Inbreeding

[jensen]

I've noticed inbreeding seems more of a problem with the quail than my chickens. Are there ways to inbreed or line breed that doesnt cause as much of a problem? I assume mating cousins wouldnt be as bad as sibling matings, parent-youngster, etc. Is there any case when inbreeding has not ill effect?

 

[farrier!]

A nice old guy who had been in the business of raising Hackney ponies for 70 years told me it was line breeding when things go nice and inbreeding when it does not work out. He would often be breeding daughter to sire or full siblings. When he could get 10,000 for a gelding he must be doing something correct. Any type of line breeding "sets" the traits. I had a line bred AQHA that no matter what she was bred to she threw a copy of herself. Nice mare so no problems...

So how soon it becomes a problem (unwanted traits being passed on) will depend on your starting birds.

So how soon any inbreeding/line breeding causes a problem will depend on the quailty of the birds to start with and how good of an eye you have to pick out replacement breeders...

I love the fast turn around and am just now in the position to start choosing and culling my breeders.

 

[oldguy]

Great question, i don't know the answer but look forward to hearing replies. Perhaps i can find answers in Racing Pigeon Forums. Those pigeon guys are sharper on genetics than anyone i know.

If i remember correctly, if you want to breed smaller size you mate the young male pigeons with their mother and so i think the reverse is true that if you want larger you mate the young females with the father. But someone may correct me, i was never into learning all the ways and means of effecting the offspring.

About 20 years ago i purchased 2 pairs of roller pigeons and soon after i got them home and released them, one pair left me. It's been a long time and i can't recall if i raised any young from the pair that abandoned me before i released them but i think i did raise one batch. Since that time, i have brought in no new roller blood and have raised hundreds of birds and just kept the prettiest ones. I have the prettiest rollers i have ever seen and i have been to the National Pigeon Shows and seen some good looking birds.

 

[protodon]

What kinds of inbreeding problems were you having? I'm curious because I'm on my 3rd generation of breeding coturnix and they are all brothers and sisters that I have been breeding to each other. It's really an experiment but so far I haven't had any problems with mortality, deformities, etc. I'm not saying it won't happen but so far so good. I have white texas A&M and I thought I was on my way to having an all white bird since my previous generation was pretty much all white, so I thought this generation would be but I got all these brown spots. I'm interested to see what happens in generation 4.

 

[miccomte]

Hello,
inbreeding is a difficult topic, before dealing with that, one must know exactly what it is. Here is how to compute it in details, it can help you understanding:
Inbreeding

 

[diggypaws]

There was an American university study from the 60's, about inbreeding depression, that says that coturnix quail have a bigger 'genetic load' than most species. They did a study that showed that brother X sister matings for 3 generations was all it took for a "complete loss of reproductive fitness", and that even in their control group of 125 randomly mating individuals, there was still some inbreeding depression.

http://www.genetics.org/cgi/reprint/54/2/371.pdf


That's one of the reasons the sizes even in the same flock are so inconsistent.

I ran out of hatching season this year, but I'm thinking I might try the brother X sister matings for 3 generations next year, just to see what happens.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
IT ISNT WISE TO COMPARE DOG INBREEDING TO BIRD INBREEDING, THEY ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANIMALS AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE NOT EQUAL. IN SOME CASES BIRD INBREEDING IS INTENTIONAL TO "SET OR LOCK" SPECIFIC TRAITS. IT BECOMES A PROBLEM WHEN ALL YOU DO IS LINE BREED AND NOT INTRODUE NEW BLOOD.

 

[bryleighs_gmal]

new blood is a must i sell as many jumbo quail as i buy for new blood...

 

[Rainwolf]

I infuse new stock every winter. I normally get hatching eggs from 3 breeders then pick the best out of the hatch-lings
Some years I add just a few new ones that pass the grade other years I get a lot of good ones to add.