Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation (using best linear unbiased prediction and other methods) of the genetic value (estimated breeding value, EBV) of livestock. Selecting for breeding animals with superior EBV in growth rate, egg, meat, milk, or wool production, or with other desirable traits has revolutionized livestock production throughout the entire world. The scientific theory of animal breeding incorporates population genetics, quantitative genetics, statistics, and recently molecular genetics and is based on the pioneering work of Sewall Wright, Jay Lush, and Charles Henderson.
Breeding stock
Breeding stock is a group of animals used for the purpose of planned breeding. When individuals are looking to breed animals, they look for certain valuable traits in
purebred animals, or may intend to use some type of
crossbreeding to produce a new type of stock with different, and presumably superior abilities in a given area of endeavor. For example, when breeding swine for meat, the "breeding stock should be sound, fast growing, muscular, lean, and reproductively efficient."
The "subjective selection of breeding stock" in horses has led to many
horse breeds with particular performance traits.
While breeding animals is common in an
Animal husbandry, it is also a common practice for the purpose of selling animals meant as
, such as cats,
Dog breeding,
Horse breeding, and
Bird breeding, as well as less common animals, such as
or some
Monkey breeding.
Purebred breeding
Mating animals of the same breed for maintaining such breed is referred to as purebred breeding. Opposite to the practice of mating animals of different breeds, purebred breeding aims to establish and maintain stable traits, that animals will pass to the next generation. By "breeding the best to the best", employing a certain degree of
inbreeding, considerable
culling, and selection for "superior" qualities, one could develop a bloodline or "
breed" superior in certain respects to the original base stock.
Such animals can be recorded with a breed registry, the organisation that maintains Pedigree chart and/or .
The observable phenomenon of hybrid vigor stands in contrast to the notion of breed purity.
For laboratory purposes, organisms such as mice have been inbred to 100% pure lines, as offered for sale by the Jackson laboratory. But this is highly unusual and difficult to do for most organisms, in whose populations all individuals harbor recessive, deleterious gene variants (alleles).
See also
Plant and animal breeding
People
Other topics
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BLUPF90 and ASReml: software packages for animal breeding statistics
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Veterinary medicine
Further reading
External links
Academic centers
Journals
Organizations
