Are domestic breeders good enough to grow quality Show Koi

[MJShaffer]

Do you see this changing (the comment about high class size 6 koi) now that some of the folks who know best how to fit koi for a show are buying domestically bred koi, and are in some cases having them grown out by the breeder so they may get to jumbo (or close) size? Or do you think the genetics for quality at that size are not there yet? MJ

[PapaBear]

The high end domestic breeders are using some pretty upscale gene pools from Japan for parent stock anyway so we know the genetics are there. I think it comes down to developing the skill to not only make the most of the genetics they have, but also the keeping skills to finish them properly.
That being said, there is still a genetic disadvantage to overcome. Japanese breeders aren't selling Koi they want to breed. They KEEP those for themselves. That means our domestics are coming from good lines, but probably not the very best. All things considered we're doing pretty good under the circumstances.

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by PapaBear The high end domestic breeders are using some pretty upscale gene pools from Japan for parent stock anyway so we know the genetics are there. I think it comes down to developing the skill to not only make the most of the genetics they have, but also the keeping skills to finish them properly. That being said, there is still a genetic disadvantage to overcome. Japanese breeders aren't selling Koi they want to breed. They KEEP those for themselves. That means our domestics are coming from good lines, but probably not the very best. All things considered we're doing pretty good under the circumstances.

So true, though the koi we have to pick from are from the same lines as the ones the Japanese breeders keep. The disadvantage (and the art) is having to pull out the recessive genes we want to be seeing in the koi we've chosen to breed from those lines that comprise the dominant genes the Japanese are keeping, all the while trying not to intensify undesireable genes.

Cheese and rice! That's hard to explain........but I bow at the shrine of those breeder's creativity that are pulling it off!

Marie