A breeding program or a breeding scheme is a program aiming at defined breeding objectives for the production of a next generation of animals. It is the combination of recording selection traits, the estimation of breeding values, the selection of potential parents and a mating program for the selected parents including appropriate (artificial) reproduction methods. Nowadays, also the assessment of the DNA composition of selection candidates is common practice in commercial breeding programs.
The application of genomic selection in commercial breeding programs give rise to a more intense, more accurate and/or faster genetic gain that is trait and species dependent. It drastically changed the set up of breeding programs with a more balanced gain in the breeding goal traits.
In a breeding program tenacity, accuracy and discipline of the active breeders is crucial. Crucial are: tenacity with respect to the breeding goal, accuracy in collecting phenotypes, genotypes and pedigree registration and last but not least discipline in selection and mating. It are all important human factors that should be kept under control.
In animal species kept for companion or leisure purposes control over the breeding program by the breed associations is very loose. These programs have a flat structure: nearly all females can be selected and in most cases the breed association only has a strong vote in the selection of the males for breeding.
In pig and poultry production (pork, eggs and broiler meat) and in fish production commercial breeding programs have full control over all breeding activities. They own a limited number of breeding animals that are part of their selection lines. In these lines the companies determine the breeding goal, perform the collecting of data and the breeding value estimation, and take care for the selection and mating of parents to produce a new generation.
The breeding programs with an open nucleus are in between breeding programs with a flat and loose structure and breeding programs with a pyramidal structure fully in control. In these open nucleus programs a part of the population is owned by a limited number of breeders and/or a breeding company. This part is used to select the sires and to select the dams of the sires for the next generation.
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