In which Gabby rambles to herself about rats...
Feel free not to read past the cut, since this will mostly be me babbling and I know that most of you have only minimal interest in rats (that being cute pics! hee hee!) and that most of the interest most of you DO have is sharply excluded from the genetics/planning aspect which so fascinates me. However, if you do choose to read (and even comment? /swoon) know that it's appreciated and I'm happy to answer questions should they arise. There's really very little I like better than babbling about rats, especially my rats.
In my mind, this post is a lot like some of the recent ones detailing WoW characters, why we love playing them, what makes them click for us. Only, you know, with my rats, who are the accomplishment I'm proudest of, in all the things I do and make and love.
So. I've spent the whole day writing names, genetics and pedigrees on index cards and tacking them up on a corkboard to lay out my breeding plans. I put the name, type, DoB, sex and genetics on the front of the card, and the pedigree is sketched on the back of it. I tacked up the months and layered the cards underneath the month I'd like to do the breeding, so that both names show. I'm realy a visual organizer, and have yet to find anything on the computer that would let me do something like this, move things around when I want to, look at one doe and a whole bunch of bucks who are potential mates for her and really see which would be the best for my purposes.
I've been working on this list for a while, in my rat notebook, and this is probably the sixth or so incarnation of my 2008 plans. My first one listed about 15 breedings that I wanted to do! (!!) Now, I've gotten rid of all the breedings that don't move me substantially forward. There's a lot of does I'd like to breed, but I don't have anyone to breed them to that would move me substantially *forward* instead of just sideways, and I can't afford to keep doing that.
I mean, nice does, nice buck, they'd turn out nice babies, but I've been dealing with way to much "chance to get" and "I'll get carriers" not "I will get what I NEED out of this cross." And while a lot of sideways crosses are nice, just in case you need to scratch a whole line of descent off your plans for the future (and we've all seen how THAT turns out, didn't we, with the Hiroku fiasco) and you really don't want all your eggs in one basket... I think I'm either too protected or unprotectable at this point, LOL. Most of my rats descend from a handful of crosses about four years ago, at this point, so they're all related at one level or another. And I'm already having to toss out perfectly good rats just because... they're not moving me forward. I really need some FORWARD breedings for this year. This needs to be my GO year. I've been building this bloodline for like three years. I've got to stop laying foundation at SOME POINT!
It's just that I'm LOADED with sideways rats right now. 2007's breedings (with the exception of the Siamese line) were all to get sideways rats - rats who would be CARRYING what I wanted, or who had a GOOD CHANCE of carrying it. I can't afford any more of that. How can I say I specialize in Russian Cinnamon and Siamese when I haven't thrown an ACTUAL Russian Cinnamon in about four years?! 2008's breeding will be for the most part (except for the siamese litters) sideways-to-sideways crosses.
I need to GET STUFF out of them now. It's time to pay up and put something ON that foundation!!
I mean, Drum and Oobleck's breeding... neither of them were what I needed, they were both sideways rats... and they produced another litter of sideways rats. I can't keep producing rats who might produce rats that might be what I need at some point in the future.
Also it pared down the planned litters for the coming year some, and that makes me feel better. And I know that some of what I've got pinned to the board won't happen, or will happen differently, because that's why it's pinned to a corkboard and not scrawled all over my notebook.
You know, on cards I can evalute all the information in a bite-sized lump, move stuff around, reschedule things, really look at what I'm GETTING out of a cross, line up boys and girls and try and find someone better than who I have planned for X girl... it's just very visual, which is a plus for me and my brain
I do have a couple of sideways crosses at the bottom too, you know, carrier-to-carrier and HOPING for what I need to pop out, but they're such nice rats that I really don't WANT to write them totally out of the plans. I will if I gotta, but I'd really like to be able to use them.
I suppose it really depends on what I get out of the earlier-in-the-year breedings. You know, if I get a dove-satin out of one of my other crosses, I really don't need to breed Ocarina to Lucky Charms because they're both minks PROBABLY carrying satin and russian blue... because I'd be HOPING for a dove satin.
Which is why they're at the bottom. I've got room to cut them out if I need to. If I haven't got what I need, or a better shot at it, by September, then hell. Roll dem bones. So it'll be kinda an up thing if I have to cut those rats out of the plans, just because it means I HAVE what I'd be looking for.
And of course, the whole year right now is scheduling girls who were born this year - in some cases, last month - so there's the whole thing of her staying healthy, of good temper, developing well, etc. So some of them may be cut out as well. Luckily, for the most part, I have their sisters, so I can swap around. But really, cutting out one or two of these breedings should be a POSITIVE thing, even if I'll be sad not to use a certain doe.
It also let me look at what I have left over - bucks that I really do want to use, but are too young to breed to their contemporaries (I don't like to breed bucks under a year old, 9 months at the very inside - I have made exceptions, but I really don't like to) and tell myself that I really only need to keep daughters out of the coming litters. I can breed the boys that were too young to use right now to them. I can also take boys, not girls, out of Emily and Kirstin's litters, to hold onto them for the same reasons.
So here's the tentative plan, with all caveats in place about it being so tentative I could change it in an hour... but it's like a month's worth of thinking and planning and weighing and deciding, so it's as firm as it's going to get at this point. Unless something changes, lol.
BTW, Dove and Russian Cinnamon are the same color, it's just that R.Cinn is agouti version. Dove/Rcinn is Russian Blue and Mink double-recessive on the same rat. Agouti is dominant, all other colors are double-recessive, as are Satin coats and Dumbo ears. If you're interested in more rat genetics, go here - that's my last project and I'm extremely proud of it.
Oil Change still has a litter on the way for 2007, so her babies will figure into the end of these plans.
JANUARY
FSTR Iago - Black Self Dumbo Buck, born 1/27/07, carrying Mink and Satin, possibly carrying Siamese, Russian Blue and American blue
x
BVR Hatshepsut - Black Self Doe, born 7/13/07, carrying Satin, American Blue and Siamese, possibly carrying Russian Blue
=
This is for my Black Satin Topear line. I will definately get Black Satin Topears out of it. I will also likely get Black standards, American Blues and Siamese, and 50% dumbos. There's a possibility of Russian Blues as well. Good Russian Blue Satins and good Siamese can be kept, and all the Black Satins (and exceptional Black standards) will be kept.
FEBRUARY
None.
MARCH
AZUR Vesuvio Lacryma Christi - Seal Point Siamese Satin Buck, born 3/30/07, possibly carrying American Blue, Russian Blue and Mink.
x
EKO Wilhelmina van Dankelein - Russian Blue Self Doe, born 6/15/07, possibly carrying Siamese, American Blue and Satin
=
This is for my Siamese line. I should get very nice selfs out of this, no matter what I get. I'm hopeful for Satin. All the babies will be carrying Russian Blue. Siamese and Satin either way, and have very nice conformation. This adds semi-outcross into my very inbred Siamese line.
FSTR Captain Jack - Agouti Self Dumbo Buck, born 8/16/06, carrying Russian Blue, Mink, Siamese and Satin, possibly carrying American Blue.
x
FSTR Eadhadh - Agouti Self Doe, born 9/29/07, carrying Satin and Russian Blue, possibly carrying Mink
=
This is for my Russian Cinnamon line, and is one of the best crosses in the lineup. You can see there's an excellent chance at Russian Cinnamon Satins in here, which is pretty much my dream result. What I will definately get is Russian Blue Agoutis who have an excellent chance of being Satin and carrying mink, at least.
APRIL
This breeding will be done while the rest of the rattery is under show quarantine, which means it will have to be born somewhere else. I'm hoping that Fox and Wendy will agree to host Bug for me while she has her babies, since they only live a couple miles away, but haven't gotten to ask them yet. Hopefully we can get Bug pregnant before show Q starts so that I don't have to exclude the father from the show.
BVR Horemheb - Russian Silver Self Satin Dumbo Buck, born 7/13/07, carrying Siamese
x
WLLW Fashion Bug - Dove Dumbo Doe, born 7/18/07, Possibly carrying American Blue and a small chance of Red
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. Bug is a Dove, so every single baby will be Russian Blue and carrying Mink and Satin - there is no bad there. Some of the babies will be Russian Silver, which I will not keep if I can help it, and sadly they will all be Dumbo. Bug is a complete outcross to my lines, so that's a big plus.
MAY
This is the month of the show, and we will not only be in quarantine but WAY too busy to be trying to breed another litter off-site. None.
JUNE
BVR Princess Chicken - American Blue Satin Self Buck, born 7/30/06, carrying Siamese and Russian Blue
x
BVR Pecan - Dove Starred Berkshire Doe, born 10/6/07, possibly carrying Russian Blue and Siamese
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. Pecan is a Dove, so every single baby will be or carrying Russian Blue, and carrying Mink and Satin - no bad there. Hopefully, there will be markings. There's a good chance of Siamese and American Blues out of this litter - those will be placed.
JULY
None.
AUGUST
WLLW Talbot - Dove Berkshire Dumbo Buck, born 7/18/07, possibly carrying American Blue and a small chance of Red
x
BVR Chestnut - Cinnamon Irish Doe, born 10/6/07, carrying Russian Blue and possibly carrying American Blue and Siamese
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. Talbot's a Dove, so most babies will be a Russian Blue or Russian Blue Agouti carrying Mink - all good. All babies that aren't Russian Blue will at least carry it. 50% dumbo. We may have some American Blue dilutes - they will be placed. No Satin in this breeding at all, sadly, but Talbot is a complete outcross to my lines.
SEPTEMBER
None right now. This will be a big evaluation period. Daughters from my December and January litters will be edging into the "must be bred NOW" months. Daughters from the March litters will be starting to take precedence as well. There will probably be at least one litter this month from the January and December litters - very possibly to one another.
OCTOBER
My two "iffy" litters that will likely be bumped if all of the above litters take place and give me what I need. I really REALLY want to breed these rats, but I may not necessarily breed them in this combination. Coll and Onn are also looking like MIGHTY good matches for either/both of these girls. If I have Dove Satins or Russian Cinnamon Satins at this point, they will take precedence. Basically, the configuration of these two breedings is VERY much in the air.
FSTR Lucky Charms - Mink Rex Buck, born 2/20/07, carries Siamese, possibly carries Russian Blue and Satin
x
BVR Lyre - Black Self Doe, born 10/6/07, carries Mink, possibly carries Russian Blue and Satin
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. You can see there'll definately be Minks, and there's a good chance at Russian Blue, Satin, and even the ever-elusive Dove and Dove Satin. The only problem with this litter is that it's really rolling the dice. I could end up with a whole litter of Black and Mink rexes carrying who-knows-what. I don't even know that I'd keep a baby if that happened, since I'd have no chance at that point of knowing what they carry. This is the most likely of the iffy litters, however, just because there IS a good chance at it. Lyre can be swapped out for Ocarina if anything goes wrong with Lyre.
BVR Skydiving - Black Self Dumbo Buck, born 3/17/07, carries Russian Blue, possibly carries American Blue, Mink and Siamese
x
BVR Ocarina - Mink Berkshire Doe, born 10/6/07, possibly carries Russian Blue and Satin
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line... and frankly, it's the least likely to happen, sadly. I love Skydiving and desperately want to breed him, he's huge, has immense body substance (muscle, not fat,) a large tail, a giant head, and is just freaking GORGEOUS... but he's just not for-sure carrying what I need. Breeding him to Ocarina at least gives me a better shot at the Mink, but everything else is possible-carrier to possible-carrier, and zero shot at Satin. This breeding is most likely to get swapped around. If I have a Dove or Russian Cinnamon Satin free, and Skydiving does really well at the show, she may end up bred to him here. Or, Skydiving may hang around and age a bit and breed in 2009, if ever.
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
There'll definately be babies here, but I don't know what because they'll be daughters from the 2008 litters breeding to the bucks that suit them best, and there's no way to even guess what that will mean. I do know that I desperately want to breed Onn, who's an Agouti Satin boy carrying Russian Blue and possibly Mink, to one of the Princess x Pecan babies, but other than that, nothing even semi-solid is in the plans. Emily is planning on breeding BVR Ahmose to EKO Heidi van Dankelein, and those are going to be awesome babies and I'm definately going to lean on Emily for a boy out of it - if I can only get a daughter, she may be bred around now, but I dunno to whom yet.
At the very least, this plan gives me an excellent shot at HAVING Doves and Russian Cinnamons who are at least carrying Satin, by the end of the year. 2009 should be a very of a lot more refining and definately setting down my plans to be breeding Dove Satin x Russian Cinnamon Satin by the end of the year. The only reason I can't completely refine these plans and have to keep a nice variety of "carriers" around is that NO ONE ELSE is breeding this stuff, so I'll have to make my own outcrosses.
Those of you who read all this... thank you :)
In my mind, this post is a lot like some of the recent ones detailing WoW characters, why we love playing them, what makes them click for us. Only, you know, with my rats, who are the accomplishment I'm proudest of, in all the things I do and make and love.
So. I've spent the whole day writing names, genetics and pedigrees on index cards and tacking them up on a corkboard to lay out my breeding plans. I put the name, type, DoB, sex and genetics on the front of the card, and the pedigree is sketched on the back of it. I tacked up the months and layered the cards underneath the month I'd like to do the breeding, so that both names show. I'm realy a visual organizer, and have yet to find anything on the computer that would let me do something like this, move things around when I want to, look at one doe and a whole bunch of bucks who are potential mates for her and really see which would be the best for my purposes.
I've been working on this list for a while, in my rat notebook, and this is probably the sixth or so incarnation of my 2008 plans. My first one listed about 15 breedings that I wanted to do! (!!) Now, I've gotten rid of all the breedings that don't move me substantially forward. There's a lot of does I'd like to breed, but I don't have anyone to breed them to that would move me substantially *forward* instead of just sideways, and I can't afford to keep doing that.
I mean, nice does, nice buck, they'd turn out nice babies, but I've been dealing with way to much "chance to get" and "I'll get carriers" not "I will get what I NEED out of this cross." And while a lot of sideways crosses are nice, just in case you need to scratch a whole line of descent off your plans for the future (and we've all seen how THAT turns out, didn't we, with the Hiroku fiasco) and you really don't want all your eggs in one basket... I think I'm either too protected or unprotectable at this point, LOL. Most of my rats descend from a handful of crosses about four years ago, at this point, so they're all related at one level or another. And I'm already having to toss out perfectly good rats just because... they're not moving me forward. I really need some FORWARD breedings for this year. This needs to be my GO year. I've been building this bloodline for like three years. I've got to stop laying foundation at SOME POINT!
It's just that I'm LOADED with sideways rats right now. 2007's breedings (with the exception of the Siamese line) were all to get sideways rats - rats who would be CARRYING what I wanted, or who had a GOOD CHANCE of carrying it. I can't afford any more of that. How can I say I specialize in Russian Cinnamon and Siamese when I haven't thrown an ACTUAL Russian Cinnamon in about four years?! 2008's breeding will be for the most part (except for the siamese litters) sideways-to-sideways crosses.
I need to GET STUFF out of them now. It's time to pay up and put something ON that foundation!!
I mean, Drum and Oobleck's breeding... neither of them were what I needed, they were both sideways rats... and they produced another litter of sideways rats. I can't keep producing rats who might produce rats that might be what I need at some point in the future.
Also it pared down the planned litters for the coming year some, and that makes me feel better. And I know that some of what I've got pinned to the board won't happen, or will happen differently, because that's why it's pinned to a corkboard and not scrawled all over my notebook.
You know, on cards I can evalute all the information in a bite-sized lump, move stuff around, reschedule things, really look at what I'm GETTING out of a cross, line up boys and girls and try and find someone better than who I have planned for X girl... it's just very visual, which is a plus for me and my brain
I do have a couple of sideways crosses at the bottom too, you know, carrier-to-carrier and HOPING for what I need to pop out, but they're such nice rats that I really don't WANT to write them totally out of the plans. I will if I gotta, but I'd really like to be able to use them.
I suppose it really depends on what I get out of the earlier-in-the-year breedings. You know, if I get a dove-satin out of one of my other crosses, I really don't need to breed Ocarina to Lucky Charms because they're both minks PROBABLY carrying satin and russian blue... because I'd be HOPING for a dove satin.
Which is why they're at the bottom. I've got room to cut them out if I need to. If I haven't got what I need, or a better shot at it, by September, then hell. Roll dem bones. So it'll be kinda an up thing if I have to cut those rats out of the plans, just because it means I HAVE what I'd be looking for.
And of course, the whole year right now is scheduling girls who were born this year - in some cases, last month - so there's the whole thing of her staying healthy, of good temper, developing well, etc. So some of them may be cut out as well. Luckily, for the most part, I have their sisters, so I can swap around. But really, cutting out one or two of these breedings should be a POSITIVE thing, even if I'll be sad not to use a certain doe.
It also let me look at what I have left over - bucks that I really do want to use, but are too young to breed to their contemporaries (I don't like to breed bucks under a year old, 9 months at the very inside - I have made exceptions, but I really don't like to) and tell myself that I really only need to keep daughters out of the coming litters. I can breed the boys that were too young to use right now to them. I can also take boys, not girls, out of Emily and Kirstin's litters, to hold onto them for the same reasons.
So here's the tentative plan, with all caveats in place about it being so tentative I could change it in an hour... but it's like a month's worth of thinking and planning and weighing and deciding, so it's as firm as it's going to get at this point. Unless something changes, lol.
BTW, Dove and Russian Cinnamon are the same color, it's just that R.Cinn is agouti version. Dove/Rcinn is Russian Blue and Mink double-recessive on the same rat. Agouti is dominant, all other colors are double-recessive, as are Satin coats and Dumbo ears. If you're interested in more rat genetics, go here - that's my last project and I'm extremely proud of it.
Oil Change still has a litter on the way for 2007, so her babies will figure into the end of these plans.
JANUARY
FSTR Iago - Black Self Dumbo Buck, born 1/27/07, carrying Mink and Satin, possibly carrying Siamese, Russian Blue and American blue
x
BVR Hatshepsut - Black Self Doe, born 7/13/07, carrying Satin, American Blue and Siamese, possibly carrying Russian Blue
=
This is for my Black Satin Topear line. I will definately get Black Satin Topears out of it. I will also likely get Black standards, American Blues and Siamese, and 50% dumbos. There's a possibility of Russian Blues as well. Good Russian Blue Satins and good Siamese can be kept, and all the Black Satins (and exceptional Black standards) will be kept.
FEBRUARY
None.
MARCH
AZUR Vesuvio Lacryma Christi - Seal Point Siamese Satin Buck, born 3/30/07, possibly carrying American Blue, Russian Blue and Mink.
x
EKO Wilhelmina van Dankelein - Russian Blue Self Doe, born 6/15/07, possibly carrying Siamese, American Blue and Satin
=
This is for my Siamese line. I should get very nice selfs out of this, no matter what I get. I'm hopeful for Satin. All the babies will be carrying Russian Blue. Siamese and Satin either way, and have very nice conformation. This adds semi-outcross into my very inbred Siamese line.
FSTR Captain Jack - Agouti Self Dumbo Buck, born 8/16/06, carrying Russian Blue, Mink, Siamese and Satin, possibly carrying American Blue.
x
FSTR Eadhadh - Agouti Self Doe, born 9/29/07, carrying Satin and Russian Blue, possibly carrying Mink
=
This is for my Russian Cinnamon line, and is one of the best crosses in the lineup. You can see there's an excellent chance at Russian Cinnamon Satins in here, which is pretty much my dream result. What I will definately get is Russian Blue Agoutis who have an excellent chance of being Satin and carrying mink, at least.
APRIL
This breeding will be done while the rest of the rattery is under show quarantine, which means it will have to be born somewhere else. I'm hoping that Fox and Wendy will agree to host Bug for me while she has her babies, since they only live a couple miles away, but haven't gotten to ask them yet. Hopefully we can get Bug pregnant before show Q starts so that I don't have to exclude the father from the show.
BVR Horemheb - Russian Silver Self Satin Dumbo Buck, born 7/13/07, carrying Siamese
x
WLLW Fashion Bug - Dove Dumbo Doe, born 7/18/07, Possibly carrying American Blue and a small chance of Red
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. Bug is a Dove, so every single baby will be Russian Blue and carrying Mink and Satin - there is no bad there. Some of the babies will be Russian Silver, which I will not keep if I can help it, and sadly they will all be Dumbo. Bug is a complete outcross to my lines, so that's a big plus.
MAY
This is the month of the show, and we will not only be in quarantine but WAY too busy to be trying to breed another litter off-site. None.
JUNE
BVR Princess Chicken - American Blue Satin Self Buck, born 7/30/06, carrying Siamese and Russian Blue
x
BVR Pecan - Dove Starred Berkshire Doe, born 10/6/07, possibly carrying Russian Blue and Siamese
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. Pecan is a Dove, so every single baby will be or carrying Russian Blue, and carrying Mink and Satin - no bad there. Hopefully, there will be markings. There's a good chance of Siamese and American Blues out of this litter - those will be placed.
JULY
None.
AUGUST
WLLW Talbot - Dove Berkshire Dumbo Buck, born 7/18/07, possibly carrying American Blue and a small chance of Red
x
BVR Chestnut - Cinnamon Irish Doe, born 10/6/07, carrying Russian Blue and possibly carrying American Blue and Siamese
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. Talbot's a Dove, so most babies will be a Russian Blue or Russian Blue Agouti carrying Mink - all good. All babies that aren't Russian Blue will at least carry it. 50% dumbo. We may have some American Blue dilutes - they will be placed. No Satin in this breeding at all, sadly, but Talbot is a complete outcross to my lines.
SEPTEMBER
None right now. This will be a big evaluation period. Daughters from my December and January litters will be edging into the "must be bred NOW" months. Daughters from the March litters will be starting to take precedence as well. There will probably be at least one litter this month from the January and December litters - very possibly to one another.
OCTOBER
My two "iffy" litters that will likely be bumped if all of the above litters take place and give me what I need. I really REALLY want to breed these rats, but I may not necessarily breed them in this combination. Coll and Onn are also looking like MIGHTY good matches for either/both of these girls. If I have Dove Satins or Russian Cinnamon Satins at this point, they will take precedence. Basically, the configuration of these two breedings is VERY much in the air.
FSTR Lucky Charms - Mink Rex Buck, born 2/20/07, carries Siamese, possibly carries Russian Blue and Satin
x
BVR Lyre - Black Self Doe, born 10/6/07, carries Mink, possibly carries Russian Blue and Satin
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line. You can see there'll definately be Minks, and there's a good chance at Russian Blue, Satin, and even the ever-elusive Dove and Dove Satin. The only problem with this litter is that it's really rolling the dice. I could end up with a whole litter of Black and Mink rexes carrying who-knows-what. I don't even know that I'd keep a baby if that happened, since I'd have no chance at that point of knowing what they carry. This is the most likely of the iffy litters, however, just because there IS a good chance at it. Lyre can be swapped out for Ocarina if anything goes wrong with Lyre.
BVR Skydiving - Black Self Dumbo Buck, born 3/17/07, carries Russian Blue, possibly carries American Blue, Mink and Siamese
x
BVR Ocarina - Mink Berkshire Doe, born 10/6/07, possibly carries Russian Blue and Satin
=
This is for the Russian Cinnamon line... and frankly, it's the least likely to happen, sadly. I love Skydiving and desperately want to breed him, he's huge, has immense body substance (muscle, not fat,) a large tail, a giant head, and is just freaking GORGEOUS... but he's just not for-sure carrying what I need. Breeding him to Ocarina at least gives me a better shot at the Mink, but everything else is possible-carrier to possible-carrier, and zero shot at Satin. This breeding is most likely to get swapped around. If I have a Dove or Russian Cinnamon Satin free, and Skydiving does really well at the show, she may end up bred to him here. Or, Skydiving may hang around and age a bit and breed in 2009, if ever.
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
There'll definately be babies here, but I don't know what because they'll be daughters from the 2008 litters breeding to the bucks that suit them best, and there's no way to even guess what that will mean. I do know that I desperately want to breed Onn, who's an Agouti Satin boy carrying Russian Blue and possibly Mink, to one of the Princess x Pecan babies, but other than that, nothing even semi-solid is in the plans. Emily is planning on breeding BVR Ahmose to EKO Heidi van Dankelein, and those are going to be awesome babies and I'm definately going to lean on Emily for a boy out of it - if I can only get a daughter, she may be bred around now, but I dunno to whom yet.
At the very least, this plan gives me an excellent shot at HAVING Doves and Russian Cinnamons who are at least carrying Satin, by the end of the year. 2009 should be a very of a lot more refining and definately setting down my plans to be breeding Dove Satin x Russian Cinnamon Satin by the end of the year. The only reason I can't completely refine these plans and have to keep a nice variety of "carriers" around is that NO ONE ELSE is breeding this stuff, so I'll have to make my own outcrosses.
Those of you who read all this... thank you :)