Interesting Genetics, About Dogs Though

[ally mac]

Remembered seeing this on TV a while ago, thought it was really interesting how quickly selective breeding can make such huge changes.

 

[andy Burgess]

has been on site before too Ally . yes a very short space of time for "breeds" and character "trends" to change ,is this why homing ability has failed with increase in recent years ??

[ally mac]

Never caught it last time Andy. Just shows how easy to mess things up right enough.

[andy Burgess]

Never caught it last time Andy. Just shows how easy to mess things up right enough.

 

for sure

[Guest Owen]

I have believed for some years that some animals and birds have a high degree of genetic plasticity. Change can happen very quickly with some creatures but more slowly with others. I reckon that Charles Darwin knew this which lead him to carry out studies involving domestic rabbits and pigeons. Apparently he spent hours studying the work of his local Pigeon Fanciers and Rabbit Fanciers because he was fascinated by the way they had created strains and breeds of their animals and birds. They had changed them into many and varied forms that bore little resemblance to the creatures they started from.

I have followed the idea of single factor genetics (this is what the fox breeders are doing) for quite a while now and just like the fox breeders I select for one factor only. Race performance. I take no account of family relations in the sense that I will pair like with like on the basis of performance avoiding inbreeding where possible. I do not believe that inbreeding helps to produce performance animals or birds because it depresses vitality. I believe that although I am not interested in the colour of the birds or anything physical they are gradually breeding to a pattern. Birds that are totally unrelated look similar to each other.

Probably the hardest thing I have had to deal with has been my desire to buy birds. Like most Pigeon Fanciers I like to give myself presents and buy in a bird or two every year but this is something I have to resist because new birds might send be backwards rather that forward towards better more reliable birds. I reckon that this video is very helpful to anyone breeding for performance and better still the ideas behind it are simple providing that selections are made in a consistent way progeny testing every step of the way.

[ally mac]

I suppose im trying the same here Owen. I have in my stock end now 3 birds that were my most successful for 3 years into Oban getting on the score sheet, and their parents. Just need to find a few more like them and hopefully things will improve for me The proof it works is one was bred by another after I stocked her.

[peter pandy]

has been on site before too Ally . yes a very short space of time for "breeds" and character "trends" to change ,is this why homing ability has failed with increase in recent years ??

 

I am sure I remarked on this phenomena a few years ago but will repeat what I posted.

In conversation with Robert Cormack he stated those who were introducing speed birds into their distance birds would be their ruination destroying the Scottish long distance pigeons ability or words to that effect. This was in the late 80s and look where we are now.

[Kyleakin Lofts]

I have believed for some years that some animals and birds have a high degree of genetic plasticity. Change can happen very quickly with some creatures but more slowly with others. I reckon that Charles Darwin knew this which lead him to carry out studies involving domestic rabbits and pigeons. Apparently he spent hours studying the work of his local Pigeon Fanciers and Rabbit Fanciers because he was fascinated by the way they had created strains and breeds of their animals and birds. They had changed them into many and varied forms that bore little resemblance to the creatures they started from.

I have followed the idea of single factor genetics (this is what the fox breeders are doing) for quite a while now and just like the fox breeders I select for one factor only. Race performance. I take no account of family relations in the sense that I will pair like with like on the basis of performance avoiding inbreeding where possible. I do not believe that inbreeding helps to produce performance animals or birds because it depresses vitality. I believe that although I am not interested in the colour of the birds or anything physical they are gradually breeding to a pattern. Birds that are totally unrelated look similar to each other.

Probably the hardest thing I have had to deal with has been my desire to buy birds. Like most Pigeon Fanciers I like to give myself presents and buy in a bird or two every year but this is something I have to resist because new birds might send be backwards rather that forward towards better more reliable birds. I reckon that this video is very helpful to anyone breeding for performance and better still the ideas behind it are simple providing that selections are made in a consistent way progeny testing every step of the way.

 

What a good post Owen. I would say you are attempting to inbreed to the unseen genes you are after. Genes that produce winning pigeons.

[paddymac]

Good post and interesting read