the other a 10” coat; realistically, which animal is carrying more usable product?  On the flip side the same two animals and the 10” coat lacking prime/texture is actually carrying a less desirable coat.  There is also some debate at times with regard to length of wool on the belly.  The wool on the belly will at times break and is usually not as long as the top coat; focusing on miniscule items such as this does not do justice to the breed and deducts time from actually judging the classes.  Granted, there is not to be a bare or normal fur coated stomach, yet one should not expect a 10” coat on the stomach of any animal walking on 4” legs in a metal cage.

Color and condition do not carry many points in the English Angora breed. When considering color; intensity, evenness, and cleanliness of coat are factors.  Juniors and animals in transitional coats will at times display a slight ring not to be confused with an agouti coat.  Due to the length of the fibers forming the coat, color intensity will not be that of normal coated animals.  Some English Angoras appear darker than others, yet there are limits to the ability to carry full color on the wool.  Per the nature of the silky texture of English Angora wool, the fiber diameter is considerably less than other breeds offering less area to maintain pigmentation particles.  Pages 75-78 of the ARBA Standard of Perfection list the recognized colors and a complete description of each.  Two side notes on color:  Brokens are NOT recognized within the English Angora breed, and when determining nuances such as the difference between cream and white, a clean white shirt or jacket along with thick skin are definite aids.  Pearls and a few other colors are renowned for having white body wool and breeders can be quick to debate the color.  Take care to review the description of each color and the disqualifications allotted.

Line Breeding Chart

First Generation and Original pair

• #1Buck bred to #2 Doe produces, #3  Litter with 50% blood of 1 and 2

Second  Generation

• #3 Doe bred to #1 Buck, produces #4 Litter with 75% blood of 1 and 25% blood of 2
• #3 Buck bred to #2 Doe  produces, #5  Litter with 75% blood of 2 and 25% of 1

Third Generation

• #4 Buck bred to #5 Doe produces #7 Litter with 50% blood of  4 and 5
• #4 Doe bred to #1 Buck produces #6 Litter and contains seven-eighths blood of 1
• #5 Buck  bred to #2  Doe produces #8 Litter and contains seven-eights blood of 2

Fourth Generation

• #6 Buck bred to #8 Doe produces #10 Litter with 50% blood of 6 and 8
• #5 Buck bred to #8 Doe produce #11 Litter with 13/16ths blood of Dam 2
• #4 Doe bred to a #6 Buck produces #9 Litter with 1/316ths  blood of Buck 1

Fifth Generation

• #9 Buck and #11 Doe produces #14 Litter with  50% blood of 1 and 2
• #5 Buck bredto #11 Doe produce  Litter #15 
• #4 Doe with #9 Buck produces  Litter #13
• #10 Buck bred with #11 Doe produces Litter #16
• #10 Doe bredwith #9 Buck porduces  Litter#12