# Which buck would you choose?



## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

This is my current buck, who is really fat. He slims down when he runs with the females, but that hasn't been happening of late. He has a little bit of color on his rump and face, & produced that gorgeous (to me) doe, my first one with lots of pigment. I'm thinking its time to replace him, and wanted to sort out my thoughts by talking it out here.
yikes that was huge, let me fix this...









This is the buck I'm thinking I want to replace him with. He has some color on his shoulder, not a lot on his rump, but he is the biggest, black (I don't want agouti to become the only color), and just so manly. He's almost 5 weeks in the picture.









Do I keep the original sire in hopes he will throw similar offspring to this one? Or do I replace with his manlier, slimmer, black son, who was from the same litter as the below female, assuming that he's one more generation along? (which may be evolving towards faux variegated...) I am worried the black son has really heavy face patches, however one side is thicker then the other, and most in his litter had odd marked faces, which I would love to breed for as well.


----------



## TwitchingWhiskers (Feb 2, 2013)

I think I would keep both and see what their offspring look like, then make a final cut. Or, if their sons fit your standard, then well, err, you have more options..... :doh


----------



## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

I would keep the baby.His head looks wider and I think the adult has a twisted nose and you don't want to breed that in.Might be the angle of the picture of course.


----------



## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

I'm kinda limited on space, that's why I'm trying to only pick one. :? As to the twisty nose, I think he was sniffing the egg carton, in combination with his face pattern. There was one other buck I really, really like, however he's smaller then my black one, and doesn't have pigment anywhere besides his head & rump, and his face is really thickly colored.


----------



## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Based on all you just said... Would it be reasonable to breed the original to a few does, and then remove him from the breeding program as soon as you are sure they are pregnant? That way you would only have maybe 2-3 weeks of double bucks.

If that's not reasonable, then I'd personally go with the second option (the first son shown), but I really don't understand precisely how to get what you are breeding for, patternwise. :? Otherwise, I'd flat out have chosen the second buck, and kept on breeding, working from the doe that was more like what you had in mind.


----------



## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

ThatCertainGlow said:


> Based on all you just said... Would it be reasonable to breed the original to a few does, and then remove him from the breeding program as soon as you are sure they are pregnant? That way you would only have maybe 2-3 weeks of double bucks.


So starting mid-June I'll start a job working at a camp. I'll be home 4 days a week, and will have someone to feed the mice while I'm gone, but if I breed now they will be stuck with young, which I'd like to avoid. So my next scheduled breeding is end of summer. 



ThatCertainGlow said:


> If that's not reasonable, then I'd personally go with the second option (the first son shown), but I really don't understand precisely how to get what you are breeding for, patternwise. :? Otherwise, I'd flat out have chosen the second buck, and kept on breeding, working from the doe that was more like what you had in mind.


Patternwise, I just need to keep breeding & selecting high amounts of pigment, hopefully towards a "sketchy" looking pattern. Thank you for your advice on bucks.


----------

