Chapter 4: Collecting information for breeding decisions

Knowing the breeding goal, relevant information should be collected to take breeding decisions. Relevant in this respect are traits of animals (called phenotypes) that can help to establish the value of an animal with respect to the breeding goal. When jumping performance is a breeding goal trait in horses, data on jumping are collected. When fertility of pigs is in the breeding goal, litter traits are recorded. Also, essential information in animal breeding, is the pedigree of the animals. Animal breeding is all about passing genetic abilities from one generation the next. When you want to trace or influence this process of passing on, a registration of the parent-offspring relationships, the pedigree of an animal, is crucial. Nowadays, DNA-analysis is possible and practised in animals and can also be used to trace or influence the passing process of genetic abilities for traits.

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