By animal breeding one understands the treatment of animal races: A breed progress is reached by purposeful selection and Anpaarung of animals. Here one orients oneself at the respective breed goals.

By selection (breed choice) of the increasing animals for a reinforcement of desired characteristics one ensures - more milk with cows, more eggs with chickens, higher speed and maximum stress appearance of dogs or cats etc., changed by horses.

This is usually done via purposeful Anpaarung of animals, which exhibit a strong development of desired characteristics. Thereby however the genetic pool, i.e. the sum of the different characteristics of the population become smaller, whereby on in-breeding depressions is to be counted. This can express itself among other things by a smaller dispersion of the characteristics, whereby the sharpness of the breed is limited. In practice however chicken lines were strongly worked on in the past, without this effect could be observed. Therefore the effect of in-breeding depression is a little disputed.

In today's time animal breeding artificial fertilization becomes ever more important with the industriellen, since thereby the best characteristics can be bought world-wide. The genetic engineering plays momentarily a role with the diagnosis of diseases, the statement of the origin etc. and still more important will become probably, with all associated chances, risks and ethical discussions.

Utilizable animals

With the agricultural utilizable animals large differences can be determined with breeding:

Pig breed (hybrid breed)

With the pigs there are different races, which differ by their characteristics: Some races have a high fortune muscle meat to set (for example Pietrain), other races wise favorable fertility characteristics out (for example German land race). In order to use the characteristics of both races, the races are crossed. Here it is importantly that some characteristics are left rather by the father, other one rather from the nut/mother; therefore one differentiates with respect to the pig breed father lines and nut/mother lines. Pietrain is a father line and the land race a nut/mother line.

Such pigs, which are held for slaughtering, are almost always therefore hybrid pigs since their fathers and mothers originate from different lines (hybrid breed). In principle it is in pig production in such a manner that there are some breed enterprises (for example looking man, PIG, BHZP, SPS (pig breed federation Baden-Wuerttemberg). These enterprises hold pure lines, i.e. these races are crossed not among themselves, but increased only within the line. One calls the animal existence of the breed enterprises also basis populations, which are held on basis breed enterprises. Animals from these populations are sold typically to enterpriseenterprise enterprises. Also on these enterprises the lines are not crossed yet, but here the animals "are increased" only, i.e. reinrassige Sauen for the piglet producers is bred. Now the piglet production enterprises occupy (artificial fertilization is called) this reinrassigen Sauen (nut/mother line) with such Ebern, which exhibit good father characteristics. This proceeding ensures that the Sauen bears as high a number of descendants as possible (nut/mother characteristic), which have later a high increase in (father characteristic).

The piglet producer occupies thus its Sauen, which bring after approximately 112 to 115 days to stretcher time the piglets to the world. After 21 to 27 days the piglets are cured (= set off). With about 30 kg of Lebendmasse, which is called animals now runners, becomes it sold to the The mast enterprise the animals now up to a weight of approximately 100 kg, afterwards it is slaughtered and comes on the plate.

The advantage of this method for the breed and enterpriseenterprise enterprises is in the fact that in accordance with the Mendel laws possible descendants of the hybrids will be from very different quality, and it accordingly for mast enterprises more favorable is to buy animals than it to increase.

If the characteristics of the hybrids are stabilized by crossing among themselves, one speaks also of the Erschaffung of a new race.

Cattle breeding (customs crossings)

The breed in the cattle attitude is of it completely different. Here the breed animals are not held in own basis populations. In the cattle breeding each farmer breeder can be and is this also - depending upon own commitment differently strong. In principle there are also different races with different characteristics (see house cattle) with the cattle, these however is a little with one another crossed. Rather it is in the cattle breeding like that that for example the milk cows, which are "active" even in production (milk production), to the breed to be used. The allocation of the cattle can take place via bulls (nature jump), became generally accepted in addition, here artificial fertilization: Milk cows with outstanding achievement continue to leave these characteristics to their descendants. The sperm of male descendants is then sold with the aid of insemination stations to other farmers for the insemination of their cows.

Differences between pig and cattle breeding

The substantial difference between pig and cattle breeding consists of the fact that the breed of the cattle exhibits slow, but constant breed progress. That is in the pig breed only in the basis population the case. If however pigs of different races (at the piglet producers) are crossed with one another, it comes to the Heterosiseffekt so mentioned: The descendants (F1) exhibit a higher average achievement, than the average of parents (P) are. Therefore one speaks also of hybrid piglets. If the hybrid piglets are crossed among themselves, the next generation (F2) in its characteristics splits up itself again after the Mendel laws.

See also: Cattle breeding

Related links

Specialized information center: Range library nutrition, environment and agrarian sciences, Bonn

ZDSZentralverband of German pig production registered association.

Addr working group of German cattle breeders registered association.

BDFBundesverband of German meat cattle breeders and - owner registered association.

Articles in category "Animal breeding"

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