The Vienna Gene
The Blue Eyed White Gene
A Quick Overview of the Vienna Gene
By Leah Cheri Morales
The Vienna gene on paper is shown as lowercase v and the none Vienna gene uppercase V. Genotype is the set of genes inherited from both parents. Phenotype is how the gene is expressed; what you see when you look at the rabbit.
Blue eyes, such as seen in the blue-eyed-whites, have very little melanin in the iris stroma but still has pigment in the epithelium. Therefore, all the shorter wavelengths of light are absorbed and the shorter ones are reflected based on Rayleigh scattering. Blue-gray eyes as seen on dilutes have some melanin in the iris still which is why they appear to have a grayish tinge. The genes are completely separate, and it is possible to get a dilute rabbit that carries the dilute gene, are a BEW that is genetically a dilute color. This gene is similar to the REW gene, in how it masks a color under that coat of white. You may have an all white rabbit with blue eyes that is also homozygous for black, and only produces black based, full extension offspring when bred to a Non Vienna Carrier.
The Vienna gene is very complicated due to the fact it is not dominant or recessive. It is true that you would think the Vienna gene was a recessive gene because a rabbit needs to have a homozygous Vienna genotype (expressed as vv) to be a true BEW phenotype. Yet if the Vienna gene was truly recessive, the result when a BEW (vv) was bred with a Non Vienna Carrying rabbit (VV), the resulting offspring phenotypes would all be that of the dominant non carrier parent (V).... right? If a rabbit of a recessive color, for example, we'll use a blue tort holland lop bred to a black tort holland. Say the black tort, which is dominant to the blue tort, does not carry dilute; the recessive gene that turns black to blue. If this is the case, all of the offspring will be a dense variety. If no other recessives come into play, 100% of those offfspring will be black tort that carry the dilute gene, invisible to see. That is not the case with the Vienna gene.
Rabbits with the genotype (Vv) can appear as a solid colored rabbit called Vienna carriers (abbreviation VC) or oddly marked rabbits called Vienna marks ( abbreviation VM) rabbits. VM rabbits express the Vienna gene through odd markings such as violet or blue eyes and white spots or dutch-like markings. This is why the Vienna gene can not be considered recessive because it can" pop" through the dominant gene.
Breeding either a VM or a VC can ruin any color project that isn't a BEW project. Even if your rabbit with the Vv genotype appears to be a solid colored rabbit it still carries the Veinna gene. That Vienna gene can be passed on for generations causing Vienna marked kits which are unshowable. The Vienna gene should never be used for anything but a BEW project because of this. Typical to other recessive genes, it can hide away for generations, but true to it's semi-dominant nature, it can pop up after generations of hiding away in the form of a vienna marked rabbit.
Some breeders suggest never to breed 2 rabbits with the genotype Vv because 25% of the offspring will be true non carrier rabbits (VV) and you won't be able to tell them apart from the Vienna carriers (Vv).... Unless they are bred with a BEW and have BEW kits. Then you know they are Vienna carriers. While it happens, I do not refrain from doing so. Any offspring sold from those pairings that have not been test bred are ALWAYS labeled as potential VC, and the buyer is ALWAYS informed of this fact before any deal has been made. I will not sell a potential carrier to anyone not working on a BEW line.
If you breed a Non Carrier to a BEW, you will get 100% Vv (50% VM and 50%VC).
BEW bred to a BEW results in 100% BEW.
What about a VM/VC to a VM/VC? 25% BEW, 50% VM/VC, and 25% non-carriers.
There is debate to weather or not one should use a broken patterned in a BEW project. Sometimes you will get a broken VM in these pairings, and the argument is the breeder won't be able to tell if that rabbit is just a vienna carrier or actually vienna marked, depending on the broken patterning. Personally, I do not see the issue as long as any potentiality of the vienna gene is clearly marked in the rabbit's pedigree and any potential buyers are informed of that beforehand. I have shown broken VM rabbits that wouldn't have been showable had they been solid, although sometimes the vienna markings on a broken VM will still disqualify it from the show table. These obvious markings include blue or marbled eyes, lack of nose markings and lack of ear markings.
The Vienna gene on paper is shown as lowercase v and the none Vienna gene uppercase V. Genotype is the set of genes inherited from both parents. Phenotype is how the gene is expressed; what you see when you look at the rabbit.
Blue eyes, such as seen in the blue-eyed-whites, have very little melanin in the iris stroma but still has pigment in the epithelium. Therefore, all the shorter wavelengths of light are absorbed and the shorter ones are reflected based on Rayleigh scattering. Blue-gray eyes as seen on dilutes have some melanin in the iris still which is why they appear to have a grayish tinge. The genes are completely separate, and it is possible to get a dilute rabbit that carries the dilute gene, are a BEW that is genetically a dilute color. This gene is similar to the REW gene, in how it masks a color under that coat of white. You may have an all white rabbit with blue eyes that is also homozygous for black, and only produces black based, full extension offspring when bred to a Non Vienna Carrier.
The Vienna gene is very complicated due to the fact it is not dominant or recessive. It is true that you would think the Vienna gene was a recessive gene because a rabbit needs to have a homozygous Vienna genotype (expressed as vv) to be a true BEW phenotype. Yet if the Vienna gene was truly recessive, the result when a BEW (vv) was bred with a Non Vienna Carrying rabbit (VV), the resulting offspring phenotypes would all be that of the dominant non carrier parent (V).... right? If a rabbit of a recessive color, for example, we'll use a blue tort holland lop bred to a black tort holland. Say the black tort, which is dominant to the blue tort, does not carry dilute; the recessive gene that turns black to blue. If this is the case, all of the offspring will be a dense variety. If no other recessives come into play, 100% of those offfspring will be black tort that carry the dilute gene, invisible to see. That is not the case with the Vienna gene.
Rabbits with the genotype (Vv) can appear as a solid colored rabbit called Vienna carriers (abbreviation VC) or oddly marked rabbits called Vienna marks ( abbreviation VM) rabbits. VM rabbits express the Vienna gene through odd markings such as violet or blue eyes and white spots or dutch-like markings. This is why the Vienna gene can not be considered recessive because it can" pop" through the dominant gene.
Breeding either a VM or a VC can ruin any color project that isn't a BEW project. Even if your rabbit with the Vv genotype appears to be a solid colored rabbit it still carries the Veinna gene. That Vienna gene can be passed on for generations causing Vienna marked kits which are unshowable. The Vienna gene should never be used for anything but a BEW project because of this. Typical to other recessive genes, it can hide away for generations, but true to it's semi-dominant nature, it can pop up after generations of hiding away in the form of a vienna marked rabbit.
Some breeders suggest never to breed 2 rabbits with the genotype Vv because 25% of the offspring will be true non carrier rabbits (VV) and you won't be able to tell them apart from the Vienna carriers (Vv).... Unless they are bred with a BEW and have BEW kits. Then you know they are Vienna carriers. While it happens, I do not refrain from doing so. Any offspring sold from those pairings that have not been test bred are ALWAYS labeled as potential VC, and the buyer is ALWAYS informed of this fact before any deal has been made. I will not sell a potential carrier to anyone not working on a BEW line.
If you breed a Non Carrier to a BEW, you will get 100% Vv (50% VM and 50%VC).
BEW bred to a BEW results in 100% BEW.
What about a VM/VC to a VM/VC? 25% BEW, 50% VM/VC, and 25% non-carriers.
There is debate to weather or not one should use a broken patterned in a BEW project. Sometimes you will get a broken VM in these pairings, and the argument is the breeder won't be able to tell if that rabbit is just a vienna carrier or actually vienna marked, depending on the broken patterning. Personally, I do not see the issue as long as any potentiality of the vienna gene is clearly marked in the rabbit's pedigree and any potential buyers are informed of that beforehand. I have shown broken VM rabbits that wouldn't have been showable had they been solid, although sometimes the vienna markings on a broken VM will still disqualify it from the show table. These obvious markings include blue or marbled eyes, lack of nose markings and lack of ear markings.
The BEW Holland; Getting Started and Improving the Herd
An article featured in the HLRSC magazine, The Hollander
By Leah Cheri Morales
I remember seeing my first blue eyed white (BEW) rabbit when I was researching breeds as a newbie, whenI first became interested in raising rabbits. I had never seen eyes so bright a blue on anything before, and I thought it was strikingly beautiful. When I decided to raise Holland Lops, I knew that I would be raising BEW Holland lops too.
There are many new breeders that jump into a BEW project after seeing their first BEW Holland. Their second year or so into it, realize they don't have the space for a BEW project, or they simply get discouraged when their BEW Hollands are consistently the first rabbits off the show table and they see no improvement in their litters. Good stock is expensive in general, and finding nice Vienna stock to work with can be difficult AND expensive. To top it off, there seem to be a plethora of "pet-only" breeders who are uninterested in improving the color per breed standards, and more interested in selling adorable blue eyed babies as pets. Unfortunately, these pets undoubtedly find their way on a show table, and are often used in a budding BEW 4h project or into another pet breeder's pet project.
The Holland Lop is already a difficult breed to breed consistency in... with small litter sizes coupled with the possibility of Max Factor babies, fuzzies, "peanuts" and "normals" inevitably popping up your litters, throwing in the vienna gene can be an intimidating notion.... especially considering that color is almost insignificant in terms of point distribution on the Holland SOP.
While it seems intimidating, it's definitely not impossible, and once you get started and start to see improvement, it's really rewarding!
Firstly, purchase your stock from established BEW breeders that have been breeding their own rabbits for several generations and are certain that their herd is free from undesirable colors. When I decided to take the plunge and get some Vienna stock, I was lucky enough to purchase several very nice animals from a breeder that was selling out, and happened to be one of the top Holland breeders in the country at the time, and had one of the best BEW programs from imported stock. I had the option of buying a beautiful BEW buck that had recently won a BOB, or a broken orange vienna carrier. The breeder had said the broken VC produced better offspring, so that is who I opted to go with, since I could only afford one buck at that time. That buck is in nearly all of my BEW herd. True to the breeder's word, he produced better offspring than the beautiful BEW buck, who I ended up with a year later, purely by chance, and never ended up keeping any offspring from.
I try to find rabbits that the breeder has used and has gotten offspring from that they are keeping. These tend to be significantly more expensive, but it is worth it in the long run. Most breeders will be happy to share their experience with the rabbit in question, and show the offspring produced as well. They should be able to tell you if there are any traits this rabbit has thrown that you need to watch for as well, or if they consistently produce offspring that are bestowed with traits your herd needs.
Ask the breeders you buy from what lines they use for out crossing and what lines they think yield the best offspring. This will lessen the chance of you buying rabbits that don't end up meshing well with what you already have.
There are many new breeders that jump into a BEW project after seeing their first BEW Holland. Their second year or so into it, realize they don't have the space for a BEW project, or they simply get discouraged when their BEW Hollands are consistently the first rabbits off the show table and they see no improvement in their litters. Good stock is expensive in general, and finding nice Vienna stock to work with can be difficult AND expensive. To top it off, there seem to be a plethora of "pet-only" breeders who are uninterested in improving the color per breed standards, and more interested in selling adorable blue eyed babies as pets. Unfortunately, these pets undoubtedly find their way on a show table, and are often used in a budding BEW 4h project or into another pet breeder's pet project.
The Holland Lop is already a difficult breed to breed consistency in... with small litter sizes coupled with the possibility of Max Factor babies, fuzzies, "peanuts" and "normals" inevitably popping up your litters, throwing in the vienna gene can be an intimidating notion.... especially considering that color is almost insignificant in terms of point distribution on the Holland SOP.
While it seems intimidating, it's definitely not impossible, and once you get started and start to see improvement, it's really rewarding!
Firstly, purchase your stock from established BEW breeders that have been breeding their own rabbits for several generations and are certain that their herd is free from undesirable colors. When I decided to take the plunge and get some Vienna stock, I was lucky enough to purchase several very nice animals from a breeder that was selling out, and happened to be one of the top Holland breeders in the country at the time, and had one of the best BEW programs from imported stock. I had the option of buying a beautiful BEW buck that had recently won a BOB, or a broken orange vienna carrier. The breeder had said the broken VC produced better offspring, so that is who I opted to go with, since I could only afford one buck at that time. That buck is in nearly all of my BEW herd. True to the breeder's word, he produced better offspring than the beautiful BEW buck, who I ended up with a year later, purely by chance, and never ended up keeping any offspring from.
I try to find rabbits that the breeder has used and has gotten offspring from that they are keeping. These tend to be significantly more expensive, but it is worth it in the long run. Most breeders will be happy to share their experience with the rabbit in question, and show the offspring produced as well. They should be able to tell you if there are any traits this rabbit has thrown that you need to watch for as well, or if they consistently produce offspring that are bestowed with traits your herd needs.
Ask the breeders you buy from what lines they use for out crossing and what lines they think yield the best offspring. This will lessen the chance of you buying rabbits that don't end up meshing well with what you already have.
Always check the pedigrees of any potential purchases. There are a few color restrictions you should take into account before purchasing your Vienna stock. Colors to avoid include chocolate and lilac based varieties or rabbits that carry for chocolate or lilac, as well as the shaded gene. The reason behind avoiding these colors, is due to the effect each gene has on the eye color. Both chocolate and shaded remove some of the black pigment from the eye, and in turn, alters the blue eye on a BEW, giving it a ruby hue that turns it almost violet in appearance. (Image 1, violet eye of a VM siamese sable) Imagine the heartbreak you'd feel when a gorgeously typed BEW ends up with violet eyes because it's a genetic shaded variety or chocolate/lilac based variety. It's very disappointing, especially when that indicates your herd is carrying and producing more shaded or chocolate carriers. While it might be a cool effect, it's a disqualification on the show table and taboo to use, regardless of how nicely typed a rabbit you have. Because of this, being thorough when going through and writing out your pedigrees as well as looking for rabbits from lines clean from shaded and chocolate are an absolute must.
When starting the breeding portion of your BEW program, there are a few things to keep in mind.
1-Breeding BEW to BEW will result in 100% BEW offspring, but from what I've seen, these offspring will not be an improvement from their parents. Additionally, the offspring from most BEW to BEW crosses lose mass and barely reach a showable weight. This seems to be an issue in my herd, even without BEW to BEW breedings. While the VC/VM offspring are massive and nicely boned, the majority of the BEW siblings produced are dinky.
Let's face it; BEW Hollands, for the most part, aren't overly developed, and the few nice ones out there are usually not for sale. Pairing two mediocre Hollands will most likely produce more mediocre Hollands. My best BEW is still no competition against my torts, even though it's a very nice BEW. (Image 2, BEW holland buck) If you want to see noticeable improvement, breed your BEWs to the best non-vienna carriers you can afford. Use the best of those offspring together to make a BEW to breed back to your really nice non-vienna carriers.
1-Breeding BEW to BEW will result in 100% BEW offspring, but from what I've seen, these offspring will not be an improvement from their parents. Additionally, the offspring from most BEW to BEW crosses lose mass and barely reach a showable weight. This seems to be an issue in my herd, even without BEW to BEW breedings. While the VC/VM offspring are massive and nicely boned, the majority of the BEW siblings produced are dinky.
Let's face it; BEW Hollands, for the most part, aren't overly developed, and the few nice ones out there are usually not for sale. Pairing two mediocre Hollands will most likely produce more mediocre Hollands. My best BEW is still no competition against my torts, even though it's a very nice BEW. (Image 2, BEW holland buck) If you want to see noticeable improvement, breed your BEWs to the best non-vienna carriers you can afford. Use the best of those offspring together to make a BEW to breed back to your really nice non-vienna carriers.
I DON'T recommend using a VC or VM with your non-VC/VM improvement stock.... there is a good chance that the offspring won't inherit the Vienna gene, and the only way to be sure with a non VM is to test breed it. That will take time and cage space, and if the rabbit ends up not carrying, you just wasted 6+ months of grow out time, feed and got your hopes up. Breed your BEWs to your non vienna stock for 100% VC/VM offspring. My best BEWs have come from BEW to VC/VM pairings or VC/VM to VC/VM pairings. (Image 3, VC cream doe) (Image 4, VM Buck)
2- CULL. Don't keep or use an ugly BEW. Keep the VC or VM sibling if it's better. Or don't. If the whole litter are duds, cull them all. Don't use something just because you bred it and think it's cute. If it doesn't have the traits necessary to improve your project, you are wasting your time and money. Don't be afraid to re-do a breeding if the babies from the first batch all end up in the cull bin. The next batch might have a keeper.
3- Watch out for trends in your herd. Trends in my BEW herd include micro sized BEWs, longer than desirable fur and a lack of fullness throughout. For some reason these trends seem exclusive with the BEW produced, and not the VC and VM. It has taken several generations of breeding in large, big boned Hollands in an effort to combat this, and so far it seems to be slowly improving the fullness and bone. Mass and bone issues among BEWs have been mentioned by other breeders as well.
4- Be patient. This is not a particularly speedy process. Just like any color project involving recessive genes, you will have generations of carriers followed by generations of the color you want. It's easy to get discouraged when you've been working on a project for years, and your BEWs aren't competitive on the table. Try to keep in mind that the torts you see winning all the time are more developed as a variety. As far as the color genetics they are less complicated to work with. Most established Holland lines have been around for years, and are simply more developed and consistent in what they produce. Our BEWs won't get to that level unless BEW breeders maintain their determination and motivation to perfect this strikingly beautiful variety.
Lastly, read up on the Vienna gene. There are TONS of websites and books that cover all the details you will ever need to know. it's not an overly complicated gene, but it can be confusing. Before taking on any color project, making sure you understand how that color works will make a huge impact on what you choose to buy and how you decide on carrying out your breeding plans.
I wish you all the best in any color project you decide to take on! I hope you take the lovely Blue eye whites into consideration! (Last image, BEW sr buck)
3- Watch out for trends in your herd. Trends in my BEW herd include micro sized BEWs, longer than desirable fur and a lack of fullness throughout. For some reason these trends seem exclusive with the BEW produced, and not the VC and VM. It has taken several generations of breeding in large, big boned Hollands in an effort to combat this, and so far it seems to be slowly improving the fullness and bone. Mass and bone issues among BEWs have been mentioned by other breeders as well.
4- Be patient. This is not a particularly speedy process. Just like any color project involving recessive genes, you will have generations of carriers followed by generations of the color you want. It's easy to get discouraged when you've been working on a project for years, and your BEWs aren't competitive on the table. Try to keep in mind that the torts you see winning all the time are more developed as a variety. As far as the color genetics they are less complicated to work with. Most established Holland lines have been around for years, and are simply more developed and consistent in what they produce. Our BEWs won't get to that level unless BEW breeders maintain their determination and motivation to perfect this strikingly beautiful variety.
Lastly, read up on the Vienna gene. There are TONS of websites and books that cover all the details you will ever need to know. it's not an overly complicated gene, but it can be confusing. Before taking on any color project, making sure you understand how that color works will make a huge impact on what you choose to buy and how you decide on carrying out your breeding plans.
I wish you all the best in any color project you decide to take on! I hope you take the lovely Blue eye whites into consideration! (Last image, BEW sr buck)