Selective Breeding in Goats
Posted: June 1, 2012
Some characteristics that are passed on genetically (inherited) from parents to offspring can be identified as distinct types. For example, you can wonder what color eyes or texture of hair a baby is going to inherit from its parents. When the baby is born you can describe these characteristics as blue eyes, brown eyes, kinky hair, curly hair etc. However, many of the most important characteristics or traits that affect how well we perform in life can’t be named by type. Instead, they are a matter of degree. Some examples in humans might be differences among us in height, weight, running ability or reading ability. Some important examples in goats might be the amount of milk a doe produces, the birth weight and weaning weight of a goat kid, the amount of fiber or fleece on an angora goat.
Read more about selective breeding, see this article, "Who's Your Daddy? - Selective Breeding in Goats," published by Cornell.
