Led by Ivan Pocrnic Summary Layer chicken breeding programmes carry out intense selection pressure on their populations to improve their populations and compete with other breeding programmes. This intense selection is, potentially, severely reducing genetic diversity. Layer breeders counter this loss with ad-hoc measures post-selection. Optimal contribution selection is a method with a principled joint optimisation of selection and management of genetic diversity, which in turn deliver short- and long-term competitiveness. In this seeding project, we are evaluating the use of optimal contribution selection in a layer breeding programme using either pedigree or genomic selection scheme and with additive and non-additive gene action. This article was published on 2024-09-02
