HOW MANY GENERATIONS CAN I SAFELY IN-LINE BREED BEFORE I NEED TO START GETTING MORE OUTSIDE BLOOD? I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL BLACK ANGUS BULL THAT THROWS BLACK BULLS OR RED HEIFERS. WANT TO KEEP SOME OF THE HEIFERS TO BREED BACK AND ONLY HAVE THE ONE BULL RIGHT NOW. (HEARD IT WAS THREE BUT NOT SURE)
IN-LINE BREEDING
- Thread starter schilders
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LegacyBreeder
Well-known member
Once is plenty, and then only in an emergency. The more of the same genetics getting recycled, the more you're going to end up with some pretty strange calving conditions (if the calves live at all). Its always been my personal opinion to leave the linebreeding to the huge seedstock producers who have the time and the documentation on hand to do it with any hope of success (unless a person is in a really tight spot, but that's a personal decision that shouldn't be made lightly).
If you really like the bull's genetics, I'd cross his daughters with an outside bull that complements what you're looking for, and then cross back their heifer calves to the original bull. That would be all I'd do though.
If you really like the bull's genetics, I'd cross his daughters with an outside bull that complements what you're looking for, and then cross back their heifer calves to the original bull. That would be all I'd do though.
Rustler9
Well-known member
We regularly breed a bull's half brother to his daughters etc. and have no problems. This tends to set in traits that you like and want to keep in the herd. I wouldn't do a lot of breeding father to daughter etc. although I have a great heifer from a son/mother mating. Tried this last year hoping for a heifer and it worked out well. Will breed her to an entirely different line when the time comes. Of course I'm raising Longhorn cattle and this particular cow always outdoes herself in the body and horn department that's why I kept her son so I decided to see what I'd get by breeding them together. I already have a suitor for the little inbred gal when she's ready. I'm expecting good things from her.
greenwillowherefords
Well-known member
Rustler9":3m099fv8 said:
Good, knowledgable post. You can't establish prepotency without judicious line-breeding. That is the ability to consistently stamp the offspring with desirable traits no matter what you breed to, and produces the type of half brothers that can be turned loose on a large herd and produce uniform calves. I also don't recommend sire/daughter, dam/son matings, but breeding an animal to her sire's half sibling or cousin etc. can with time and hard culling, produce the type of results that make the Cooper/Holden sales what they are.
