TinysMom wrote:
Now here is my question...should I start with one buck or two bucks? I know that sounds crazy...but I'm thinking if I used two bucks that had slightly different lines but still had the main lines I wanted...that I would be less likely to get problems....or would that not work?
I'm going to sit down and start going through my pedigrees more carefully to pick and choose who I want to bring into this particular "project".
Peg
There are no clear-cut answers for line or inbreeding due to the possible variables.
In one method of line breeding animals can be traced back to one outstanding sire or dam that passes on it desirable traits consistently (prepotence). Using a grand champion rabbit thatnever passesdesirable winning traits to his offspring would be of no use in a line breeding program.
Another method of line-breeding involves using two unrelated rabbits with desirable characteristics. (See line-breeding chart in ARBA Guidebook or online)
This is a poultry site that has a good example of a line-breeding chart:
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/ppp/ppp6.html
Insome cases, a mediocre rabbit may produce outstanding offspring, so would be useful in a line-breeding program.
Undesirable traits (narrow hindquarters for example) may be due to the cumulative effects of undesirable genes that can result even when outstanding rabbits are bred together. New stock would need to be brought into the line-breeding program to fix the new faults that may have cropped up.
Sometimes one needs to be patient with a line breeding program in an attempt to breed rabbits that will compliment each other and produce desirable offspring. An outstanding sire may produce less than satisfactory offspring in the first generation, but produce grand champions when the daughters are bred back to him.
A couple well knownexamples of line breeding that has also carried undesirable recessive genes. Once bred in, these genes can be difficult, if not impossible to eradicate from breeding lines. (It took approx. 20 years to breed the wooled gene out of most New Zealand lines).
The "Impressive"Quarter Horseline. Impressive was aworld champion who sired many additional world champs. Unfortunately, Impressive was also a carrier of a recessive and sometimes fatal disease, HYPP (Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis).
Max Factor in rabbits. This recessive defect that causeslimb deformities hasbeen traced back to an outstanding imported Netherland Dwarf sire named "Max".
Pam