[align=left]This guy has some great tips for brokens I am taking his advice as I am trying to get some good brokens but I must say a good charlie is hard to come by. If breeding brokens is your goal I would keep him. That is my opinion but I am not a nethie breeder I do mini rex.[/align]
[align=left]Crystal[/align]
[align=left]Broken Satins[/align]
[align=left]By Randy Shumaker, Sanger, CA[/align]
[align=left]In the late 1970's and early 1980's, when I was showing Rex[/align]
[align=left]exclusively, I had little knowledge of or exposure to Satins. The[/align]
[align=left]only time I even noticed them was when Dave and Fay Hauser,[/align]
[align=left]who had been winning a lot in Indiana, would put up one of their[/align]
[align=left]beautiful Coppers for Best in Show. While these animals were[/align]
[align=left]always one of the most striking on the table, Satins were just not[/align]
[align=left]something I was interested in raising. That all changed when I[/align]
[align=left]attended my first ARBA Convention in Houston in 1985.[/align]
[align=left]Sometime before 1985 I had quit raising Rex and was attending the Houston convention possibly looking for a new[/align]
[align=left]breed. I had heard that Broken Satins were in their final year as a presentation variety. Brokens were always my[/align]
[align=left]favorite variety of Rex so I was curious about this new variety of Satins and decided to check them out. While in[/align]
[align=left]Houston I met Al Lunde. We looked at several Brokens, including the ones that won BOV and BOSV. From the[/align]
[align=left]moment I first saw a Broken Black I thought they were the most attractive and appealing of all rabbits and remain[/align]
[align=left]my favorite to this day.[/align]
[align=left]Unfortunately all Al had left to sell was a Black doe but he graciously agreed to breed her to a fine Broken buck.[/align]
[align=left]She kindled and included in her litter were three Broken Blacks! Later in the convention Satins were approved for[/align]
[align=left]their third and final showing and would become eligible for competition February 1, 1986. I couldn't wait to get my[/align]
[align=left]first three Brokens to the table![/align]
[align=left]The success, and to an even greater degree the quality, of Brokens was assured almost immediately. Experienced[/align]
[align=left]breeders from around the country had been breeding Brokens for some time before their final showing. Just three[/align]
[align=left]months after their eligibility, tbe National Satin show was held in Bloomington, Illinois. Brokens were the second[/align]
[align=left]largest variety with 90 shown and Jim Wahls' Senior Doe won Best Opposite Sex of Breed! This was only the first[/align]
[align=left]of two Best Opposite Sexes and four Best of Breeds in ten years of national competition. Only Whites have won[/align]
[align=left]more during the same period at Nation_ Satin Shows and AREA Conventions. At all but one of these shows[/align]
[align=left]Brokens have also had the second most entries. Jim Lemon's sweepstakes data shows that for the last five years[/align]
[align=left]Brokens have been second to Whites in the following categories: total shown, average shown per show, number of[/align]
[align=left]Best of Breed wins and number of Best Opposite Sex wins.[/align]
[align=left]During the first ten years of national competition there have been twenty different exhibitors win either a Best or[/align]
[align=left]Best Opposite of Variety Broken. Following is a complete list of winning exhibitors and numbers shown during[/align]
[align=left]these first ten years.[/align]
[align=left]Breeding Brokens[/align]
[align=left]A lot has already been written about breeding Brokens. Al Lunde has written several articles that have appeared[/align]
[align=left]over the years. Brian Sawchuk wrote a very good article covering the basics of Broken genetics that appeared in the[/align]
[align=left]July-August 1991 issue of the "Satin News." Jack Etnyre's article for the last edition of the guidebook was excellent[/align]
[align=left]and covered the history, genetics and exhibition of Brokens. Before I go any further I must say I am far from an[/align]
[align=left]expert on genetics. I would, however, like to relate to you some of my past experiences and the direction I am[/align]
[align=left]currently trying to go with my Broken breeding program.[/align]
[align=left]When I was first breeding for Brokens my main goal was to get the highest percentage of show able animals. I knew[/align]
[align=left]that if I bred a "charlie" Broken to a solid I would get all showable Brokens. However, finding a good "charlie" is[/align]
[align=left]fairly difficult since most breeders do not save them and raising a good one can also take some time. The next best[/align]
[align=left]option, and the most-commonly recommended, was to breed Brokens to solids of the same variety. This proved to[/align]
[align=left]be successful and was the combination I used almost exclusively for the first few years. Usually half the litters were[/align]
[align=left]showable Brokens and the other half solids. Many of these solids did very well on the show table. To this day, I[/align]
[align=left]almost never breed Black to Black or Chin to Chin solids. I maintain these solid brood animals to help produce[/align]
[align=left]Brokens, my main goal.[/align]
[align=left]At some point I became dissatisfied with raising just "showable" Brokens. The improvements made from generation[/align]
[align=left]to generation were insignificant, particularly in the area of fur. Most of the Blacks I had seen or raised had a thinner,[/align]
[align=left]coarser coat than it was going to take to win big. By continually breeding Brokens to these solid animals improving[/align]
[align=left]the fur was very difficult.[/align]
[align=left]During this same period of time I was also raising Whites. The quality of my Whites in both fur and type was[/align]
[align=left]significantly better than my Brokens. I decided to try some White to Broken crosses. I would only breed White[/align]
[align=left]bucks to Broken Black does. I did not want to tie up my White does raising colored rabbits. This cross, White bucks[/align]
[align=left]to Broken Black does, has accounted for about 75% of the Brokens I have put on the table in: the last several years.[/align]
[align=left]This includes all three of my Best of Breeds and also Best of Variety Black, Blue, Chin and Brokens at National[/align]
[align=left]Shows and ARBA Conventions. Most of these successes were due to a significant improvement in fur. Also[/align]
[align=left]interesting, was the fact that the color of the Black, Chin and Blue was very good.[/align]
[align=left]Obviously, the background of the particular Whites and Brokens you cross is significant to the outcome of the[/align]
[align=left]litters. All White (albino) animals carry two recessive albino genes that suppress the display of the actual color that[/align]
[align=left]the rabbit carries. I feel that most White Satins, unlike a lot of other breeds with white varieties, carry the genetic[/align]
[align=left]tendencies for Black and Chin Satins. When bred to Broken Blacks that do not carry the albino gene, the outcome[/align]
[align=left]will be the same as if you bred Broken to solid, that being 50% solid and 50% Broken. However, if the Broken does[/align]
[align=left]carry an albino gene, the resulting litters should be 50% White. It is for this reason I have tried to only breed Whites[/align]
[align=left]to Broken Blacks that do not carry an albino gene. Broken offspring from these crosses can then be bred back to[/align]
[align=left]solid Blacks.[/align]
[align=left]A common misconception concerning the above scenario is Whites will be responsible for scattered white hairs or[/align]
[align=left]white spots, white nails, light eyes or light foot pads when bred to solids or Brokens. This is simply not true. The[/align]
[align=left]double albino gene can only be responsible for a pure white rabbit. The modifying genes responsible for the faults[/align]
[align=left]and disqualifications listed above come only from the inhibited color genes the albino genes are suppressing. You[/align]
[align=left]may experience a certain degree of these problems when breeding to Whites. This is only because they have not[/align]
[align=left]been bred out of the colored animals in the background of the Whites since they would not be expressed, obviously,[/align]
[align=left]because they are white.[/align]
[align=left]In ten years of raising Broken Satins I have not come close to experiencing all of the possibilities. This is what[/align]
[align=left]makes Brokens so appealing. I have, however, tried to give you a little insight to my experiences with this most[/align]
[align=left]intriguing variety. Solid to Broken crosses of the same variety remain the most common and most recommended,[/align]
[align=left]especially to the beginner. Whatever path you choose to take will probably have a few bumps and turns but I'm quite[/align]
sure you will find your experiences with the Satin's newest variety most rewarding and challenging! Good luck!
