Animal breeding

Introduction
Breeding and variation
Breeding
- Breeding objectives
- Heritability and genetic correlations in breeding
Selection
- Methods of selection
- Elements needed to make genetic progress
- Evaluation of animals
- Accuracy of selection
- Progeny testing
Breeding systems
- Crossbreeding
- Inbreeding
The genetic code (DNA) and immunogenetics
- DNA
- Immunogenetics
- Cloning
- Determining sex from sperm

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

The mouse at bottom is heterozygous with a mutant gene that gives it a spotted tail. The two mice above it are paramutated; they also have spotted tails even though they do not carry the gene for this trait.

Diagram of a DNA double helix segment showing two strands with labeled components: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), guanine (G), phosphate groups (P), and deoxyribose sugars (S). The bases pair across the strands, and the 3' and 5' ends are indicated at each strand's termini.

Related Questions

How are homozygous and heterozygous animals different for a trait?
How can feed, care, and weather affect livestock growth and productivity?
How can genes at different locations interact to affect an animal trait?
How can inbreeding affect fertility, growth, disease resistance, and survival in livestock?
How can selective breeding reduce genetic diversity and increase health problems in dog breeds such as French Bulldogs?
How did Charles Darwin use captive pigeons to develop ideas about natural selection?
How did artificial insemination increase the influence of genetically superior dairy bulls?
How did selective breeding improve growth and feed efficiency in commercial chickens?
How did testing Holstein bulls for the BLAD gene help prevent hereditary disease in calves?
How do breeders choose animals for breeding stock?
How do dominant and recessive alleles affect an animal's visible traits?
How do genes and alleles influence traits in domestic animals?
How do pedigrees help breeders select animals for traits with low heritability?
How does additive genetic variation help animal breeders make permanent genetic gains?
How does animal breeding differ from animal husbandry?
How does hybrid vigor affect the size, growth rate, and fertility of crossbred animals?
How does inbreeding concentrate desirable traits in domestic animals?
How does the proved sire system rank dairy bulls?
How have hip dysplasia scores been used to reduce the disease in German shepherd dogs and Labrador retrievers?
When did artificial insemination become widely used for cattle and sheep in the Soviet Union?
Which livestock traits have intermediate heritability?
Which sciences are used in modern animal breeding programs?
Which traits have been selected in the development of different dog breeds?
Why are Angus and Charolais cattle crossed in beef production?
Why do breeders use crossbreeding when inbreeding depression appears in a population?
Why do dairy farmers use the offspring performance of bulls to select sires?
Why do fertility traits in livestock usually have low heritability?
Why does inbreeding increase the chance that harmful recessive genes will affect offspring?
Why is dominance variation difficult to use in selective breeding?
Why is genetic variation necessary for animal breeding to make progress?
Why is hybrid vigor often greatest for traits with low heritability?
Why is it difficult to improve both milk production and fertility in dairy cows at the same time?
Why must animal breeders consider environmental effects when selecting livestock?
Why must animal breeders use immunogenetics cautiously when selecting for disease resistance?
Why must purebred parent lines be retained in crossbreeding programs?

Technology Agriculture & Agricultural Technology

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External Websites

The Canadian Encyclopedia - Animal Breeding

Animal breeding

animal husbandry

Written by

Albert E. Freeman

Professor emeritus of animal science, Iowa State University, Ames.

Albert E. Freeman

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 4, 2026 •History

Animal breeding, controlled propagation of domestic animals in order to improve desirable qualities. Humanity has been modifying domesticated animals to better suit human needs for centuries. Selective breeding involves using knowledge from several branches of science. These include genetics, statistics, reproductive physiology, computer science, and molecular genetics. This article discusses the basic principles of how populations of animals can be changed by application of these principles, and a brief discussion of molecular genetics, immunogenetics, and...

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