What size is too small to breed?

[Chingal]

There is ALOT of debate over size of chins these days and whatsize is appropriate to breed. MY personal feelings are if it is a female and under 600 grams you are asking for trouble, however if the male is exceptional and you have excellent females I think 550 is OK as long as the kits are all not tiny. I am curious as too what you all think. I am also talking about fully grown chins over 18 months old. AS I do not think chins under a year should be bred either if it can be helped.

[luvothechase]

i think it depends on a lot of factors. i personally wouldnt breed a standard under 700 gms, but some mutations (violets and saphires) i would go a little lower. I too wont breed under a year old.

[HobbyGuy]

Going on my own personal opinion of an animal, I wouldn't breed a standard less than 700 grams or a mutation less than 600 grams. The reason I say "my opinion" is that if an animal is less than the two mentioned weights but is judged well by a sanctioned judge... Then I would trust the judge over my opinion.

Some awesome looking animals are just fur. At shows, sometimes judges will make comments that they expected the animal (that they are holding) to weigh more than they do. Likewise, 600 gram animals can be champions if everything else is perfect.

On a similar note, I have breed larger males to smaller females and not had a problem. I have been told that it is okay by many long time chinchilla ranchers.

[Chingal]

The reason I say "my opinion" is that if an animal is less than the two mentioned weights but is judged well by a sanctioned judge... Then I would trust the judge over my opinion.

Hobby guy I agree and have tried this but if the kits end up small then what is the point. The animal was a really nice chin and wsa at the top of the class but all his kits were small, so, that time it did not work. I think you do have to look at the whole package, but as a "general rule" I am curious where most draw the line. I flat out refuse to breed any animal even a violet or sapphire under my weight line no matter how grand they are everywhere else as I feel there is enough great animals out there now there is no reason to not get decent sized ones. There are always going ot be smaller chin out of big parents and other faults etc. which is why there will always be pets.Where I am extremely curious is breeding generations of small animals and what outcomes it has had , have these been multiple champion lines?? Pets??? etc.

[tunes]

No female under 600 gm gets bred here. I got a pair of chins during the summer, the female was 530 gm, she was immediately retired. She makes an awesome weaning mom, absolutely loves having babies around, so both of us are happy and she's safe.

Males on the other hand, I'll go 550 if they are absolutely drop dead gorgeous. I have one here that is that weight in breeding. He's beautiful and makes wonderful kits with his girl, who is a nice sized, superblocky standard.

I know a lot of people disagree with "improving the species." There are a lot of people who don't even know what that means before they get angry about it. There are SO many big, blocky, beautiful chins out there that can be bought for reasonable prices, especially with the huge influx in the chin market because everybody and their brother is breeding chins now. There's just no excuse to breed a 500 or less gm female. They aren't dwarves, the are just small chins. Other than uninformed, unaware pet owners, who don't realize there is better available to them, who is going to buy the offspring of two 500 gm chins anyway?

[Megan.]

I won't breed under 600 grams... If I'd have an awesome male(fur, clarity, everything but size) I would consider breeding him to a very large female.

Breeding under 600 grams is NOT worth the risk of the female. I'd rather have wasted my money, then throw her life away.

[Stark Chinchillas]

I think what some people need to remember is that ranchers are not like us, most of them don't weigh babies, they don't weigh chins. Some do occassionally. I knew one rancher who only weighed chins he was considering for show, and he weighed in ounces and if it was over a certain weight in ounces, he'd take them. Of course that says nothing about breeding the animal, but I know many ranchers who do not weigh chins, I'm sure some do, but I've visited too many ranches to count, and I've only seen one that had a scale, and that was the one I mentioned, and it wasn't even for breeding purposes.

Now myself, I don't religiously weigh my chins, but I do when it's an animal that is going to be put into breeding, and I for the most part follow the 600 gram rule. In fact, I've had some beautiful females that were 550 grams, and I ended up selling them just because I didn't want to breed them. I know some people that have bred 550 gram females, and their babies are gorgeous and actually take on better size, but you never know that for sure. Now with males, that's different. I've had ebonies that just never grow, 2 years and they weigh 450 grams, no way. I've been "lucky" enough to end up with 2 ebony males that only topped out there, isn't that crazy?! But, 550-to almost 600, possibly, with HUGE females, and most likely standard females at that, but regardless big females. Atleast one litter, see how the babies turn out, if size lacks in all of them, he's gone. But this is just me. I'm much more picky with the females' weights. I just don't want to breed a female under 600, and actually when they're barely over 600 I still don't like it, but depending on their body structure, I either will or won't do it.

[NeighbrGrlsPets]

Most of my breeders tend to be at the 650 gram mark (some I have are larger), I don't think that I would breed anything under 600 grams, unless if it was a male, and even then it would be iffy, I've bred a 550 gram male to a Homo Beige (who at the time weighed 705 grams). He sired most of my triplet litters, and the kits turned out to be great. He and all his kits have had farely uniform fur.

It just seems to be somewhat hard for me to locate the BIG chins that I would actually want to use in my herd. And when I ask some breeders about a 800 to 900 gram animal, they just say I'm sorry an animal that size would hardly reproduce, I can't help you. UGH!

[Claudia Irvine]

O.K. I will represent the other side now, since noone else seems to dare. Did you guys know that the average weight of Chins in the wild is just around 500 gr.? Those Chins are reproducing without problems, also here in Germany most Chins are considerably smaller than in the States, and the females that weigh around 500 grams have no problems giving birth. Don`t get me wrong, I also like the bigger Chins, I have only one female under 600 gr., but I think the idea the bigger the better came from the furranchers, think about it, it makes sense! The bigger the fur, the less furs they need for a coat.
If it works in nature, why do people always think they know it better and need to "improve" on that?
All right, now go ahead and tear me apart, but that is my opinion.

Claudia

[SHChins]

I think alot of breeders just plain like big chins and I have also been to lots of Ranchers places and most if not all of them never weigh their breeder chins and actually looks can be very decieving when you weigh a chin that looks large and it may not be even 600grms and then short blocky bodied chins look small but when you place them on the scale they are 800 chunkers.I have had it both ways and I had a female that when I looked at her I thought surely she is too small to breed and then when I weighed her she was 744grms but she was just a heavy built chin. I still think any female that is put into breeding should have their pelvis opening checked to see if they can deliver without any problems.

Claudia you got my respect thats for sure, I know you have seen both worlds!