Replies

  • I meant that being born without an anus is more common in sheep. It's actually listed in Merck's Vet Manual in the sheep section. Of course, deformities happen in all species, whether or not one is inbreeding or line-breeding.

    Deborah Phelps said:
    A longtime breeder recently posted pics on another forum of coinjoined twins - one head, one set of forelegs, with the undeveloped twin coming out from the belly. Don't know if it was linebred but make no mistake, deformaties happen in goats just like any other animal. I would not breed brother and sister unless that sire is one of the best goats to ever walk the face of the earth with a long list of awesome kids already on the ground. Also do these two goats share any faults? If they both have weak pasterns for instance any kids stand a very good chance of having even worse ones.
  • A longtime breeder recently posted pics on another forum of coinjoined twins - one head, one set of forelegs, with the undeveloped twin coming out from the belly. Don't know if it was linebred but make no mistake, deformaties happen in goats just like any other animal. I would not breed brother and sister unless that sire is one of the best goats to ever walk the face of the earth with a long list of awesome kids already on the ground. Also do these two goats share any faults? If they both have weak pasterns for instance any kids stand a very good chance of having even worse ones.
  • You'll just have to wait and see what you get. You might get pet-quality, or if the sire was really good, you could get something really outstanding. I used to know someone who'd say that linebreeding yields trash or treasure. I've never heard of anything horrible happening with goats, although I did have a sad incident with my sheep. A ram accidentally bred his mother, and one of her lambs was born without an anus. No, that was not good. He was never able to stand after birth, and a couple hours later, he started having seizures. I called a sheep friend who suggested I look under his tail. Nothing there! Obviously he had to be put down. I think that's more common with sheep though.

    Tammy Lee Birrer said:
    I have a doe and buck that share the same father. Do you think that is too close? These are the two that have been in together since October. And he is not chasing her around, so I have left them together for companionship. I will take him out next month.

  • I have a doe and buck that share the same father. Do you think that is too close? These are the two that have been in together since October. And he is not chasing her around, so I have left them together for companionship. I will take him out next month.

    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
    It is a total gamble, but the more you know your animals, the better choices you can make. WGF Sally *D is one of the most inbred goats out there, and I love her. I have one of her granddaughters, but she is the epitome of inbreeding to the max. Sugar shows up three times in Sally's pedigree (as granddam and both sides and great granddam). Her father is also her grandfather.

    I had a doe who was accidentally bred by her son (which is technically inbreeding, rather than line-breeding), and she threw quads. Two or three had teat defects, and one had ears that weren't quite right. They were never exactly erect. All four were sold as pets without papers.

    Some people feel very comfortable with line-breeding and even inbreeding (which is breeding close relatives like mother-son, father-daughter, full siblings), but most people say it should only be used by people who are very experienced. I would say it should only be done if you really know your animals, and really know what sort of nasties might be hiding in that pedigree -- like teat defects. I've done some line-breeding, but usually not any closer than grandparents, and they are really outstanding animals, like Twink's Pixie or Zinnia (both national champions). There are enough examples of good results from linebreeding on those animals that I don't feel like I'm taking much of a risk.

    I won't do any linebreeding on my own goats until they're older, and I've seen a lot of their kids and grandkids, so that I have a really good idea of what I'd be getting if I did linebreed with their progeny.
  • It is a total gamble, but the more you know your animals, the better choices you can make. WGF Sally *D is one of the most inbred goats out there, and I love her. I have one of her granddaughters, but she is the epitome of inbreeding to the max. Sugar shows up three times in Sally's pedigree (as granddam and both sides and great granddam). Her father is also her grandfather.

    I had a doe who was accidentally bred by her son (which is technically inbreeding, rather than line-breeding), and she threw quads. Two or three had teat defects, and one had ears that weren't quite right. They were never exactly erect. All four were sold as pets without papers.

    Some people feel very comfortable with line-breeding and even inbreeding (which is breeding close relatives like mother-son, father-daughter, full siblings), but most people say it should only be used by people who are very experienced. I would say it should only be done if you really know your animals, and really know what sort of nasties might be hiding in that pedigree -- like teat defects. I've done some line-breeding, but usually not any closer than grandparents, and they are really outstanding animals, like Twink's Pixie or Zinnia (both national champions). There are enough examples of good results from linebreeding on those animals that I don't feel like I'm taking much of a risk.

    I won't do any linebreeding on my own goats until they're older, and I've seen a lot of their kids and grandkids, so that I have a really good idea of what I'd be getting if I did linebreed with their progeny.
This reply was deleted.