breeding?

[jang786]

is it okay to breed brother and sister?

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Most people prefer not to. Mother to son or Father to daughter is better.

 

[speckledhen]

You can, though it isnt the best type breeding to do. It will intensify both good and bad traits. If you have two superior examples of the breed who happen to be brother and sister, there is nothing wrong with trying to see what they produce.

 

[JRT]

Quote:
Agreed

 

[jywel417]

So I take it that inbreeding in chickens isn't as big a deal as it is in dogs? I notice alot of you talking about breeding mother to son, father to daughter and saw someone call it "line breeding". In dogs that would be considered inbreeding, so is linebreeding then the correct term for chickens?

Thanks !!

 

[speckledhen]

Yep, it's different with chickens. Many things are different with avians as opposed to mammals. Linebreeding is a perfectly acceptable practice.

 

[DawnSuiter]

any idea how many generations of linebreeding it takes before fertility becomes an issue with the offspring?

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
In dogs it's also called line breeding & it's not uncommon at all.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, I didn't know that they did linebreeding with dogs. Was just guessing jywel417 knew about dog breeding; I'm not that familiar with it. Hmm, good to know, NY. We bred AKC Dobermans when I was a kid, but I was too young to pay much attention.

 

[jimnjay]

Personally I would not breed Sister to Brother from two birds that were sister to brother. That would especially be true if you did not know much about the original pair, such as in shipped eggs. When you continue to breed sister to brother, fertility and vitality do become an issue. Long time breeders of game birds have perfected line breeding and they use Mother to son and grandson often. Bringing back in a rooster from another pen that may have been used as Father to daughter and grandaughter. Some breeders have kept the same basic line by keeping several pens and interchanging the birds for as many as 20 years.

When you are just starting with a breed or are developing a line, you sometimes need to use the Sister to Brother but the best practice is to not repeat that process.