09/28/2026
The other day I posted about test breeding for self chin and not sending anything out of my barn that I wasn't reasonably certain was clear of self chin.
I want to clarify that this is a personal decision for my Rabbitry and there are different philosophies for breeding and culling programs.
Some just breed the best forward and cull any that have DQs or any number of other traits that the breeder deems cull worthy. They don't bother with test breeding and just keep individuals who meet the SOP or their Rabbitry goals. They might use a sibling or parent of a rabbit who had a DQ.
Breeders allowing things to breed forward does make it harder on future breeders(and themselves) but the truth is that breeders cannot breed out everything. There are no perfect rabbits.
People get very up in arms about a gene like chinchilla not being bred out because it's a simple recessive. But there are a lot of traits that are controlled by multiple genes that we as breeders don't cull a whole line for because it's just too hard to nail down. White nails, random white spotting genes, split p***s, deviated spine, uneven silvering, malocclusion, weak ear base, etc. I don't know of breeders purposefully replicating these traits. But I know of many breeders and myself who will use a sibling or parent of a rabbit with some of the above traits.
There are some breeders who pick one of the above things and cull relentlessly any line that produces it, and that is perfectly fine. It's the thing they are picky about. But not every breeder holds the same things to that degree of nitpicking. Each breeder has their own things they cull relentlessly for and often that "thing" evolves over time.
All that is okay. We can't expect every breeder to share our specific nitpicks, especially when it isn't against the standard. A rabbit who has normal eye color, even if they have recessive cchd, isn't against the standard. Just like a rabbit who had a sibling with a white nail isn't themselves against the standard even though they could have the genes that lead to more white nails later.
Also, self chin is difficult to find sometimes. I found it in lines that I had used for years and had no idea. Years of offspring that didn't show any DQ because of it. It's annoying for sure but it's not something that will destroy a line. A lot of showable offspring can be produced even when breeding two C/cchd animals together. A breeder could have self chin in their line for years and years and have no idea.
It's not reasonable to expect everyone to cull the same as you. If a Rabbitry is very concerned about a specific trait, they should ask extensive questions about background and culls that have been produced in the line and test breedings that have occurred. If a breeder can't answer these questions for them then they should probably pass. They should also conduct their own test breedings before incorporating a new line.
Responsibility ultimately falls on us to manage our own nitpicks. Self chin is one of mine.
