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[hope]

Eventually my herd will mostly consist of chins from 3 top breeders who all have  relatively big set ups & have been breeding & doing very well at the shows for a long time.
Some of these animals are older so although they may be from the same breeder come from different lines.
I am wondering if you found your initial lines tended to come from the same breeders & how have you developed that over the years?
Do you prefer to go back to those breeders or do you try to find animals not from the lines you have?

[Abby W.]

I have not breeding for very long, but all of my chins have come from one of three breeders, only one of which was a large rancher.  When I do go looking for new chins though I tend to look for specific attributes, rather than specific lines.  That way I don't end up with all of the same breeder, and maybe have a greater degree of genetic variability. 

[Jo Ann]

I get mine from several different breeders ... Jamie, Lee Muslewhite, Jim Ritterspach, Ralph Shoots, K.C. Vetter, Dave Woods, Ryerson and  others.  These same breeders often work with each other, so there could be some stock that would have lines that crossed over from one breeder to another.
  Regardless of who you get your chins from, you want to look for the highest quality  you can get and those that will complement what you have.
     Quality refers to size, condition of fur, color/hue and bone structure ... these are all visual qualities, but ... the most important quality is one NOT seen ... the internal health.  Heart murmurs, malocclusion, seizures, diabetes, still births, and other health related problems that can be passed down from generation to generation.  No matter how good a chinchilla "looks", if there are health related problems in it's background, you do NOT breed it.  If you do, you are only inviting trouble for your self and anyone who gets a chinchilla from you from that line.
     Look for breeders that have a good name and those that keep up with their chins after they leave them.  If a chinchilla is sold and shows up with a genetic problem later ... if the original breeder does not keep up with them, how will they know they need to take a breeding pair out of breeding?  If you find a genetic problem in a chin after you get it and the breeder has not kept up with you, it is your responsibility, as a breeder, to inform the breeder you purchased it from.  This is the only way we can assure chinchillas have a good future.
     
   
Jo Ann

[RMC]

I get most of my chins from the same breeders for the most part. But more important to me is to buy chins that are the same type as what I have and want to breed for. Just as if you mated a GSC hound with a GSC poodle you would not end up with GSC offspring. chins are no different. If you mate two different types you will not produce the chins you would like to.
If chin "a" is a short furred and chin "b" is long furred you will not like the results of the mating. Next time you are at a show whatch the chins carfully and see if you can determine wich chin belongs to wich long time breeder. With a little practice and if you can idenify the "type" of chin a long time breeder strives for you soon will be able pick different breeders chins by looks alone. Certain lines, even if both are top quality ,will not cross well. 

[hope]

Thank you Jo Ann...I most definitely would not breed from a chin that had a health problem & firmly believe if a problem does show up in a line everyone who has a chin from that line needs to be told immediately.
Thank you RMC - I found your post very interesting & was not something I have consciously thought about but I have realised after thinking about it I uncsonsciously know what you mean.
I can pick out certain breeders animals at the shows for they are quite distinct & one of the top breeders I know breeds the short furred chins while the other who is also very successful at the shows breeds type B & I will not cross the them over.