Line Breeding
What is line breeding?
Line breeding is an extensive breeding program that produces animals from a common ancestor; for example within a family, from mother to son or father to daughter. Here, it is mandatory to have a perfect type of rabbit with best characteristics that is willing to follow the ideal offspring.
Usually, rabbit line breeding is based on the principle of like-to-like breeding. This method gives an opportunity to rabbit breeders to put forward an easy method in short time. Despite this, it equally intensifies both the good and bad traits present in a particular rabbit family. To achieve high quality line of rabbits, it becomes essential to continue repeated breeding process.
Difference between rabbit line breeding and inbreeding:
Inbreeding is generally referred to the breeding
of two rabbits that are related to one another. On the other hand line breeding is practiced to develop own lines of breed that are consistent in producing a
certain type. It is basically a scientific approach introduced by breeders of pure breed live stock.
Benefits of line breeding in rabbits:
What is line breeding?
Line breeding is an extensive breeding program that produces animals from a common ancestor; for example within a family, from mother to son or father to daughter. Here, it is mandatory to have a perfect type of rabbit with best characteristics that is willing to follow the ideal offspring.
Usually, rabbit line breeding is based on the principle of like-to-like breeding. This method gives an opportunity to rabbit breeders to put forward an easy method in short time. Despite this, it equally intensifies both the good and bad traits present in a particular rabbit family. To achieve high quality line of rabbits, it becomes essential to continue repeated breeding process.
Difference between rabbit line breeding and inbreeding:
Inbreeding is generally referred to the breeding
of two rabbits that are related to one another. On the other hand line breeding is practiced to develop own lines of breed that are consistent in producing a
certain type. It is basically a scientific approach introduced by breeders of pure breed live stock.
Benefits of line breeding in rabbits:
- Line breeding helps to identify the good and bad rabbit traits.
- It helps to pick the undesirable from the stock of rabbits.
- Quality and pure breed can be developed for generations.
- Line breeding do not create genetic problems.
Here is the line breeding chart that Catalaya's Rabbitry uses. The pink broken lines represent the female or doe and the blue solid lines
represent the male or buck. Number 2 represents the results from the breeding of
the buck and doe which contains 1/2 the genetic makeup of the doe and the other
1/2 from the buck.
No. 3 is a result of a breeding between No. 2 and the Doe. No. 3 now contains 3/4 the genetic makup of the doe and 1/4 of the buck. Breeding No. 2 with the buck would give you an offspring with a genetic makeup of 3/4 of the buck and 1/4 the doe.
Mating No. 3 male with No. 4 female results in No. 6 having 1/2 genetic makeup of the original doe and 1/2 of the original buck.
The chart shows the continuing breeding line to 17 and the fraction of genetic trait received from buck/doe. Using the line breeding method
should give you some good show rabbits.