Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> Is it ok to breed the sister with the brother of the same litter?  What 
> about father and daughter.  Boy I haven't been a homesteader long enough 
> because I am feeling like I am fostering insest and molestation.

Worse, you have not inoculated yourself with the homesteader independence 
virus. Why ask us? A quick Google search found this:

"Basic Information Needed To Breed Rabbits Successfully

"Firstly we must define two basic terms, phenotype and genotype. The 
phenotype of an animal refers to the physical characteristics of that 
animal (what we see). The genotype refers to only that part of the animal 
that is due to his genes (amino acids that transfer the messages from 
parents to offspring). There are two primary reasons for the differences we 
see in animals, differences due to environment and differences due to the 
genes that the animals are carrying. Most breeders have little or no 
control of their gene pool. These would be phenotype breeders. They use 
little scientific approach to their breeding programs. And as we know, even 
a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then. A consistently successful 
breeding program will usually make use of some form of linebreeding. This 
is breeding genotype.

"What is linebreeding?

"Linebreeding is a simple concept that can be made to seem complicated. One 
must remember that linebreeding is a program that produces animals from a 
single line of descent and from a common ancestor. It is a long ranged plan 
that a breeder is required to have an ideal animal firmly fixed and must be 
willing to pursue that ideal regardless of any breeding fads that might 
dictate otherwise.

"Linebreeding is built on the principle of "breeding like to like to get 
like." It affords the serious rabbit breeder the opportunity to set a type 
in the shortest amount of time. It also “narrows the gene pool.”

"The greatest danger in a linebreeding program is that it intensifies all 
of the genes--good and bad. In other words, if you have a line of 
inherently quality show rabbits, breeding like to like—quality to 
quality--should result in an higher quality line of rabbits.

"If, at the same time, this line of rabbits consistently lacks depth, then 
breeding like to like should result in an intensified line of poor-depth 
rabbits. In a linebreeding program, you, as the breeder, find out what is 
good and bad about your program in a hurry. The only way to offset the 
intensification of undesirable traits in a linebreeding program is to 
ruthlessly cull the undesirables from the herd

"With linebreeding the breeder must use selection as a rigid tool in the 
process. Unless this is adhered to, the breeder will never attain his goal 
and the program will be doomed to failure. There are very few constructive 
linebreeding programs and very few bloodlines that can be successfully 
linebred. The characteristics that must be maintained are conformation, 
soundness, fertility, disposition, coat color, refinement, and females that 
exhibit the ability to raise healthy babies."

http://thhoppers.homestead.com/files/Basic_Information_Needed_To_Breed_Rabbits_Successfully.htm

Now that I've given you a mild spanking, let me say that, for your 
purposes, IF your present stock all appear healthy and characterize the 
traits you desire, go ahead and let them be incestuous. And do report the 
results.