Raising and
Showing Light Gray Flemish Giants
by Juan A. Pérez
Stunning. Eye catching. Impressive. Appealing. Those are a
few of the words I have heard when people see Light Gray Flemish
for the first time. In my 22 plus years of raising Flemish
Giants, I have yet to have a single day where my eyes do not
wander toward this most beautiful of Flemish colors. This
variety is one of the original colors accepted by the National
Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders in 1916, along with
Steels and Blacks.
As with any article about Flemish, I must offer the potential
breeder a word of advice: when it comes to color, this variety
offers a challenge that is way up there with the Blues, Steels
and Blacks. Our Standard calls for a uniform light gray surface
color with ticking of black tipped guard hairs. The under color
shall be slate blue next to the skin, with an intermediate band
of off-white. Being an agouti pattern, the Light Gray Flemish
has distinct bands or rings that should be visible when blowing
into the coat. You can see the composition of these bands or
rings by taking a closer look to an individual hair shaft, which
will reveal the colors slate blue, white and black. The belly
color shall be white with slate blue under color, and the
underside of the tail should be a continuation of the belly
color. The eyes should be brown.
When breeding light grays, it is advisable to keep your
crossings confined to those varieties that will enhance or
improve your actual color. Please do not forget that type is
very important, and do not be tempted to introduce a good
colored animal that has poor type, for that is a step
backwards. I prefer the light gray to light gray crossing
myself, but have at times used White Flemish for two main
reasons:
1.
The whites keep the ring definition in check (especially the
intermediate off white band);
2.
Usually the Whites out of the cross end up with an adequate
length of fur, as opposed to the “wooly” fur that sometimes
Whites get.
A word of caution: if you use too many Whites in your breeding
program, keep an eye out for white toenails in your Light Grays.
Some breeders believe that crossing Steels with Light Grays is a
good way to produce Light Grays. Although I have done this in
years past, I personally do not believe that the Steels
contribute as much to the cross as you would expect. My
rationale is that Steels tend to either have or hide colors in
their ancestry that might hamper your breeding program. The
only time I did the Steel x Light Gray cross was when I had a
very good colored Steel buck of great type, which in turn came
from grandparents and great grandparents that were
all Light Grays.
There is a small set of breeders that believe that there is
benefit to be had from introducing Blacks into their Light Gray
breeding program. These breeders believe that Black Flemish
will keep “in check” the black bars that Light Grays have in
their feet and that sometimes lighten up after a few generations
and crosses. Another potential benefit of crossing blacks is
for ring definition and lack of black tipped guard hairs, faults
that you will see in Light Grays that are extremely light. If
you decide to use Blacks in your Light Gray breeding program
make sure that the animals do not have any Blues in their
ancestry.
When breeding this variety, don’t get discouraged if you get a
smoky fuzziness in your babies’ coats. It will-and should-go
away within the first 3-4 months. Some breeders assert that
most Light Grays with smoky coats have great type.
There have been great breeders of light grays over the history
of the Flemish Federation. In the last 25 years the ones at the
very top include Bill Higginbottom, Fred Russell, Dale Gearhart,
Lenny Smith,
John Long,
Joe Squittieri,
Bob Bolyard and of course, the legend among
legends, Mr. Harold May.
When working on your Light Grays do not forget that your herd
buck has a lot of influence in your breeding program. A bad
colored buck can ruin years of effort. Make sure you select a
stud buck that has good color, fur and of course, good type.
As with any enterprise in life, success is the result of hard
work, dedication and continuous learning. Don’t expect to cross
two rabbits and be successful overnight. And don’t expect to
succeed by buying so-so stock, either. If you want to succeed
in raising Light Grays (or any other Flemish color) make sure
you acquire good stock from reputable breeders and be prepared
to pay accordingly for such animals.
I would also encourage you to do your homework and study the
Flemish standard, visit, call, e-mail or write to other
breeders. If possible, when purchasing animals compare
littermates, ask to see the sire and dam, ask about show
winnings at major Flemish shows. Make sure you listen when
consistent, successful breeders give advice.
This is a wonderful and most beautiful variety that can bring
plenty of reward and satisfaction as long as you are willing to
work hard on it. Best of Luck with your Light Grays and
remember, don’t give up!
