Sunday, July 31, 2005
Rabbit Coat Color Genotypes
No, I'm not going to explain the ABC's of rabbit coat color genetics here. You can read about that on my website (www.thenaturetrail.com/AGene, www.thenaturetrail.com/BGene, etc.) But I do want to tell you about a color chart on my website that I think has been hidden for far too long.
I put together onto a single chart 144 rabbit coat color genotypes. This chart use to be hidden in the middle of the C Gene page, but is now on a page by itself where it will hopefully be found and used.
Since each coat color is related to five other colors (colors that different by only the a, b, c, d, or e gene), it took me awhile to figure out a way to organize the information. But I finally developed the chart (www.thenaturetrail.com/Rabit-Coat-Color-Chart) in its current format.
Before I describe how it is organized, I'd like to answer the question, "What's it good for?" I think the chart is good for determining the possible colors of kits in a litter, for one thing. If you look up the genotypes for the parents, you may be able to eliminate some possibilities.
Look up the genotype for tort (aa B- C- D- ee) and for sable point (aa B- cchl- D- ee). If you have a bluish baby in a litter from a tort and a sable point, you know you can eliminate blue (aa B- C- dd E-) and smoke pearl (aa B- cchl dd E-) from consideration because neither parent had a dominant E-gene to pass along to the kit. Blue point (aa B- cchl dd ee) would still be a possibility, though.
Another use for the chart is to help you make a plan for producing a particular color you do not already have. For any color you would like to produce, there are five other colors that are just one gene different. You can use the chart to determine those colors. Then breed two of those five colors together. You may not produce the color you are seeking in the first generation (a lot depends on gene dominance), but if you breed the resulting offspring together, you can generally produce your sought after color.
Now for the organization of the chart. Pull it up on a different screen and take a look at it. You will see a large top block of 48 colors (self colors), a middle block (otter/tan/martens), and a bottom block (agout colors). If you were to print out the chart and cut out those three blocks, you could then stack them on top of each other. The colors on top of each other only vary by the A-gene.
Now if you take a look at any one of those blocks, you will see 8 rows. The first four rows and the second are exactly alike--except for the E-gene.
Now look at the first four rows only. The first two and the last two are exactly the same, except for the B-gene.
The d-gene is the only difference between the first and second rows.
I have printed black family colors in black, chocolate family colors in brown, blue family colors in blue, and lilac familly colors in light purple.
If you follow a row across the columns, you will find colors that only vary by the C-gene.
Color in Hollands can be a ton of fun. Improving the type on colors can be a huge challenge. I hope that the rabbit coat color chart will be of help to you as you pursue your color projects.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
"Holland Lops of Distinction"
www.thenaturetrail.com/
www.thenaturetrail.com/blog/BLOG
¶ 11:21 PM
I put together onto a single chart 144 rabbit coat color genotypes. This chart use to be hidden in the middle of the C Gene page, but is now on a page by itself where it will hopefully be found and used.
Since each coat color is related to five other colors (colors that different by only the a, b, c, d, or e gene), it took me awhile to figure out a way to organize the information. But I finally developed the chart (www.thenaturetrail.com/Rabit-Coat-Color-Chart) in its current format.
Before I describe how it is organized, I'd like to answer the question, "What's it good for?" I think the chart is good for determining the possible colors of kits in a litter, for one thing. If you look up the genotypes for the parents, you may be able to eliminate some possibilities.
Look up the genotype for tort (aa B- C- D- ee) and for sable point (aa B- cchl- D- ee). If you have a bluish baby in a litter from a tort and a sable point, you know you can eliminate blue (aa B- C- dd E-) and smoke pearl (aa B- cchl dd E-) from consideration because neither parent had a dominant E-gene to pass along to the kit. Blue point (aa B- cchl dd ee) would still be a possibility, though.
Another use for the chart is to help you make a plan for producing a particular color you do not already have. For any color you would like to produce, there are five other colors that are just one gene different. You can use the chart to determine those colors. Then breed two of those five colors together. You may not produce the color you are seeking in the first generation (a lot depends on gene dominance), but if you breed the resulting offspring together, you can generally produce your sought after color.
Now for the organization of the chart. Pull it up on a different screen and take a look at it. You will see a large top block of 48 colors (self colors), a middle block (otter/tan/martens), and a bottom block (agout colors). If you were to print out the chart and cut out those three blocks, you could then stack them on top of each other. The colors on top of each other only vary by the A-gene.
Now if you take a look at any one of those blocks, you will see 8 rows. The first four rows and the second are exactly alike--except for the E-gene.
Now look at the first four rows only. The first two and the last two are exactly the same, except for the B-gene.
The d-gene is the only difference between the first and second rows.
I have printed black family colors in black, chocolate family colors in brown, blue family colors in blue, and lilac familly colors in light purple.
If you follow a row across the columns, you will find colors that only vary by the C-gene.
Color in Hollands can be a ton of fun. Improving the type on colors can be a huge challenge. I hope that the rabbit coat color chart will be of help to you as you pursue your color projects.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
"Holland Lops of Distinction"
www.thenaturetrail.com/
www.thenaturetrail.com/blog/BLOG
¶ 11:21 PM
