A modified laying hens gene will prevent the death of billions of male chicks

Israeli scientists have created a species of laying hens that SWproduced by femalesa world first that could contribute to end the slaughter of billions of male chicks Worldwide.

male chicks from laying hens, which are not intended for human consumption or for egg production, they are largely removed by crushing or gassinga practice denounced by animal defense organizations and that several European countries have banned it.

Embryology expert Yuval Cinnamon, who leads the team of Israeli scientists who developed the new species, believes that it is the only truly reliable technique.

“This is a world first, the only solution that is easy to apply for the industry because it is not based on classification – the often erroneous identification of ova carrying male or female embryos – but in the a priori determination of sex“, this researcher from Israel’s National Institute of Agricultural Research explains to AFP.

The Volcani Institute, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, announced the discovery after seven years of research, in collaboration with the American-Israeli agribusiness company Huminn Poultry, which specializes in sustainable poultry production.

Huminn Poultry is expected to commercialize the new technique within a year or two.

The technology consists in introducing a genetic modification in the chromosome which, when present in the chicken embryo, leads to the development of males.

When changed, the male embryo does not developwhile “the female embryos, which carry the W chromosome, develop normally without being genetically modified and hatch normally,” explains Yuval Cinnamon.

“Today it costs a dollar to get rid of every male chick, so we’re talking saving seven billion dollars a year“Says Cinnamon.

In October, EU agriculture ministers declared their readiness to study the possibility of a blockade-wide ban on the systematic shredding of male chicks in the laying hen industry.

AFP extension