Congenital Defects in Reindeer: A Production Issue

Abstract

High rates of female breeding success and offspring survival are the two major factors in productivity of any commercial livestock industry. To im prove breeding success and offspring survival, the herd m anager will establish selection criteria and choose which males and females will breed. The genetics or characteristics of future animals will reflect their parentage. Selection pressure is evident in both wild and captive populations of herbivores. Predators, environment, and human harvest strategies are a few forces which influence the characteristics of freeranging populations of reindeer, caribou, moose, wapiti, etc. In livestock production systems, herd managers often breed for specific characteristics such as larger body size, high birth and growth rates, leanness, etc. A single color or combination of colors has been another characteristic often selected by purebred cattle producers as well as reindeer herders.