Why are some mini satins bigger than the breed standard?
A show-quality mini satin will always carry one dwarf and one non-dwarf gene. A baby with two dwarf genes is called a “peanut” and will not survive beyond the nestbox, as the condition is lethal. Offspring that don’t carry the dwarf gene will be larger than the standard calls for and cannot be shown, but some people like to use these non-dwarf rabbits as brood does or pets. These are often called BUB or BUD, for “big ugly buck/doe”–although often they have very good conformation and quality other than the size issue. Using a BUB/BUD will prevent any peanuts from being created, while still giving you about 50% dwarf-carrying offspring if bred to a rabbit that carries the dwarf gene. The non-dwarf mini satins are of similar size and build to a Florida White, and we feel they can make a good meat rabbit for people with limited space or small appetites. They are also a good size for feeding whole frozen rabbit to raw-fed pets.
