Scott Braden from Beach City, OH |
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How may years have you raised Dutch? |
1 to 3 years |
What recognized varieties do you raise? |
Black, Blue, Chocolate |
What non-recognized varieties do you own? |
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When using other breeds of rabbits in the development of these new colors, it will take many years to get animals that consistently show a good Dutch type. What about the colors we could have just crossing the varieties we already have? Lilac Dutch for example were very popular back in the days of the AOV class. |
The pursuit and acceptance of non-recognized varieties that already express themselves within the current dutch gene pool is certainly a much easier route to follow. Breed characteristics such as the dutch head, cobby body type, and other traits that make a dutch, a dutch, would not need to be selected for as intensively. That's not to say that the pursuit of hybrid varieties,i.e. the chin dutch, has no merit. Hybrid vigor would be one such benefit. It is this breeders opinion that only new varieties that,"breed true", be considered for acceptance. I like the steels as well as any other color but space in my rabbitry is limited thus at this point I don't raise them. Other varieties that don't breed true would face the same limitations.
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If we start adding new colors of Dutch to the Standard will we get carried away with the entire thing? for example, the Netherland Dwarfs and Mini-Rex. Will this benefit our club or the Dutch breed? |
That is entirely up to us as the members of this club, and breeders of this wonderful breed of rabbit. I believe we must have a disciplined approach. This is already the most challenging breed of rabbit to breed successfully. We have selection traits to account for that no other breed has. It could seem overwhelming to the novice breeder looking at raising dutch.
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Will the Chinchilla Dutch complement the Gray and/or Steel varieties? This would still need to be proven. |
This would have to be proven by crossing the varieties and seeing how the colors express themselves. My first thought is that it will not help the grays, but might help the steels, although I doubt it. The gray and chin are after all completely different colors, still agoutis but different.
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Would the Red Dutch complement any other colors? |
No |
Instead of adding more classes of Dutch to be judged, would it be better to have an agouti class in place of the Gray? |
I would think not, but our judges that are dutch breeders would be the best at answering this question.
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At many shows the number of Steels shown is not very good. Will more colors hurt the Steel numbers even more? Plus will it add to having more varieties with poor showings? |
No. The steels are hurt numbers wise because they don't breed true, and it requires more cage space to successfully breed good steels. This discourages anyone with space limitations from raising them.
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Having more colors of Dutch may just add interest from people who haven't raised Dutch before. |
More colors would have a very limited impact in recruiting new dutch breeders. Only those who really like a challenge pick dutch and stick with them. This great rabbit and more importantly the wonderful people that breed them are what keep this breed and club the best in the ARBA
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