COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

Main Campus II- Pamplona Satellite

Name: Batadlan, Maria Hannah Lei A. Rating:________

ANSCI 2- ANIMAL BREEDING AND REPRODUCTION

Exercise No.2
METHODS OF LIVESTOCK GENETIC IMPROVEMENT

Introduction

Objectives

1. To actually perform selection process for breeding stocks of farm animals

2. To determine methods of breeding that is commonly used by either backyard or

commercial animal raisers.

3. To be able to design breeding programs that maximizes genetic potential of the

animal.

Materials

Live animals and instructional modules

Methods

1. Selection for breeding stocks

a. Selection for breeding pigs

In selecting breeding pigs, the use of a scorecard is necessary because the description of the
desirable trait of the animal is well defined.

Physical Bases of Selection (SCORECARD)

= 1-5/10 Score; wherein 5/10 is the highest; and 1 is the lowest

Prepared by: Assistant Prof. Milagros Isidra Q.Velarde- CAFF Faculty

Table 1. Scorecard in selecting gilts/ sow
Scores
Points/ Criterion Gilts P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6
1. Mammary development (10pts) - at least 6 pairs, equally spaced teats; 5 3 4 5 5 4
no blind/ inverted teats
2. Development of:
- ham/ loin (5pts) - Broad 5 4 4 4 5 4
- shoulder (5pts) - Narrow 5 4 4 4 3 3
- face/jowl (5pts) - Moderately fat 5 4 3 4 3 4
3. Feet, legs and pasterns (10pts) - well-placed and strong 5 3 3 3 3 5
4. Mothering ability (10pts) - higWeher milk secretion capacity 5 4 4 5 5 5
5. Length of body (10pts) - long body and well-arched back 5 2 3 3 4 3
6. Width and depth of body (10pts) - uniform width and depth of the body 5 3 3 4 4 5
front to rear
7. Size (10pts) - biggest animal within the litter 5 4 5 5 3 5
8. Heritable diseases and - Vigorous and hardy from a healthy litter 5 4 5 3 5 3
abnormalities (10pts)

Total 50 35 38 40 40 41
Table 2. Scorecard in selecting boars
Scores
Points/ Criterion Boars P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6
1. Development of:
- ham/ loin (5pts) - Broad, firm, deep and full hams 3 5 5 5 4 5
- shoulder (5pts) - Neck blends well with shoulder 4 5 3 3 2 3
- face/jowl (5pts) - clean and moderately fat 4 5 5 3 5 2
2. Has good body characteristics: - well-placed and strong feet 5 5 4 4 5 3
- feet, legs and pasterns (5pts) - well developed, prominent and 5 5 5 4 5 5
- pair of testicles (5pts) uniform size pair of testicles 2 5 3 4 3 5
- eyes (5pts) - wide open and bright eyes 4 5 4 3 3 4
- sides and flanks (5pts) - Smooth sides and good depth at fore 4 5 5 2 4 2
and rear flanks
3. Length of body and back (10pts) - long body and strong back 5 5 3 3 5 5
4. Width and depth of body (10pts) - uniform width and depth of the body 4 5 5 5 5 4
front to rear
5. Size (10pts) - biggest animal within the litter 3 5 4 2 5 4
6. Masculine appearance and - Shows aggressiveness towards the 3 5 3 4 4 4
behaviour (10pts) opposite sex
6. Heritable diseases and - Vigorous and hardy from a healthy 4 5 3 4 3 5
abnormalities (10pts) litter

Total 50 65 52 46 53 49

Questions to answer:

1. Why is it important to consider genetic potential of the animal in doing actual animal
production?
 Because it provides a biological blueprint for its appearance, function and survival and
largely defines its similarities and differences with other organisms.

Prepared by: Assistant Prof. Milagros Isidra Q.Velarde- CAFF Faculty

 2. Under what circumstances would you use the different breeding schemes?
 It defines the 'ideal' animal a producer aims to breed and selection is the method by which
the producer identifies that animal.
3. Why it is important to refer a scorecard in actual selection of potential breeder?
 It is important because this is the basis of actual selection of a potential breeder. And the
breeder chooses which characteristics are desirable and breeds towards those
characteristics.
4. Give some modern technologies used as genetic tools in breeding farm animals.
 Various biotechnology methods are used in improving the breeding stock of animals.
These include artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET), in-vitro fertilization (IVF),
somatic cell nuclear transfer, and the emerging technology on somatic cell nuclear
transfer.

References:

FAO, 2009. http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/en/meat/home.html

FAO, 2011. http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/en/meat/background.html
Wilmut I, AE Schnieke, J McWhir, AJ Kind, and KHS Campbell. 1979. Viable offspring derived from fetal
and adult mammalian cells. Nature. 1997;385:810–813. Doi: 10.1038/385810a0.
Chang, MC. 1959. Fertilization of rabbit ova in vitro. Nature, 1959 8:184 (supl 7) 466
Bearden, HJ and JW Fuquay 2000. Semen evaluation. In: HJ Bearden and JW Fuquay, Editors, Applied
Animal Reproduction, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey (2000).

Prepared by: Assistant Prof. Milagros Isidra Q.Velarde- CAFF Faculty