Hello all, I'm looking for info on linebreeding with regards to the information obtained by a inbreeding calculator. Some of you already know I have been moving towards reducing my gene pool in my herd for a little while now. As a registered producer I feel it is important to set a type in my cattle to provide uniformity, make my cattle identifiable within the breed, and provide as much heterosis to my customers as possible.
I was playing with a inbreeding calculator this morning using some of the matings that are taking place in my pastures right now, and comparing them to could have beens if I had chosen to AI instead of using my bull. I have looked at the inbreeding calculators before, but not too in depth so I developed a few questions.
Some of my matings offspring next fall could have coefficents ranging from 3.25% to as high as 25% on the father/daughter matings. Those 25% matings will likely become more common here over the next few years as I am pleased with the first crop on my bull and will know much more by this time next year as the second crop here and a crop off his natural service at a friends should be here this spring along with several AI calfs abroad.
So, opinions on how much coeffiecent is too much? How much is not enough( to make any difference)?
Next question: Can the % blood be used to sway the direction of the genotype for a better chance at getting the desired type in the offspring? This refers to the generations back in the pedigree a little. As an example, one of the cows had a bull in there I know is not consistent. When I did the 4 gen calculation, he was only at 6% blood. The bulls I do know are consistent, and desired for my use are at like 18% I think. I think I am wondering if I can find a magic %blood number to keep undisreables at or under untill I have some stacked genes in the first part of the pedigrees, like the father daughter matings should produce.
One more for now: If i do a 4 gen calculation and have the same bull in there 3-4 times, how does that compare to doing a say 10 gen calculation and some foundation bull back there being in there say 10 times? Will I be "mining" the old traits out?
This is not easy for me to understand. Putting the boy with the girls is easy, but I want to line breed with purpose, so I need to learn all I can.
Thanks in advance,
Cotton1
I was playing with a inbreeding calculator this morning using some of the matings that are taking place in my pastures right now, and comparing them to could have beens if I had chosen to AI instead of using my bull. I have looked at the inbreeding calculators before, but not too in depth so I developed a few questions.
Some of my matings offspring next fall could have coefficents ranging from 3.25% to as high as 25% on the father/daughter matings. Those 25% matings will likely become more common here over the next few years as I am pleased with the first crop on my bull and will know much more by this time next year as the second crop here and a crop off his natural service at a friends should be here this spring along with several AI calfs abroad.
So, opinions on how much coeffiecent is too much? How much is not enough( to make any difference)?
Next question: Can the % blood be used to sway the direction of the genotype for a better chance at getting the desired type in the offspring? This refers to the generations back in the pedigree a little. As an example, one of the cows had a bull in there I know is not consistent. When I did the 4 gen calculation, he was only at 6% blood. The bulls I do know are consistent, and desired for my use are at like 18% I think. I think I am wondering if I can find a magic %blood number to keep undisreables at or under untill I have some stacked genes in the first part of the pedigrees, like the father daughter matings should produce.
One more for now: If i do a 4 gen calculation and have the same bull in there 3-4 times, how does that compare to doing a say 10 gen calculation and some foundation bull back there being in there say 10 times? Will I be "mining" the old traits out?
This is not easy for me to understand. Putting the boy with the girls is easy, but I want to line breed with purpose, so I need to learn all I can.
Thanks in advance,
Cotton1