|
THE
BEAUTIFUL FAWN FLEMISH
by John Trone
Six decades
ago the Fawn Flemish was known as the "Golden Fawn". This color of the
Family of the Flemish Giants originated in 1935 in the
Rabbitry of J.E. Holtzinger. In popularity it is among
the top three in our exhibitions.
In using
common sense and therefore not using any cross breeding of colors,
any breeder can obtain a good Fawn by breeding Fawn with
Fawn. Of course the shade of coloring may vary depending on the bloodline.
The Standard of Perfection calls for "rich golden straw; golden ripe wheat".
We should try to
produce a consistency of color without any ticking or fading to white.
It is a good
policy to keep the young for 2-3 months in order to determine the type and
color that is best suited for showing. Keep in mind the surface
color often darkens as the animal matures and goes into
each successful molt. The term "pale eye circles" is defined as lightness of
fur around the eye, in comparison to the rest of
the head and body. Correct selection of Fawn to Fawn breeding will eliminate
this problem. One of the most obvious defects in the
coloring is in the ear. The dark color edging of the ear
is called "ear lacing".. This problem must be
eliminated slowly by selecting the proper mates until
you have achieved a good Fawn color without the "ear
lacing". Another fur imperfection is white hairs
sprinkled throughout the body. A lot of patience
is needed to rid your offspring of this condition. The best policy is to
select a Doe and a Buck that does not have this
trait. Sometime you can produce young without this
problem by using a pair with only one of the parents having this
imperfection.
The shape of
a good Fawn rabbit's head should be big and broad, with fur the
consistency of the rest of the body. The head of a buck
should be larger than that of a doe. Also the head
of either gender should be in comparison to the rest
of the body. A pointed nose or short head is considered a
fault on the judging
table.
The ears
should be erect and in proportion to the rest of the body, with a heavy
ear base. Color should be in consistency with the rest of
the body. The ideal ear length is 6 to 6 1/2
inches long. Any Senior Flemish rabbit with an ear length of
5 1/2 inches is disqualified.
Faults are; a thin ear or a weak base. When the ear turns over at the tip
the rabbit is subject to an elimination. The eye in the Fawn rabbit should
be dark brown and with good expression. Scalded or matted fur under the eyes
caused by running eyes is a fault.
The feet and
legs of the Fawn should be long, straight, and powerful in proportion. All
toenails should match the body color as close as possible. Short or thin
boned legs and feet are a fault. Disqualifications are
white toenails, flat feet or weak ankles in the
front legs, white bars on the front feet, and cow hocked where
turning outward of the hind limbs
is obvious.
The tail
should be in conformity with the rest of the body and carried erect.
A Fawn Giant
should be just what the name implies: a giant with good length,
width, arch, bone, ear base, ears, and then color and
fur. If the animal does not have good Flemish
type, than it is not a Flemish, and no matter how good
the condition, color, or fur it should
not be a top winner.
|
