Plan: Bred NZW-B x Misty Blue on December 13th with expected due date of January 12th.
Goals: Test breed NZW-B a second time for the Broken gene and to determine if Misty is still fertile by breeding her with a proven buck.
Observation: Misty Blue is four years old and did not take with her first breeding; she may have been too old or the buck too young. Pregnancy this time could not be determine, although there was some weigh gain.
Conclusion: Misty Blue kindled January 14, 2018 producing five healthy kits so she is still fertile, although it is a smaller kindle than what she usually produces. NZW-B definitely does not carry Broken as usually half of the kindle would show it. The breeding plan will not need to be changed and a Lilac out of Misty Blue in a few months is still a possibility if she carries Chocolate.
Goals: Test breed NZW-B a second time for the Broken gene and to determine if Misty is still fertile by breeding her with a proven buck.
Observation: Misty Blue is four years old and did not take with her first breeding; she may have been too old or the buck too young. Pregnancy this time could not be determine, although there was some weigh gain.
Conclusion: Misty Blue kindled January 14, 2018 producing five healthy kits so she is still fertile, although it is a smaller kindle than what she usually produces. NZW-B definitely does not carry Broken as usually half of the kindle would show it. The breeding plan will not need to be changed and a Lilac out of Misty Blue in a few months is still a possibility if she carries Chocolate.
What a nice surprise! I know better than to assume a doe is not pregnant. We lost our very first kindle of thirteen NZWs because of our inexperience with how does just do not show. I mean, meat rabbit does are large and even though I palpated Misty Blue, I still was not absolutely sure either way and weighing was just as inconclusive. So, I went with the very first rule we made years ago which was to always assume the doe is pregnant regardless. Even though I did not think Misty Blue was pregnant from this second breeding, I still prepared her nesting box as if I believed she was.
That sweet old mama doe has never liked it when I open her cage door and usually goes as far from it as she can, but the last few days she was coming up to me and allowing me to pet her and feel her belly, as if she was wanting to show me that she is not "too old" yet, so retirement has been held off.
All five of these kits will be REW carriers, but my question now is will any of them be Steel from their NZW father. Also, seeing all Blacks tells me that NZW-B is not a Blue carrier, so he likely has the double dominate non-dilute allele "D." Misty Blue being "dd" could not throw a Black unless the buck had the non-diluting allele, and since there are no Blues he probably also had the diluting allele, so I can add "DD" to NZW-B's genotype.
We have having bitter cold nights in the teens this week, so my husband added insulation around the outside of the drop nesting box and a warming pad in the evening. This worked well for the last kindle although it was not quite as cold.
I am so looking forward to seeing how these little ones develop!