Rhinelander Project

I started a project of breeding in Checkered Giants to increase size, bone and produce better type. As many of my Rhinelanders are lightly marked it has so far been relatively easy to get rid of the checkered type markings.  

For my F2 cross I bred a blue sport doe (Harleigh´s NAPA) out of Circle S´s Indy and Jill´s Aloha with a litter sired by Semb´s Aires (C119). The litter included many sports, as well as two Checkered marked, lacking the harlequin gene because of the checkered outcross, (one blue one black) kits as well as two Rhinelander marked kits (one blue and one black). 

The Rhinelander marked kits have good separation of side spots for an F2 cross. I have also noticed with the outcross that I am seeing a decrease in spine breaks as well as more desirable spine markings. 

I am now on my first litter(finally) of of F3 crosses. I used Harleigh's Zeeva, an F2 cross, and bred her back to her sire Semb's Aires. They produced two kits on this litter, a blue sport(Rhinelander) and a blue marked(Rhinelander) in the marked kit I am seeing excellent symmetry in the side markings, the head markings seem to have improved being less heavy and I have retained the excellent spine marking from the dam. The litter is too young to show type now but I hope to see good type in the litter as they mature. 

F3 Cross

Harleigh's Zeeva(F2 Cross) x Semb's Aires (Black Rhinelander)

Kits

-Blue "Rhinelander" Sport Doe

-Blue "Rhinelander" Marked Buck