My friend, Patty, and I got together Sunday afternoon to compare bunnies. Having friends who also show and love Hollands makes it so much easier to continue this hobby. Two hours flew by as we evaluated litters and compared bucks.
An issue we discussed for a little while was how to choose between bunnies. For example, one of my litters has two broken does. They're similar in composition but one has better width/bone while the other has better headset/shoulders. I opted for the second one but sent the first to Patty. We figure we can't lose either way.
But it does raise a good question: how do you choose which traits to prefer? In my case, I chose the better headset/shoulders because that's an area that I'm trying to improve in my herd. I have several animals with good width/bone but not so many with good headsets.
I hedged my bets, though, by sending the second one with Patty, knowing that if she turns out better (the doe, not Patty! Patty is turning out just fine.), I can probably get something back.
We also tried to select between two senior bucks. Both were torts. One is very typey, nice balance, nice pose, nice head and ears and crown. But he's rougher over the topline and hindquarters. We even poured over his pedigree to figure that out, because his father has a phenomenal hindquarter and his mother was decent in that department.
But we compared him to a second buck with a smooth, short body and good depth of shoulder, although his ears are narrow (OK, his crown is narrow from front to back) and his crown is slipped. His body is far superior to the first buck but his type and head aren't. For now, we sidestepped this decision, too.
Patty took the first buck home to breed to some of her does with great hindquarters. Maybe we can get it worked out in his offspring. (See why it's good to work together?)
So how do you choose between animals when their traits are different? How do you choose which traits to give higher value to? You could go purely by the ARBA Standards - rating the animal as a judge would and keeping the highest score. You could choose the animal that may bring a trait you need in your herd. I'd like to hear your program.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
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