Advanced Color Genetics

More Advanced Color Genetics:

BROKEN LOCI

• En-broken
  

  Broken

The broken Pattern is dominate to solid. Rabbits with two Broken Geans are called Charlies and should be only very carefully bred. The Broken gene when homozygous (doubled up) carries a 70% probability of producing a Rabbit with megacolon, a digestive tract disorder.

Vienna

• V-Vienna
  

  Vienna

Vienna is most frequently known for Blue eye white as two copies of "vm" will produce a solid white rabbit with blue eyes. Vienna is a co-dominate gene, and a "Vmvm" rabbit is a Vienna carrier, in this case some random white markings can bleed through including the brilliant blue eye color in one , part of or both eyes.

Wideband

• W-Wideband

Wide band is a trait modifier gene that will effect Agouti based rabbits. the wide band gene extends the band coverage, primarily on Chestnuts, Reds, and Chinchillas. a chestnut will have a larger area of Pheomelanin showing on the coat and less white, and more red/yellow on it's belly(Coppers), a Chinchilla will have more white on it's coat and more white on it's belly, and a red will have a more solid red belly extended from it's back. Wide band high rufus reds and chestnuts are the most sought after to improve color in a new Zealand red program.

Dutch

• Du-Dutch

Silver

• Si-Silver

Silver gene is indicated by full solid white hairs from root to tip evenly inter mixed with the body color hairs .

Modifiers

Modifiers are not gene on their own but the extent of coverage that rabbit is presenting.

Intensity of Red

Intesity

The intensity of Red is a gene modifier that controls how saturated the Pheomelanin is in a rabbits coat. We refer to this as Rufus. A rabbit with very little intensity can look almost like a dirty white, while a Rabbit with extremely high Rufus can present as a deep mahogany maroon color. Rufus can also play a role in the quality of other coat colors becuse it turns up the saturation on pigments in the hair follicle. example: a truly rich inky black rabbit has a high Rufus, while a low Rufus Rabbit will appear a duller more charcoal black.

Extent of Broken Pattern

Extent of coverage

• "Charlie "
• Broken
• Blanket
• Booted

co-dominate, cryptic and ghost presentations of colors:

Genes that are partially dominate even when recessive and Genes that present more intense when doubled up ie produce "phantom" colors , colors that present as something they aren't.

*ej- Harlequin

Harlequin *ej* can bleed through on self "aa, Eej " Chinchilla "A, chd, Eej" Chestnut " A, Eej " . "ej" paired with Steel (Es) can produce a phantom Black rabbit or super steel. Where there may only be a hint of a barred pattering in the tips of the hairs, looking closely you may see some intersperses gold or while tips or barring visible around the belly or in direct sunlight, but at a glance the rabbit may appear to be solid black.

*chl- Chinchilla Light/Shaded

chlchl = seal a more intense shaded pattern chdchl =

*ES- Steel

"EsEs" "Ese" & "Esej" can present as Black

ABCDEsEs ABCDEse ABCDEsej

Can all present as soild black .

*Ed -Dominate Black

Black can present on Agouti based rabbits due to other genes effects on coat pattern ie :ABCDEd , Ed dominate black extends the Eumelanin band on an agouti rabbit fully from root to tip, masking any pattern banding and presenting as a self black rabbit. This can be tricky to figure out. Breed your suspected Ed rabbit to a few self rabbits and if you produce a chestnut or agouti pattern one of them is a Cryptic Self, with Ed. is can also be tested with a red gene but will be a little more difficult swapping back and forth to figure out the genotype via color testing. .

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gallery/rabbit-coat-color-genetics-gallery

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/animals-livestock/poultry-rabbits/understanding-genetics-behind-rabbit-coat-colors-part-2-coat

https://thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-genetics/color-e-extension-series-steel-tricolor-locus/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2019.00875/full

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/1/373/htm