Why breed Silver Martens?
Oh the Silver Marten, to me it's the nostalgic breed I grew up with and my favorite breed that holds so very dear to my heart. The Silver Marten is an awesome breed that needs help, it is a rare breed in our area now, and it is up to dedicated breeders to get its numbers back up. Growing up, there were a few other breeders and you almost always saw at least a few other rabbits at shows, but due to the fact that you can now get the same coloring in some of the small breeds, people buy them over the real Silver Marten. I do not think this a good thing. The unique coloring makes the breed, so why copy it and make it a variety for another breed is beyond me. Plus, the rabbit matures at 6-8lbs. It's not a large rabbit. This breed has been around since the late 1920's and is considered a heritage breed. It is my long term goal to get this beautiful, striking rabbit back on the table and sanctioned in our area. We need more youth and adult exhibitors to get in the game and help promote these super sweet rabbits. They come in black, blue, chocolate, and sable. We purchased high quality chocolate stock from close to Pennsylvania, and I recently was able to contact Tex Thomas about some black Martens and was able to catch him on his way through Ohio from Missouri to the Convention in October 2013. We are very lucky to have received the buck and doe he brought for us.
I will include an excerpt from the Silver Marten Handbook to give you a bit more detailed information on this wonderful breed.
The History of the Silver Marten and Club.
By Jeff Jewett, ARBA Judge
Looking back and reviewing old guide books, standards of perfection, national convention catalogs and other magazines I put away in the late sixties, has shown me how much the Silver Marten rabbit & breeders have changed, yet in many ways has remained the same.I started raising Martens in the mid sixties and from that point I've met and known some of the finest people in the industry, (that is one thing that will never change). Coming out of a breeding of standard chinchillas and a black tan in 1922 a black sport (Silver Marten black) was born. The chin breeders were working on improving the black wavy ticking. After breeding the sports together and finding they bred true, the Silver Marten was given their name in 1924. There have been many improvements since those early years. Breeders worked on development of the ticking, cleaning up the marking, enriching of the color, and the changing of the type style. The first working standard was developed in 1927. When I read about those early Martens I found that they were a mid-sized animal. Does were between 8 ½ to 10 pounds and bucks were between 7 and 8 pounds. By having few points on type and more on color and markings we can see how this helped development of our Martens today. The quality of color and beauty of the markings show off the tan pattern. Some fifty years later in the late seventies and early eighties, we see that the Standard of Perfection shows that we as breeders, have developed a very solid rabbit with the ideals of the original breeders. We have a strong base with good color, balance of markings, with the most points placed on body type. Since those early years we see that the breeders and the club members have improved the shape or body type. Martens have always been described as a commercial type breed but we can see that more points have been placed on type for this to be true. I've been raising Silver Martens for about forty years. In that time, I have seen the style improve and change. When I started in the sixty's we saw that most of the animals were very flat. Just looking at photos of the Martens in the sixty's, seventy's and even in the 81-85 Standard of Perfection we see what the type style was and where we as breeders can still be working on. I know in the last twenty five years the Marten club has put more points on type and that we have improved. As I judge around the country and Canada, the area which we must still work on is body type. Of course, we must not forget about keeping quality color and markings. In my opinion the body type still needs some work. Since the early twenty's we have seen the development of several varieties. Through much hard work and
dedication of good breeders the club has approved three additional varieties. First were chocolates and then blues
and the last were sables. I really think that the Silver Marten Club has done a great job of insuring the quality of the
breed by not having too many varieties. Marten breeders still have lots of work to do on improving the varieties before
thinking of adding any additional ones. To secure the success of this breed, we all need to continue to work together. Competition has always been the best way to improve our rabbits. When you see three or more breeders in an area the competition makes each one of them work harder to improve their line. To continue this may I suggest making sure the youth and 4-H clubs in your area are given or sold quality animals. This will help promote our breed and teach the future breeders of tomorrow what quality and beauty the Silver Marten has or should have.
For more information on the different breeds accepted by the ARBA, click here.
Oh the Silver Marten, to me it's the nostalgic breed I grew up with and my favorite breed that holds so very dear to my heart. The Silver Marten is an awesome breed that needs help, it is a rare breed in our area now, and it is up to dedicated breeders to get its numbers back up. Growing up, there were a few other breeders and you almost always saw at least a few other rabbits at shows, but due to the fact that you can now get the same coloring in some of the small breeds, people buy them over the real Silver Marten. I do not think this a good thing. The unique coloring makes the breed, so why copy it and make it a variety for another breed is beyond me. Plus, the rabbit matures at 6-8lbs. It's not a large rabbit. This breed has been around since the late 1920's and is considered a heritage breed. It is my long term goal to get this beautiful, striking rabbit back on the table and sanctioned in our area. We need more youth and adult exhibitors to get in the game and help promote these super sweet rabbits. They come in black, blue, chocolate, and sable. We purchased high quality chocolate stock from close to Pennsylvania, and I recently was able to contact Tex Thomas about some black Martens and was able to catch him on his way through Ohio from Missouri to the Convention in October 2013. We are very lucky to have received the buck and doe he brought for us.
I will include an excerpt from the Silver Marten Handbook to give you a bit more detailed information on this wonderful breed.
The History of the Silver Marten and Club.
By Jeff Jewett, ARBA Judge
Looking back and reviewing old guide books, standards of perfection, national convention catalogs and other magazines I put away in the late sixties, has shown me how much the Silver Marten rabbit & breeders have changed, yet in many ways has remained the same.I started raising Martens in the mid sixties and from that point I've met and known some of the finest people in the industry, (that is one thing that will never change). Coming out of a breeding of standard chinchillas and a black tan in 1922 a black sport (Silver Marten black) was born. The chin breeders were working on improving the black wavy ticking. After breeding the sports together and finding they bred true, the Silver Marten was given their name in 1924. There have been many improvements since those early years. Breeders worked on development of the ticking, cleaning up the marking, enriching of the color, and the changing of the type style. The first working standard was developed in 1927. When I read about those early Martens I found that they were a mid-sized animal. Does were between 8 ½ to 10 pounds and bucks were between 7 and 8 pounds. By having few points on type and more on color and markings we can see how this helped development of our Martens today. The quality of color and beauty of the markings show off the tan pattern. Some fifty years later in the late seventies and early eighties, we see that the Standard of Perfection shows that we as breeders, have developed a very solid rabbit with the ideals of the original breeders. We have a strong base with good color, balance of markings, with the most points placed on body type. Since those early years we see that the breeders and the club members have improved the shape or body type. Martens have always been described as a commercial type breed but we can see that more points have been placed on type for this to be true. I've been raising Silver Martens for about forty years. In that time, I have seen the style improve and change. When I started in the sixty's we saw that most of the animals were very flat. Just looking at photos of the Martens in the sixty's, seventy's and even in the 81-85 Standard of Perfection we see what the type style was and where we as breeders can still be working on. I know in the last twenty five years the Marten club has put more points on type and that we have improved. As I judge around the country and Canada, the area which we must still work on is body type. Of course, we must not forget about keeping quality color and markings. In my opinion the body type still needs some work. Since the early twenty's we have seen the development of several varieties. Through much hard work and
dedication of good breeders the club has approved three additional varieties. First were chocolates and then blues
and the last were sables. I really think that the Silver Marten Club has done a great job of insuring the quality of the
breed by not having too many varieties. Marten breeders still have lots of work to do on improving the varieties before
thinking of adding any additional ones. To secure the success of this breed, we all need to continue to work together. Competition has always been the best way to improve our rabbits. When you see three or more breeders in an area the competition makes each one of them work harder to improve their line. To continue this may I suggest making sure the youth and 4-H clubs in your area are given or sold quality animals. This will help promote our breed and teach the future breeders of tomorrow what quality and beauty the Silver Marten has or should have.
For more information on the different breeds accepted by the ARBA, click here.