# Breeding Half Siblings



## MichenerFarm (Oct 16, 2012)

What are your thoughts on breeding Nigerian Dwarf half siblings? I've read many different opinions online, some are okay with it & some say no way. I'm new to the goat world, I need help with this please.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

here is what I have told others .... 

With line breeding that close not only are you linebreeding on the good - but also on the bad. Can it work and work well - YES can it also go down the "crapper" OH YES!! with linebreeding you HAVE HAVE HAVE to be able to "cull" if the need arises. 

Have I linebred - yes. I accidently bred half brother to sister in nubians I had (had not received the bucks papers yet and found out a month before kidding) I was freaked over it - an amazingly correct buckling was produced. I also bred an aunt to a nephew and received a doeling that I retained just to see - SLR H Idaho's Last Hoorah. So far I am really liking her and I bred her out early to see what that udder and confirmation will do!

Did i do it again - you bet I did! Proctor Hill Farm BO Artagatis is bred to *D Proctor Hill Farm BO TeKillYa *S for end of January kids. I am very much into culling if need be


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## MichenerFarm (Oct 16, 2012)

Thank you so much for this info, lots to think about.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yep, I agree


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

My buck is a line bred buck. He's VERY correct. He does have slightly bulged eyes though. Lol! We'll see if he passes onto his kids. If he does, it's ok as we'll raise the kids for meat or pets. No breeding.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I have had son bred mom and I get Grand Champions, I have had twin brother breed twin sister and get Champions. now please note I did not do that on purpose, but it happened and I could not be any happier with what I have.


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

I think you have got some fabulous advice! I think the key is that the animal you are line breeding on MUST be very correct. You are concentrating the good and the bad traits. I love line breeding as it gives consistency to a herd. I know a breeder who breeds does back to their sires, then those kids are, out crossed, and then those kids are either bred back to sire or grandsire. I myself have just bred two yearlings back to their sire. Lovely kids from that program! I have read in dairy cattle that the best linebreedings create a triangle on the pedigree when you draw lines connecting each related animal. Ill try to find that article. I don't think is good idea for many breeders though, like it was said before, you have to be willing to truly evaluate the progeny and cull undesired traits.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Breeding that close is ok...but genetics will be tightened...good and/or bad traits could be more apparent on the kids. I've bred half siblings in the past...it was a very carefully planned breeding...linebred onto an outstanding doe and was I quite pleased with the breeding. But I don't like to regularly breed that close.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We let our buck breed his twin daughters just to see what would happen. We don't think they were bred successfully though, but we'll see I guess.

If our only fullblood doe due in January has a buck kid, and he turns out to be nice, we'll breed him to his half sisters in the fall. 
We have boer goats though, so anything that isn't correct would probably be sold as a meat or commercial animal. Anything nice, we'd surely keep and my kids would show in the summer fairs.


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## NavaBoerFarm (Dec 15, 2012)

My dad has a friend that kept around a mixture goat breeds just to keep down the pasture well anyways he never introduced new bucks and kept all generations I'd say 5 years or more later it got to the point where all his goats were closely related and started having a problem where all his does would abort or have still borns. Maybe this isn't due to the fact that they were closely related or maybe it was but after hearing the story I've made sure not to inbreed although it may not be as bad for most people it's something I'd rather stay clear of. I'm sure it works well for one time experiments or for show purposes but I have no interest in breeding my goats like that as I'm sure not many people do but accidents do happen.


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## kikoguy (Dec 9, 2012)

I have read online about a farm who hasn't brought in new blood on his farm for over 10 years. On the site he said he culls very hard but the way he breeds works and he produces more champions than any other farm around. So I don't think its bad you just have to cull hard and not let any faults slip


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## MichenerFarm (Oct 16, 2012)

I'm so sorry that I have missed so many great replies. I'm new here & trying to figure out how to get email notifications immediately.

I have decided to get a buck kid who will be born in March from an entirely different line. I don't feel comfortable breeding half siblings just yet as I'm pretty new to the goat world.


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