Chicken Genome Content

Map of Genetic Regulation in Chickens Could Help Fight Against Bird Flu

Andy Fell — April 09, 2025 - 10:38am

An international team of researchers led by Professor Huaijun Zhou from the UC Davis Department of Animal Science has created the first-ever detailed map of how genes are regulated in chickens — a breakthrough that could help scientists breed birds that are more resistant to diseases like avian influenza.

UC Davis Researchers Unlock Valuable Information in Chicken Genome

Andy Fell — May 04, 2023 - 3:03pm

Chickens provide one of the world's most popular animal proteins, with billions of birds grown every year for eggs and meat. Interpreting the farm animal’s genome is vital for understanding how genes control traits, such as growth, feed efficiency, reproduction and disease resistance.

Vaccines Hitch a Genomic Ride to Ward off Deadly Chicken Disease

Patricia Bailey — November 17, 2016 - 4:18pm

A new study from UC Davis and the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes how vaccines insert themselves into the chicken’s chromosomes to work against Marek's disease, a deadly virus of chickens, and how the vaccine's activity could offer a model for related human herpesvirus diseases such as chickenpox.