Theos-Talk Archives (August 1997 Message tl00572)

> was told that sometimes it is necessary to carefully "in-breed" NFC's to
>keep the line 'pure.'  If I am wrong here, I apologize.

I am not a geneticist, but my wife tells me that "some" inbreeding
is always necessary, for any animal, in order to keep "type." But
outcrossing with new blood is also necessary or all kinds of
inbreeding problems develop--you double up on problems with
each generation.  There is nothing special here with NFCs.

Another interesting aspect that my wife discovered--animals have to
be bred outdoors in a simulated "natural" habitat of some kind. Breeding
them indoors causes a lot of problems (loss of size and intelligence
are just two results).  This situation was discovered by Zoos with
wild animals some years ago. The nice pretty outdoor exhibits at your
local Zoo were not made just because they are pretty to look at. The 
anmials are healthier and breed better. We do the same with our cats,
and this enrages other breeders because they don't have the facilities
to do it themselves (although a few are now doing this too).

Jerry S.
Member, TI