As I respond to a question on a Facebook feed about is it ok to breed 2 animals with a common grandparent...I respond and find myself wanting to share my thoughts.
There are many levels to animal breeding, each person finds themselves at a different level. Beginner, Novice, I understand this and still want to learn, and then levels of professional. But everyone starts at the beginning. As a breeder, it is important for even the most basic beginner to understand how it works. Even in simple terms. And as you learn, it gets more detailed and more in depth. I am not saying that I am by any means an expert, but I find animal breeding and understanding fascinating. It makes me want to understand it better, recognize how to make it better, and then do it.
--Here is my response on the Facebook post specifically about goats...Match the parts not the pedigree. Example...good feet and legs. Straight, forward. If either show signs of not straight or forward, make sure that common trait is not from grandsire in common. If the bowed legs come elsewhere like a different grandparent, and the mating were chosen and all legs improved. Then your good. It’s good to double up on good traits but bad (cull it) to double up on bad traits.
Also note that breed improvement across the board is due to line breeding to varying degrees. Doubling up on good traits improves the trait. With that, and without knowing sometimes, bad traits are doubled. The point of improvement comes when you can see how and why, and willing to cull those with the negative traits. The thing I try to remember as I improve my herd...they are livestock, therefore, even if butchered, it was worth knowing how the traits presented. I personally will either sell as a pet is the negative trait is minor (teat problem for example), but would rather butcher (or sell to be butchered) if those negative traits take me was backwards. But you won’t know unless you try the mating! --
As I write this, now there are so many more things I want to talk about, but again, beginning is hard. Understanding is hard. And if you didn't have someone help you to understand, you would be in a different place.
Please understand I am by no means saying pedigree isn't important. When one is beginning, it isn't until you understand it. Once there is understanding, the pedigree can be better understood.
A pedigree is the ability to see long term stable traits, what has worked, and what hasn't worked. If those good traits continue to improve the animals, then stabilizing those traits with the help of pedigree understanding, will not only improve the individual animal, but will improve the breed. My quick hopefully simple example...
You have 2 goats. Each goat has had kids and is in milk. As a goal for your herd you have decided that since you only have 2 goats, you want to have as much milk for the greatest length of time. Therefore, you are more likely to keep kids from the goat with more milk and longer lactation instead of the goat with less milk for less time. As many more factors come to play with each breeding, you find that the most milk is still coming from that 1 doe and the kids out of her. So, down the road it would make sense to use the resulting kids, grandkids, etc which have more milk. And by breeding to double up those good traits, you have now "stabilized" milk ability better. By doing that, you bred animals related to one another which were higher producing. Basic Linebreeding!
And as you learn, other traits play rolls in your choices, so there are many factors to consider.
As a final note for this...there are no perfect animals, but with knowledge and understanding you can improve the animals you have! Be bold and willing to try something! But understand when it didn't work.
There are many levels to animal breeding, each person finds themselves at a different level. Beginner, Novice, I understand this and still want to learn, and then levels of professional. But everyone starts at the beginning. As a breeder, it is important for even the most basic beginner to understand how it works. Even in simple terms. And as you learn, it gets more detailed and more in depth. I am not saying that I am by any means an expert, but I find animal breeding and understanding fascinating. It makes me want to understand it better, recognize how to make it better, and then do it.
--Here is my response on the Facebook post specifically about goats...Match the parts not the pedigree. Example...good feet and legs. Straight, forward. If either show signs of not straight or forward, make sure that common trait is not from grandsire in common. If the bowed legs come elsewhere like a different grandparent, and the mating were chosen and all legs improved. Then your good. It’s good to double up on good traits but bad (cull it) to double up on bad traits.
Also note that breed improvement across the board is due to line breeding to varying degrees. Doubling up on good traits improves the trait. With that, and without knowing sometimes, bad traits are doubled. The point of improvement comes when you can see how and why, and willing to cull those with the negative traits. The thing I try to remember as I improve my herd...they are livestock, therefore, even if butchered, it was worth knowing how the traits presented. I personally will either sell as a pet is the negative trait is minor (teat problem for example), but would rather butcher (or sell to be butchered) if those negative traits take me was backwards. But you won’t know unless you try the mating! --
As I write this, now there are so many more things I want to talk about, but again, beginning is hard. Understanding is hard. And if you didn't have someone help you to understand, you would be in a different place.
Please understand I am by no means saying pedigree isn't important. When one is beginning, it isn't until you understand it. Once there is understanding, the pedigree can be better understood.
A pedigree is the ability to see long term stable traits, what has worked, and what hasn't worked. If those good traits continue to improve the animals, then stabilizing those traits with the help of pedigree understanding, will not only improve the individual animal, but will improve the breed. My quick hopefully simple example...
You have 2 goats. Each goat has had kids and is in milk. As a goal for your herd you have decided that since you only have 2 goats, you want to have as much milk for the greatest length of time. Therefore, you are more likely to keep kids from the goat with more milk and longer lactation instead of the goat with less milk for less time. As many more factors come to play with each breeding, you find that the most milk is still coming from that 1 doe and the kids out of her. So, down the road it would make sense to use the resulting kids, grandkids, etc which have more milk. And by breeding to double up those good traits, you have now "stabilized" milk ability better. By doing that, you bred animals related to one another which were higher producing. Basic Linebreeding!
And as you learn, other traits play rolls in your choices, so there are many factors to consider.
As a final note for this...there are no perfect animals, but with knowledge and understanding you can improve the animals you have! Be bold and willing to try something! But understand when it didn't work.
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