Animal Breeding

Animal breeding is the selective mating of animals to increase the possibility of obtaining desired traits in the offspring. It has been performed with most domesticated animals, especially cats and dogs, but its main use has been to breed better agricultural stock. The more modern techniques involve a wide variety of laboratory methods, including the modification of embryos, sex selection, and genetic engineering. These procedures are beginning to supplant traditional breeding methods, which focus on selectively combining and isolating livestock strains. In general, the most effective strategy for isolating traits is by selective inbreeding; but different strains are sometimes crossed to take advantage of hybrid vigor and to forestall the negative results of inbreeding, which include reduced fertility, low immunity, and the development of genetic abnormalities.