Can you breed brother to sister cattle?

Answer 1

Yes. It is possible, but not advisable to do it too often in a family.

It results in a building up of recessive alleles in the DNA of the horse, which can cause genetic disorders.

Inbred horses will often be weaker than ones bred from a more varied stock.

Inbreeding is used to "fix" desirable traits in breeds, whether they are dominant or

recessive. The general rule is to inbreed for a maximum of three generations before an outcross is required. This outcross can be done by crossing unrelated inbred lines or by crossing with a superior animal that has little or no inbreeding. Any inbreeding program can result in an increase in undesirable traits this is why culling of inferior stock is important.

More rapid changes in genotype and phenotype can be acheived in animals that produce large numbers of fast maturing offspring,

Because mares have so few offspring in a lifetime breedings should be carefully chosen in an attempt to insure each foal superior.

Answer 2

You can, and people do it but it's not a really good idea. Inbreeding causes so many different problems that it's much better to look around and find an unrelated horse to breed your horse to.

Another viewpoint here:

The careful use of inbreeding and linebreeding is what produced most breeds of livestock, dogs, cats and crops in the first place. These breeding techniques are used to fix desireable characteristics in a population. Not only have these methods been highly successful for hundreds of years...they have fed, clothed and provided animal based transportation for humanity.

The general rules are: Inbreed for a maximum of 3 generations before an outcross is required. Use genetically superior individuals for

your breeding program whether you inbreed, linebreed or outcross.

Cull any animal produced that does not meet breeding goals.

Form should follow function.

Nonprofessional owners who wish to breed would be well advised to consult with a bloodstock agent or successful breeder for help in the decision making

process.

Certainly there are examples of inbreeding that resulted in genetic anomalies that have even become pervasive in a breed...often because selection has been made based on form or fashion rather than function. Bad decisions on the part of breeders, not the breeding technique are at issue in this instance.

Answer 3

Physically interbreeding of brother and sister cattle can be done, but it is usually not recommended.