What does line breeding involve?

Line breeding is a breeding technique that focuses on mating rabbits that are descended from the same ancestor, often to enhance or maintain particular traits within a specific line while minimizing the risks associated with inbreeding. This method allows breeders to consolidate desirable genetic traits, such as improved conformation, temperament, or health, through planned pairings that still retain diverse genetics by avoiding direct sibling or parent-offspring matings.

The practice generally targets specific genetic traits, making it essential for breeders looking to improve or standardize characteristics within a breed. Because line breeding involves careful selection and pairing, it often results in a more stable genetic pool and can lead to predictable results in offspring compared to less structured breeding approaches.

Other options do not accurately describe line breeding: mating unrelated rabbits would avoid any focus on lineage, while breeding based solely on appearance disregards genetic ancestry, and mating rabbits of different breeds does not pertain to line breeding at all.