[Matt Haslam]

After some very welcome feedback about my mice I have set off on my mission again at full throttle!

At the moment I have the following pairings

I have blue with black, blue with blue, my new choc buck running with my new choc does and an original paler choc doe.

my feeder breeder colony has just produced over 30 pinks!

I have 4 new little blues in the nest and some of my original chocs have dropped again!

all this and the mousery still feels empty

I am on a stock building mission! with grited teeth and the wind in my hair! lolz

 

[tom95]

Sounds interesting, a lot of blues chocs and blacks
How many mice have you got now ?
You are progressing very fast so there should be full shed soon
Do you plann to outcross your chocs with show blacks as you're doing this with blues ? It will help with colour
Good luck with these varieties :!:

 

[WillowDragon]

You not tempted by Lilacs Matt? You have the ingredients! :lol: :lol:

 

[Matt Haslam]

I have some more chocs that came from blacks that i am running with my original chocs to darken the colour; and blacks will be produced from them.

Some say i have Lilac Willow, but its debatable! I am not going to mix my blue line with my choc line, i'm trying to get the choc out of my blues already!

 

[Seawatch Stud]

You not tempted by Lilacs Matt? You have the ingredients! :lol: :lol:

Dont try and run before you can walk is what Id say to that. Matt is right not to mix the blues and the chocs. Its going to be an uphill struggle as it is trying to breed blues and chocs that can realistically compete against the top whites, creams and blacks, without adding to the difficulty. If established breeders cant do it with lilacs what hope does a new breeder have?. Many people have left the fancy disillusioned by trying to do too much too soon. I recreated an extinct variety from scratch and it took me three years to get it to winning standards!. No newbie wants to win nothing for three years do they?. Chill and work hard on attainable goals. Matt has what it takes Im sure and will soon be winning......but it wont be with lilacs!. Oh yeah and Willow...join the NMC!...Im gonna add that to every post of yours I respond to.

 

[Matt Haslam]

cheers for the compliment Phil!

yeah breeding decent blues and chocs is pretty hard as it is. I'm getting something else that will be much easier to breed mice that can compete. but i have a stubborn interest in blues and chocs; always have. Its that stubborness that will fuel my drive to produce the best blues and chocs i can. first goal, get placed in a class! I'm hopeful for Sowood.

 

[mousemad]

No newbie wants to win nothing for three years do they?.

Well i'm a newbie and actually I would have to somewhat dissagree
Yes it would be nice to win, something But for me the journey is more important than the destination. I have Chams and I have a great love for their big typieness ( if that's even a word!) I have learn't that large pale varieties stand more chance of winning which is fine but I have a desire for something else too. The thought of a long, sometimes painfully frustraighting journey to produce mice of show quality that I am proud of, whether they win or not is also why I am a mousebreeder.
I shall get off my soap box now......hehe :lol: xx

 

[Matt Haslam]

I agree my primary motive is not just winning; however when you have mice that are a long way off being ready for competition, its nice to have some others to enter, so you can take part in the shows.

 

[SarahC]

as you like blue and choc why not have some blue and choc dutch to compliment your selfs.No point in having another self variety,you will be competing against your own mice.

 

[Wight Isle Stud]

No newbie wants to win nothing for three years do they?.

Well i'm a newbie and actually I would have to somewhat dissagree
Yes it would be nice to win, something But for me the journey is more important than the destination. I have Chams and I have a great love for their big typieness ( if that's even a word!) I have learn't that large pale varieties stand more chance of winning which is fine but I have a desire for something else too. The thought of a long, sometimes painfully frustraighting journey to produce mice of show quality that I am proud of, whether they win or not is also why I am a mousebreeder.
I shall get off my soap box now......hehe :lol: xx

The large Selfs are more capable of winning the top awards,But I would say its harder to win with them than most breeds. Dont forget a class of top quality adult selfs can have four five exhibitors showing and double figure entrys in the class. Can a less experienced a fancier compete with them ?It is more likely that the winner will be a contender for Best in Show. Take Shiprat for example, he is struggling with his Blues at the moment, but when he wins his breed class and gets placed in the challenges that to me is the supreme fancier.There is no substitute for a carefull selective breeder and time, with any breed. Succes will follow.

 

[Matt Haslam]

as you like blue and choc why not have some blue and choc dutch to compliment your selfs.No point in having another self variety,you will be competing against your own mice.

this is a good point sarah; i have thought about keeping a marked variety.

I am going to keep a pale self too; although hard because there are so many entries, it is good experience and will mean i have show standard mice quicker; It means i can enter shows more frequently. Lets face it NMC shows need more entries.

 

[Seawatch Stud]

Do it mate. Theres nothing like ambition. Lets face it you wanna win I saw it in your eyes on saturday. I am good at spotting potential. I have no doubt whatsoever that you will be a proper fancier. In the end its all about competition. We dont travel to shows to oooh and ahh at all the pretty mice do we?.

 

[SarahY]

I really think a blue/choc marked variety, pale self, or maybe even self black would be a really good idea for you, Matt.

When I started out nearly two years ago I thought winning wasn't everything, I'd have my dove selfs and enjoy them for what they were and if they ever won, hey, that'd be great. Turns out I was wrong :lol: It's very frustrating showing a less common variety when it's your only show variety. My doves were very often alone in their class (AOC Self, same as yours), so I'd travel miles and miles to compete against myself, which honestly I could do at home :lol: So I switched to dove tan. Still got the colour I love in my stud and there's a lot more competition in my classes.

Sarah xxx

 

[Wight Isle Stud]

if you have a feeder colony why dont you replace them with dutch-just an idea.

 

[SarahY]

Dutch certainly needs more followers! Go on, Matt, you know you want too :lol:

Sarah xxx

 

[SarahC]

The race is on to produce a good one.With Sarah y in the lead.I'm trailing behind with my attempts to make fawn dutch

The more the merrier.

 

[Wight Isle Stud]

I have seen one !! the pink eye looks double dog gorgeous on a dutch. It was about a hundred years ago though.There was also a photgraph of a group of fawn dutch in one of those minor ten -page pet books on mice, TFH publications I seem to recall?

 

[SarahC]

I have seen one !! the pink eye looks double dog gorgeous on a dutch. It was about a hundred years ago though.There was also a photgraph of a group of fawn dutch in one of those minor ten -page pet books on mice, TFH publications I seem to recall?

Oh I'll have a look.The second generation produced one dutch which is agouti,the third is born.None of the dark have dutch markings,just piebold.To early to say on the pink eyed.Probably won't be any,maybe in the next round.Cait once saw some lemon coloured dutch in a pet shop and I zoomed over and bought them.Very pretty but alas unwell and no amount of care pulled them round and of course no idea of their origin.

 

[Matt Haslam]

if you have a feeder colony why dont you replace them with dutch-just an idea.

yeah could do, cull my feeder colony and i'll have plenty of room for a marked variety.

anyway update.

I have blues and chocs

I am getting a BEC trio of very good standard

I will get some dutch when they become available.

there all sorted for the moment! (breathes a sigh of relief)