My name is Matt Hinderman and I raise Japanese Harlequins, Magpie Harlequins & Standard Blanc de Hotot rabbits.

I began raising rabbits when I was in the 4th grade.  My father gave my brother and I a black satin buck he picked up from a neighbor.  We were so excited to have a new pet on our farm that we couldn't wait to get a doe.  Our family raised rabbits for well over 10 years.  We showed rabbits and raised them as 4-H projects.  The rabbit shows at our county fair became family events.  Our whole family eventually became involved in showing rabbits.  Although I can't remember how many shows we won, how many ribbons we received, or where we placed exactly, I do remember the time I spent with my whole family at the rabbit shows.

 

Harlequin genetics is very interesting to me!  One of the most favorite aspects to raising Harlequins for me is the excitment I experience when one of my does kindle.  I rush to the nest boxes numerous times a day to see the color combinations a doe will produce in her offspring. 

Harlequin Coat Color Genetics

• The "C" gene is responsible for the white of the Magpie.
• Its alleles: "C" is dominant and causes no change.
• "ch" is recessive and can change orange to white.
• The "D" gene, which stands for dilute, is present in blue and lilacs.
• Its alleles: "D" is dominant and causes no change.
• "d" is recessive and dilutes black to blue or chocolate.
• The "B" gene is present in chocolates and lilacs.
• Its alleles: "B" is dominant and causes no change
• "b" is recessive and changed black to chocolate or blue to lilac.
  
   Every domestic rabbit has two alleles for each of these three genes. Genetically speaking, the basic Harlequin color is Black Japanese; all other varieties are derived from changing the color of the Black Japanese in one or more ways. Color wise, the "pure" form of Black Japanese would possess the genetic code "CCDDBB." Such a rabbit would have the dominant, homozygous combination for each of the three color traits. Mated to another Black Japanese with the same genetic makeup, all kits would be Black Japanese. However, many Black Japanese are not genetically pure (homozygous); many possess one or more of the recessive alleles—though not two of the same recessive allele—so their offspring may be any one of the seven colors, depending on the genetic makeup of both the sire and dam.