What Alaminos has written is some sound advice for breeders.Having a breeding plan and the genetic pool to breed from can produce first place in the show ring.The value of this doeling has increased due to replacement value.All offsprings, both males and females will be of a higher value as the breeder can place a Breeders Premium on the sale of all its offspring.Taking first place has its privileges.

Congrats on your win.Excellent.

Thanks Mikey... all these will not be possible had I not read the very informative  article you place in this site about line breeding. True,I was being encouraged by friends at PCARRD about line breeding our Mitra Line because they saw its potential, being very prolific and being adapted to the tropical environment. The clincher was when I repeatedly read that line breeding article which convinced me that this can be done with our Mitra Line.

True enough as we continue to move forward we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
When we are done with the line breeding prorgram of the Mitra Line we have two options: one we pick the best ML doelings and breed them with our best Saanen Bucks to produced what you call a Snubian, we will call ours, Alaminos Mitra  Saanen cross.

The second option is to introduce a new family of Anglonubian blood of high producing Nubians. These option aim to improve the milking ability of the Mitra Line.

All these have a time frame of at least five years, that's how long genetic improvement is. Along the way meeting people, winning awards in shows, getting recognition from peers and the academe makes it worthwhile. The premium that we get in terms of prices when we sell the Mitra Line breeders from buyers is very rewarding and these keeps us going with our Mitra Line breeding prorgam.

Crossroad......  Meat or Milk  for the Mitra Line

Breeding the Mitra line the past several years have brought us a lot of success. The Mitra Line is basically  an Anglo Nubian breed of goat. Being an Anglo Nubian it is a dual breed both meat and milk type goat. Who can question the meat type attributes of the Mitra Line in the Philippines?

The Mitra line is noted for its fast growth rate and is very prolific. The breeding program was focused on the meat type qualities. The introduction of AGF Darwyn as our herd sire in 2007 furthered cemented the meat type features of the Mitra line. This was what the customers wants, an Anglo Nubian buck that can upgrade their herd. The physical features of ML buck was perfect for their requirement to produce a fast growing meat type slaughter goat.

After successfully venturing into goat dairying with the Saanen breed in 2007, we slowly built a name for Alaminos Milk Star fresh pasteurized milk in the supermarket trade in Metro Manila. In 2008, it made history in Philippine Agriculture as the first fresh pasteurized  goats milk to be commercially available in the supermarket trade in Metro Manila. In February, 2009 the Philippines Bureau of Food and Drug issued Alaminos Goat Farm  a license to operate as a dairy producer.

In 2009, together with PCARRD and National Dairy Authority we undertook a milk testing project to measure daily milk volumes and quality produced by dairy goats at AGF. Milk were tested for protein and solids in the laboratory. The Saanen produced more milk and were consistent with the 305 days lactation period compared with our Mitra Line. One striking discovery we made was, the Mitra Line produces milk with more solids compared with the Saanen. When sensory testing were done the milk of the Mitra Line tasted sweeter.

This led us to the idea of adding 20% Mitra Line dairy goats in the milking line would enhance the taste of Milk Star fresh pasteurized goats milk we are producing. With the higher solid content it would be ideal for cheese making.

AGF is moving a family of the Mitra Line (ML) towards a dairy line and it is starting to gain momentum this year. Selection are now centered on milk records, udder size, big barrel and bone type structure with angular features of a dairy type  Mitra Line. Based on the records that we keep, we are trying to train our eyes to spot conformations of a high performing dairy milking  goat.

Records were very useful in tracking down pedigree of Mitra line does produced which have milk type features. This led us to use AGF Edgar as herd sire for the production of dairy type Mitra line goats this year. Dairy type bucks were also acquired, AGF Hercules and Smooth Alex from Braveheart Farm of Tito Manny Pinol to add new family to our Mitra line..

As a final stroke after we produce a dairy type Mitra line does we will cross them with our top Saanen herdsire AGF Ricky and AGF Dorian to take advantage of heterosis. Producing a hybrid Alaminos Mitra Saanen (AMS) cross capable of producing  more  than 2.5 liters of milk per day is on the pipeline. The only thing we have to answer is, can the AMS cross do a 305 days lactation period like the Saanen under the tropical condition of the Philippines?

This looks very interesting for us at AGF and  holds a lot of promise in helping develop goat dairying in tropical Philippines. Join us in our advocacy that goat dairying is a sustainable and profitable undertaking for the Filipino farmers in the countryside.

One of the problems I am corcerned about with the PL480 imports is this.People tend to get a false sense of security because they have placed all their faith in a high powered buck that will make all your dreams come true with a goat raising venture while the non genetic factors are not considered and plays an important factor with success or failure in breeding and genetic change.

Let me guess!you want a meat goat that grows fast,heavy muscled,kids large numbers,weans all to heavy weights,is easy to care for,breeds regularly,not bothered by internal parasites,looks great,produces plenty of milk for the kids,able to sell for seasonally high prices.If you could only find that special buck to make all your dreams come true,Right?

Wrong,Wrong,Wrong,Why?There are also what is known as non genetic reasons and another reason is this,Genetic change is that its permanent,meaning that within any particular generation,once the genetic code is set at conception,not likely to change.Non genetic variables like management can be tailored to a particular collection of genes,a genotype.Once the genotype is set will not change and does not need daily attention.In order to breed better meat goats,one needs to first change the goats population genetically,you want to know not only the most desirable phenotypes but also the most desirable genotypes as well.Why?,because a goats genotype provides the genteic background for its phenotype.There is an equation used for this:

P=G &E
P=goats phenotype,meaning appearance/level of performance
G=genotype,its genetic make up
E=environmental
changing G in meat production is your main goal here of your goat breeding program.Now one needs a difined breeding strategy and objectives.Most characteristies,both the genotype and your environment effects plays a role.For any particular trait,genotype refers to just those genes and combinations that affects that trait,like growth rate.

Most production systems include four components:
-animal genotypes
-your physical environment
-fixed resources and management factors
-economic and social considerations

Your main goal should be to breed better goats,contrary to popular wisdom,is not to genetically change individual goats but to improve populations of individuals.To improve future generations of goats.All this takes daily attention,data collection,record keeping,observations,breeding decisions.One long road of an ongoing process.

The question to ask yourself is this:What do you wish to achieve with your breeding goal?

Most who know of Mustang Sally Farm,know that Mustang Sally is one of the biggest supports of cross/hybrids in country since 2006 and are in the early stages of breeding its very own new breed the RP Genemaxer.Your main traits of importance in crossing programs are:
-growth and mature size
-carcass muscle and fat ratios
-marbling,more suited to cattle
-eating quality,tenderness of the meat
-fertility
-mothering ability and milk production
-adaptation to environment and disease

Cross/hybrids exploit two advantages over purebreeding.Hybrid Vigor and Breed Complementarity
-hybrid vigor crosses perform better than the average ot its parents and half of that superiority is lost in the next generation.F2 generations usually have more variances than F1 generations over purebreeding.Hybrid vigor,percentage increase in a specific trait,weaning weight over the average of its parents but responds poorly to selection,fitness and reproduction traits and lowest for traits that respond well to selection like carcass and fleece.

-breed complementarity relates to the fact there are no perfect breeds,each breed on its own has strength and weaknesses.Breeds are combined to balance the positive and negative aspects of each breed in the cross.Crossing a Boer buck onto lets say a native or dairy does would be an example of breed complementarity.Boers for their body conformation and carcass quality while the native for its hardiness and dairy does for milk production.

Environental factors include,climate,nutrition,age of the mother,rearing status,birth date.

Finding that right buck is just one piece of the puzzle as non genetic factors are other pieces of the puzzle that must fit well together or one might find themselves disappointed with outcomes and become uninterested and finally just give up and leave this industry for good.

Takes the major breeders to supply quality purebred bucks so operations like ours have the choice for the bucks we are looking for to continue with our planned breeding goals.Cross/hybrids both for meat and milk I believe will play a much more important role for years to come in country.Those who hold onto the belief that purebreeds or nothing should really educate themselves before making such statements.In the world of livestocks,no one breed is perfect.

Really interesting to see the progression of the goat industry taking place today in country and all the hard work being done on some farms to move this industry as a leader throughout Asia.

On this topic on breeding we will discuss Inter Se Matings and its meaning and the reason why its done.
We know that breeding purebreeds to purebreeds of the same breed gives us unifrom and predictable outcomes.All breeds start more or less as a result of crossbreeding until at some point selection is made for the traits we are after and a new breed comes to life.
Crossbreeds takes advantage of hybrid vigor and breed complementarity but lacks uniform and predictability with outcomes.
Breeds like the Kiko and Savanna Whites took many many many years of selective breeding to set the new breed into place.The gentleman in South Africa who is known for breeding the Savanna White will tell you,took him 35 years of selective breeding to reach his goal and the Kiko took many many years,around 20 years to finally set the new breed in motion.One drawback to crossbreeding is that at some point might become terminal like with the Snubian.After the Fl crossing really no where left to go and if you only had the sire to breed back to the female offspring/s, usually perform poorly compared to its dam unless you again take adavantage of breeding to a new purebred sire of a different breed.

Inter Se Mating is used in crossbreeding programs to help create a new breed,means the mating of selective half brother/s to its selected half sisters.When 2 Fls are bred together,creates a F2,selected F2 females are then bred to a new outcrossed purebred male of a different breed to create new Fls and again selected half brother/s are bred to its selected half sisters creating a new F2s and again a new sire of a diffferent breed is brought in to create new Fls.At some point here the breeder will start selecting the best for the traits they are after,body conformation,carcass quality,milk production,color coat.etc.etc. and start breeding within the selected herd they have created.Once you get/see uniformity and predictability from each breeding and the results you are after,you now are on the road to a new breed.

Crossbreeding to the F1 level and upgrading and breeding purebreeds to purebreeds of the same breed is better suited to those raisers with less experience and limited resources and those wishing to create their own breed should be ready for a mountain of headaches and heartaches,deep pockets, but committed to see their project through to the end.

Line breeding and Crossbreeding

Because most breeds of goats were produced by a process of inbreeding, the breeding of purebred goats is, by definition, a form of inbreeding, although the term is not generally used to refer to matings where a common ancestor does not occur behind sire and dam in a four or five generation pedigree..
In genetic terminology, inbreeding is the breeding of two animals who are related to each other. In its opposite, outcrossing, the two parents are totally unrelated.

LINE BREEDING
The purpose of line breeding is to fix certain traits or the influence of certain ancestors upon the progeny. This procedure varies in degree from intense inbreeding to mild line breeding. While line breeding can result in exposing undesirable characteristics within the offspring, it can also result in true-breeding strains that consistently pass desirable traits along to their offspring. The degree of line breeding depends on the number of common ancestors, how far back in the pedigree they appear, and how often each common ancestor occurs.

From a genetic viewpoint, inbreeding results in an increase of the number of homozygous gene pairs in the offspring. Homozygous refers to a condition where two paired chromosomes have the same allelle (gene type) at a corresponding point. Because two close relatives tend to have more of the same alleles (by virtue of inheritance) than two unrelated individuals, their mating provides a greater chance for identical alleles to be paired within their offspring. This increase in homozygosity is directly related to the appearance of both desirable, undesirable, and even detrimental characteristics that were not necessarily apparent in the sire and dam. When goats are line bred haphazardly, without culling of inferior stock, many undesirable traits may become predominant in their offspring.

Many undesirable genes are recessive. Fortunately, they have no influence in the heterozygous state, since the effect of the recessive allele is completely hidden by the effect of the corresponding dominant allele. Because of the overall effect of line breeding is an increase in homozygosity, it increases the number of homozygous recessives. Hence, the effects of undesirable recessive genes begin to surface. Line breeding does not create undesirable trait, it simply exposes recessive alleles for hidden weaknesses which are present within the sire and dam. Successful line breeding demands the culling of inferior breeding stock over many generations to help eliminate some of the undesirable recessive genes from the herd. The breeder must be objective when the need to cull arises.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of line breeding is that it increases the prepotency of individuals within a herd and consequently helps to create distinct true-breeding strains or families. This prepotency (the ability of a buck or doe to stamp desirable characteristics upon their offspring with a high degree of predictability) is the result of the parent being homozygous for important desirable traits. When such a parent carries two identical alleles on corresponding points of a chromosome pair, they transmit that allele to the same chromosome point within the offspring. If two such parents are mated, the offspring will always possess the same desirable trait. Therefore, as line breeding increases homozygosity, it also enhances prepotency. This is advantageous only if the parents are homozygous for desirable traits.

As mentioned previously, line breeding exposes certain weaknesses within the inbred herd. Uncovering these undesirable traits can be an important tool for the overall improvement within a breeding program. By setting certain selection guidelines, and by carefully eliminating line bred individuals which show inherit weaknesses, the breeder can slowly remove any undesirable recessive genes from their herd. They will find that improved conformation, milking ability, etc., are actually improved when line breeding is accompanied by careful selection. A successful line breeding program requires good foundation stock and severe culling over many years.

The detrimental effects of line breeding are usually exaggerated in a close, or tight, line breeding system, often referred to as inbreeding. This is especially true when average breeding stock are used and little culling has been implemented. Close breeding can produce extremely good, or extremely poor, results. Success and failure depend on factors such as planning, foundation stock, emphasis on culling, and completeness of pedigree and performance records, etc. Haphazard close breeding could be very detrimental to the overall quality of the resulting offspring. To avoid disaster, a careful study of the merits and weaknesses of the breeding stock should precede a close breeding program. Only the most outstanding animals can be used with any degree of safety in a long term close breeding program.

One method of progeny testing a sire is to mate him to a large group of his own daughters. A study of the offspring determines whether he carries undesirable genes hidden in the heterozygous state. After a sire proves that he is of superior gene type, the experienced breeder may choose to continue the close breeding to increase prepotency of future breeding stock.

The most conservative form of line breeding is referred to as loose line breeding. It is usually associated with slower improvement and limited risk of producing undesirable individuals. It can involve matings between closely or distantly related animals, but it does not emphasize continuous sire-daughter, dam-son, or brother-sister matings. The main purpose of line breeding is to transmit a large percentage of one outstanding ancestor's genes from generation to generation without causing an increase in the frequency of undesirable traits often associated with inbreeding.

Because loose line breeding is not based strictly on mating closely related individuals (with very similar gene types), it does not necessarily cause a rapid increase in homozygous gene pairs. Consequently, it will not expose undesirable recessive genes as extensively as close line breeding. For this reason, loose line breeding is generally a safer breeding program for most breeders.

Intensive inbreeding (and the resulting increased homozygosity) is often directly related to an increase in the expression of many undesirable traits. Therefore, the line breeder should carefully study pedigrees for each prospective mating and determine if, and how closely, the buck and doe are related. By following certain guidelines, the breeder can limit inbreeding (and, therefore, homozygosity) within their herd. At the same time, they may increase the influence of a common ancestor upon the entire strain or family.

CROSSBREEDING is the mating of animals from different lines or strains. Crossbreeding may also be used to produce heterosis, the sudden increase in vigor and fertility caused by a sudden increase in heterozygosity. Because goats from separate lines usually carry very different genotypes, crossbreeding causes a more extreme form of heterosis. The possibility of each parent contributing identical alleles to their offspring is remote. Heterosis from crossbreeding often appears as a sudden improvement in physical characteristics, such as size, endurance, disease resistance, etc. Crossbreeding initiates the desired change, while line breeding or inbreeding increase the ability of each generation to breed "true to type".

Crossbreeding does not make sense should your goal be consistent production, generation to generation.On the other hand,terminal meat sire mated to some sort of small,fertile,line-bred maternal dam should produce reasonably uniform kids,true,this is rather an extreme circumstance but possible.

Should your goal be:
-uniform kid crop,then In-line breeding is a good choice with selection.Crossbreeding is good in the first generation.
- rapid growth meat kids,In-line breeding-moderate at best.Crossbreeding-good to excellent.

All depends on your goal.