Genetics & Reproduction Flashcards
What is an unaltered or intact male rabbit?
Buck
What is an unaltered or intact female rabbit?
Doe
What is an adult?
Any fully developed, mature rabbit of breeding age
What do you call a written certificate issued by the owner of a stud buck, showing its pedigree and the date of breeding to a particular doe?
Breeding Certificate
What is cannibalism?
The practice of a doe eating her own young
What is crossbreeding?
The mating of two different breeds together producing a non-showable rabbit.
What is the mother rabbit called?
Dam
What is it called when another doe other than the dam to nurse and raise the young?
Fostering
What is genotype?
The genetic, inherited characteristics of the rabbit
What is gestation?
The length of time between conception and birth. The carrying of young.
What is the term for carrying the young?
Gestation
What is the term for a breeding system that involves very close mating of rabbit stock such as brother and sister, or parent and offspring?
Inbreeding
What is the term for a young or newly born rabbit?
Kit
What is the term for the process of giving birth to young rabbits?
Kindle or Kindling
What does lactate mean?
To produce milk
What is the term for a system of mating stock so that offspring are close descendents?
Line Breeding
What is the term for a group of kits born to a doe when she kindles?
Litter
What is a special box in which the doe kindles called?
Nestbox
What is the term for a mating which produces offspring that are superior to either parent?
Nick
What is outcrossing?
Mating unrelated stock of the same breed
Define palpation.
Feeling abdomen of the female rabbit to check if she is pregnant
What is another term for the act of giving birth?
Parturition, Kindling
What is phenotype?
The actual physical appearance of the rabbit
What is the father rabbit called?
Sire
What is the term for separating the doe and the young so the young can no longer nurse?
Weaning
When palpating a doe at 10 days gestation, what size are the fetuses and what do they feel like?
Size of large, ripe blueberry and feel like round objects; slightly larger than a fecal pellet
When palpating a doe between 10-14 days gestation, what size are the embryos and what do they feel like?
Size of ripe olive and feel like grapes
What do you feel when palpating a doe at 28 days gestation?
bodies, heads, legs
When should you provide a nest box for the doe?
at 28 days gestation
If you breed Self to Self, what ratio will you get?
100% Self
If you breed Charlie to Charlie, what ratio will you get?
100% Charlie
If you breed Broken to Broken, what ratio will you get?
25% Self, 25% Charlie, 50% Broken
If you breed Broken to Charlie, what ratio will you get?
50% Broken, 50% Charlie, 0% Self
If you breed Broken to Self, what ratio will you get?
50% Broken, 50% Self, 0% Charlie
If you breed Charlie to Self, what ratio will you get?
100% Broken
When is the only time rabbits should be on “full feed”?
Does that are nursing litters
Where is baby saver wire used?
Sides and ends
What is felt during palpation is not the embryo itself but rather what membrane?
Fluid filled Amnion
Kits receive all the antibodies and nutrients from the placenta that they need, so what do they not need at birth from their mother?
Colostrum
When is Ketosis or pregnancy toxemia seen in rabbits?
Around kindling time in does that are overly fat
For proper breeding, does should be exposed to a minimum of how many hours of light per day?
16 hours
What type of nest box is best used in winter?
Wood
What is a slipped crown and what does it cause?
Placement of the crown too far forward or too far back on lop breeds - Causes misplaced ear carriage
Why do you breed and cull for animals that drink a lot of water?
They are easy to condition the fur
What is an integral part of any breed improvement program?
Type
What should you do with a bred doe around 30 days?
Check every few hours
When should the amount of feed be restricted for pregnant does?
Right before kindling, right after kindling and after weaning
What is the purpose of a breeding certificate?
As proof of the ancestry of the anticipated litter
Breeding your meat pen doe 100 days before show, how old will kits be on day of the show?
70 days
What do some breeders refer Charlie’s to?
genetically weak and unhealthy
If kits kept warm and dry, how long can they live without feeding?
72 hours / 3 days
Which mutation was discovered in the mid-thirties by Mr. Walter Huey?
Satin mutation
When male rabbits are exposed to temperatures in excess of 80 degrees for five successive days, their semen may be totally void of live sperm for a period of how many days after exposure?
60 to 90 days
What should you do when your meat doe gives birth?
Immediately start to examine and cull
How much feed should you feed your meat doe during the second half of her pregnancy?
Heaping cup as long as she consumes what you give her
Name 4 characteristics of newborn kits.
Blind, deaf, poor sens of smell, little ability to control body temperature
What should you do after the young are born and doe has settled down?
Check litter, remove any dead or deformed babies and take out any that are exceptionally small, remove soiled or bloody nest material
What are the three methods used for pregnancy diagnosis?
Observation of abdominal development, Test Mating, Manual Palpation
What is the preferred method of pregnancy diagnosis in rabbits?
Manual Palpation
Name 3 appropriate materials that can be used for nesting material?
Straw, Chopped hay, Wood Shavings, Sawdust, Shredded Paper, Leaves
What does it mean to “sex” a rabbit?
To determine if the animal is male or female
How many days after breeding would you attempt to “test mate” as a way to diagnose pregnancy?
14 days
Aside from being laborious, time consuming, and not providing accurate information, why would test mating cause problems?
If the doe is already pregnant in only one horn of the uterus
What is another name for placenta?
Afterbirth
How often do most does nurse their kits?
Once every 24 hours
At what age do kits usually climb out of the nest box?
Around 3 weeks old
When should you remove the nest box from the cage?
When kits start coming out of the nest box; usually around 3 weeks old
When can you start to begin weaning kits?
6 weeks of age
What age is recommended to wean large breed kits?
8 weeks of age
How old are kits when they open their eyes?
Around 10 days old
If your doe has been nursing a large litter, how should you wean them?
By weaning 2 or 3 per day over a few days
When breeding English Spots, what is the normal overall litter ratio for markings?
50% marked, 25% charlies, 25% selfs
What can be used on the lower 4 inches of the wire to save kits from falling through the side wire?
Babysaver wire
What size nestbox is suitable for New Zealand?
16 inches by 8 inches by 8 inches
Why is a nest box an excellent place for bacterial growth?
Dark and warm environment
It is often said the litter is made in the nestbox, why is the breeder an important part of the litter?
Does are lousy mothers
What breeding is said to be the fastest way to fix quality or type in the resulting young?
Breeding brother and sister
Our knowledge of rabbit genetics quickly advanced due to theories identified by whom?
Mendel
Why does the doe pull fur from the belly?
Make a warm nest and expose nipples
What is an unreliable way to determine pregnancy of a doe?
Observing the doe’s abdomen
What is the purpose of a nestbox?
Keeps nest material together, keeps kits from straying, helps keep kits warm
What does a doe do if a kit strays from the nestbox?
Nothing
Name two ways to warm a kit that has gotten cold from being outside the nest box?
Under warm running water, hold it totally enclosed in your hand against your body, put it in a pocket, warm dry towels, hair dryer
Name the four types of breeding
Inbreeding, Linebreeding, Crossbreeding, Outcrossing
How long should you give a kit that was born on the wire, and appears to be dead, before deciding it has truly expired?
5 minutes
How early can you palpate a doe to check for pregnancy?
10 days after service
What is the optimum litter size?
6
What is one of the most important aspects of good breeding?
Keeping your rabbits in good breeding condition
When are two times cannibalism happens?
During and after kindling
A mutation causing a greater translucency of the outer hair shell allowing the pigment granules to show through more clearly and reflect more light producing sheen?
Satin
At what age do rabbits reach sexual maturity?
Between 4 to 6 months
Why does it become more difficult to diagnose pregnancy after the 14th day?
Increased size and decreased turgidity (firmness) of the embryonic membranes
A does worth is established by her ability to do what?
Produce young
At weanling culling one should not be overly critical of young rabbits that do not show as much of what?
Density
Fetal Giantism may occur in any breed but is more common in what?
Does with a very small (1-2) litter size and go over the normal gestation time. Usually does are excessively fat.
What is the prevention for Fetal Giantism?
Do not allow does to become excessively fat. Repeat breeding 1-2 hours after first initial breeding. Select does that have good-sized litters.
What are the clinical signs of Fetal Giantism?
Difficult birth of an extremely large feti, often 3-4 days past normal kindling time. Doe may sit and strain in the nest box for long periods. May have bloody discharge.
When can you notice abdominal development on a bred doe?
3 weeks
It is often said that the litter is made where?
Nestbox
What is the maximum number of litters a doe may produce in a year in a commercial operation?
8
What is the maximum number of litters the average breeding doe will produce in a year?
5
How many nipples does a doe have?
8
Which variety and breed is genetically the same as a Sandy Flemish Giant, Copper Satin and Mini Satin, Belgian Hare, Castor Rex and Mini Rex, Brown Silver, Gary Dutch or English Spot?
Chestnut Agouti English Angora
Kits that pop, squeak, jump at slightest touch, have sunken loins, loose skin or tucked belly indicates what?
They are hungry
What might you consider if you have a large litter until you can secure a foster mom to assist?
Nurse half of the litter in the morning and nurse half in the evening
How many hours can you allow to pass before you need to intervene with nursing kits?
24 hours
If you have a new doe who seems unsure about what she is doing why could you switch her litter with one that is a few days older?
Older kits are stronger, nurse more aggressively, and know the routine
It is common practice to breed the doe when her litter is how old?
6 weeks old
How many kits should you leave in nestbox after kindling?
8
What is the prevention to help keep does from eating kits?
Provide safe, secure, quiet kindling conditions
When referring to color genetics the letter “A” allele determines what?
The number of colors on the hair-shaft
When referring to color genetics the letter “B” allele determines what?
The basic color
When referring to color genetics the letter “C” allele determines what?
The presence or absence of yellow pigment
When referring to color genetics the letter “D” allele dictates what?
The density
What do true rabbit fanciers look for when choosing to keep a doe?
One that will consistently produce one or more good show rabbits from each litter
What are the two most popular types of nextboxes?
Metal and Wood
Where does a brood does value lie?
Her reproducing skills
A good brood doe that does what three things is an asset to any successful breeding program?
Kindles in nestbox, cares for her young and produces show stock
White it is recommended that litters be weaned into individual cages, litters may be group housed provided what?
Minimum cage space requirements per animal are met
