ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the various steps involved in progeny testing and quantifies them with examples. The breeding value (BV) for milk production of a bull can be estimated most reliably from the mean milk production performance of a sample set of its progeny; the process is known as progeny testing and selection based on progeny testing as progeny selection. There are two important sources of error in progeny testing: randomly distributed ones caused by segregation of inheritance or due to the sampling nature of inheritance and systematic errors. All test inseminations done have to be recorded, the conception rate checked and bulls with poor fertility excluded from the programme early. The whole exercise of progeny testing is to identify superior bulls and use them to produce the next generation. Once the breeding value is estimated 50% of the bulls will have a positive BV and the other 50% will have a negative BV.
