POL- Pick of Litter

Pick of the Litter- it means just what it says: Your choice of the best animal in the litter.

But- is POL always a good thing? Let's leave aside brood animals vs. show animals.

I'm bad about thinking I have to keep an animal out of each litter. I'm also extremely bad about wanting to try every possible combination in my barn. I'm trying to work past this.

Is it really a good thing to keep your POL, if the animal you keep is of less quality than the rest of your herd, just because it's out of Litter X?

Likewise, should you breed a doe to every buck in your barn, even if out of the first few litters, all you get is crap? I want my girls to be compatible with ALL my bucks, so I don't end up with separate lines running through the herd.

Lots of things to think about- but I think it's important not to be bogged down in Pick of the Litter. A substandard animal doesn't have a place in the herd. Only if it's an important line should I consider keeping animals not quite as nice as others- and then only if the offspring are better than the parents- or at least the parent of the same sex.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry