Plan: Breed Comet x Black Ivy using an introduction approach.
Goal: Change Comet's and Black Ivy's status to proven; testing Comet to see if he carries white or any other recessives on the C-locus; testing Black Ivy to see if she carries Blue; offspring with even silvering inherited from both parents.
Conclusion: Black Ivy lifted for Comet as one fall-off was witnessed. About an hour later, she again was receptive and one fall-off was witnessed.
We scheduled Sunday for cleaning cages, culling, breeding, and moving rabbits to different cages, but it was a rainy morning, staying wet and breezy with temperatures again taking a dive to freezing! The temperature swings in April alone have been from freezing to 80°F! Last night it went to 31°F and today it is suppose to reach 70°F. That is nearly a 40°swing! I decided to put off moving Canyon and her XCY-3 kindle to another cage until the tomorrow. Misty Blue is due on the 25th so that will give her at least a week in the kindling suite.
I decided not to wait to breed Comet and Black Ivy until tomorrow, so that was done this morning. I had placed them in neighboring cages, but Black Ivy was not into Comet. Her vent was rather white, not purplish red as I was hoping for. However, after about four circles in Comet's cage, she lifted and he fell off once. Then Black Ivy was just done with him and became quite aggressive so I pulled her out.
I like to see two fall-offs and then bring the doe to the buck for two more fall-offs in about an hour, because it is said that the doe will release more eggs in about that time since they are induced ovulators. Even so, does have cycles and the vent being light in color suggests it is an off-cycle time for Black Ivy and, yet, she accepted him.
I brought Black Ivy back to Comet in a little over an hour later and she was not happy about it. She was grunting and lunging with mouth open trying to bite him, but in about a minute she lifted for him again and he had a fall-off. Then, as before, she became very aggressive with him and I took her out.
Comet is a sweet teddy bear. Personality-wise, he is my current favorite. I felt sorry for the sweet little guy having such an aggressive doe for his first breeding, but at one point he just lay patiently as she calmed down and tried again.
After all I have written about Black Ivy, I would think anyone reading this would wonder why I would breed a narrow, pinched-hip black doe to a small, but otherwise typy, black buck. I would be wondering the same. For one, this is the last breeding I can work in before the heat of summer and I have no other does available to be bred. Denim is still too young, Misty Blue is pregnant, and Canyon has two week old kits that are still nursing. Two, although she has a major flaw, Black Ivy has an excellent coat, full and thick with even silvering that is only matched by Comet in my rabbitry currently.
I may get some surprisingly good rabbits or I may just get meat rabbits. Maybe Black Ivy's narrow hips will cause complications with kindling or maybe she will be a surprisingly good mother. However it goes determines if Black Ivy will be culled or kept. I am leaning towards culling after weaning unless she produces some show quality rabbits.
