Interested in hearing different breeding philosophies.
Do you primarily line breed to fix type and traits? Or outcross for hybrid vigor? Or some combination?
I’ve been mostly outcrossing but wonder if I’m losing consistency by not line breeding more.
Both have their place.
Line breeding:
Outcrossing:
My approach: line breed the base stock, outcross the racing team. Best of both worlds.
In my experience, you need to line breed enough to establish what you have, then outcross when you hit a plateau.
3-4 generations of line breeding, then introduce new blood. The outcross birds either fly great (hybrid vigor) or fail miserably. The good ones go back into your line breeding program.
Rinse and repeat. It’s a cycle.
The masters in Belgium do both simultaneously.
They keep a core line-bred family going for generations. But they’re always testing outcrosses on the side. When an outcross produces something special, they incorporate it.
The key is SELECTION. Whether line breeding or outcrossing, ruthless selection is what matters. Cull what doesn’t perform. Breed what does.
I’ll add one thing - it depends on your goals.
Sprint racing: line breeding seems to work well. You want consistent type and speed.
Long distance: outcrossing often produces better results. More variation, but you find exceptional individuals.
Just my observation over 20 years.