When acquiring new stock or planning your breedings, you need to make sure that you do not breed rabbits or acquire animals that have the same faults. In other words, you don't want to breed two rabbits that both have pinched hindquarters, or long shoulders, or "snipey" heads, or numerous other faults. If the pair you were planning on breeding shares the same fault, then you should consider changing your plans.
Before we bred our rabbits last week, we asked Seth, our 4-H president and rabbit aficionado, what he thought of our plans. He carefully evaluated each of the three pairs and concluded that each couple was well-matched. The pairs are Honey and Ninja, Snowball and PB, and Duchess and Cookie.
Honey has less density over the top and more over the sides. Ninja is the exact opposite, so they make a good pair.
Snowball's kits all have great wool. Judges generally say that she loses a little on her body, but she makes kits with great bodies. PB (Peanut Butter, or as Lydia prefers, Perfect Bunny) is nicely balanced in guard hairs and wool.
Duchess has perfect hindquarters. She would have won at the last show if she'd had a coat. She is also heavier in weight, which is something that Cookie struggles with. Cookie is pinched and peaks a little early. In contrast, Duchess almost peaks late.
These are just a few ideas to help produce better bunnies.
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