Breeding In Line
Categories:
Live Stock and Dairy
Is it right and proper to breed a pedigreed registered bull to his
daughter, who is the offspring of a grade cow? If it is not right,
explain why. If it can be done, will the offspring be physically perfect
and an improvement, or will it have poorer qualities than its sire and
mother? If this inbreeding can be done successfully, how long can it be
carried on, or, in other words, how long could one bull be bred back
int
his own offspring? Can a herd be perfected in this way?
It is right and proper to breed a registered sire to his daughter, who
is the offspring of a grade cow. The first cross is all right and the
offspring ought to be physically perfect. This is a first step in what
we call line breeding, but in line breeding proper, both animals must be
pure bloods and registered, having ancestors on both sides which have a
long line of good individuals with strong constitutions and true to
type. To do this, one must have a perfect ideal in mind. This line
breeding is what has developed the breeds today up to the high standard
of perfection. Breeding sire to daughter, if followed along these lines,
will be all right; at least, it was so in the case of Amos Cruickshank,
the great shorthorn breeder. You cannot successfully breed back on the
daughter's offspring, but if you use a straight out-cross on the
daughter's offspring you can again use this sire on her produce with
marked success. In the case of a grade cow and registered sire, there
are two things which will make you either lose or win with one cross,
and that is regarding the breeding of your sire. If he is just an
ordinary-bred fellow it will be a hit-and-miss game, but if he is from a
long line of good ancestors on his dam's side, you can very materially
improve the, herd, because always keep in mind the female produce from
the sire's dam will grow with age toward the sire's dam. So if your
first cross from your first sire is all right, use a straight out-cross
bull, but be sure he is what he ought to be, and then you can use your
old bull back on his heifers. Of course, a man practicing this breeding
ought to be a thorough stockman and a first-class judge of live stock. -