Rabbit Breeding and Incest

by AdamShipes
(Alabama, USA)

Can you breed brother and sister or parent and child New Zealand Whites?

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Adam, the inbreeding of rabbits is an acceptable practice where fathers are mated with daughters, mothers to sons, or cousins to cousins. The reason behind inbreeding in rabbits is to get genetic purity and a more uniform rabbit from the off-spring.

However, when it comes to brothers and sisters these rabbits should never be mated together.

Always start with healthy stock that has no genetic defects and if you find that your offspring show any kind of genetic defect then you will need to reevaluate your breeding program.

You also need to get to grips with basic genetics to make sure that you are getting better rabbits from your mating program rather than poor, weak specimens.

But I will also throw this out there. I used to breed Ragdoll cats, and I would never have mated any of these with close relatives. I had two dams from two different lines and so was the sire. I always had beautiful, healthy kittens.

If you don't know what you are doing, inbreeding can cause all sorts of issues, including weak immune systems and obvious physical defects.

Regards
Kathryn
Countryfarm Lifestyles