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Veterinary Sciences
Special Issues
Genetic Breeding and Production Enhancement in Poultry: Innovations and Applications
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Genetic Breeding and Production Enhancement in Poultry: Innovations and Applications

A Special Issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381) belonging to the section "Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 July 2026) | Viewed by 1222

Editors

Prof. Dr. Thobela Louis Tyasi

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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa
Interests: animal genetics; animal breeding; bioinformatics; biometrics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Abdulmojeed Yakubu

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Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University, Shabu-Lafia Campus, Lafia 950101, Nigeria
Interests: animal genetics; bioinformatics; biometrics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Chungang Feng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: poultry; genetics; genomics; breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The poultry industry is undergoing rapid transformation driven by advances in genetics, biotechnology and sustainable production systems. Genetic breeding has become a powerful tool for improving growth performance, feed efficiency, disease resistance and overall productivity in poultry species. The integration of genomic selection, marker-assisted breeding and gene-editing technologies is opening new opportunities to accelerate desirable traits while addressing the challenges related to animal health and welfare. In addition, innovative production strategies, which include precision nutrition, reproductive technologies and microbiome management, are being applied to maximize efficiency and sustainability. This Special Issue aims to gather high-quality research and review articles that highlight breakthroughs in poultry genetic improvement and novel applications in production enhancement. Topics of interest include genetic and genomic approaches, breeding strategies for disease resistance and adaptability, advances in reproductive performance, and innovative management systems that contribute to sustainable poultry farming. By showcasing cutting-edge innovations, this Special Issue seeks to foster knowledge exchange among researchers, breeders and industry professionals, ultimately advancing the science and application of poultry genetics and production.

Dr. Thobela Louis Tyasi
Prof. Dr. Abdulmojeed Yakubu
Prof. Dr. Chungang Feng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • poultry genetics
  • genetic breeding
  • genomic selection
  • gene editing
  • marker-assisted selection
  • disease resistance
  • reproductive technologies
  • feed efficiency
  • sustainable production
  • poultry health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 7777 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Association Studies Reveal Key Candidate Genes for Egg Weight and Quality Components in an F2 Japanese Quail Resource Population
by Natalia A. Volkova, Michael N. Romanov, Polina V. Larionova, Nadezhda Yu. German, Ludmila A. Volkova, Alexander A. Sermyagin, Alexey V. Shakhin, Darren K. Griffin, Johann Sölkner and Natalia A. Zinovieva
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(9), 967; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13090967 - 15 Sep 2026
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Abstract
Identifying genetic markers for economically important egg traits is essential for advancing marker-assisted and genomic selection in poultry breeding. Here, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using genotyping-by-sequencing data to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes associated with egg weight [...] Read more.
Identifying genetic markers for economically important egg traits is essential for advancing marker-assisted and genomic selection in poultry breeding. Here, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using genotyping-by-sequencing data to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes associated with egg weight (EW) and its constituent components. We evaluated 102 laying Japanese quails from an F2 resource population generated by crossing divergent Japanese and Texas White breeds. Phenotypic traits included EW, eggshell weight (ESW), albumen weight (AW), thick albumen weight (TAW), yolk weight (YW), and albumen-to-yolk ratio (AYR). We identified 16 significant SNPs and 88 candidate genes. Notably, seven prioritized candidate genes (NTN4, CLDN10, AGAP3, DUSP19, STAB1, SFMBT1, and RNF130) overlapped with significant SNPs associated with EW, ESW, AW, YW, and AYR. Three pleiotropic SNPs (12:309207, 12:335220, and 12:470023) were associated with multiple traits, while the AGAP3 gene harbored two SNPs linked to AW. Our data offer insights into the polygenic regulation governing egg component development in quails. These newly detected genomic regions and candidate loci offer valuable targets for downstream replication studies aimed at enhancing avian breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Breeding and Production Enhancement in Poultry: Innovations and Applications)
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14 pages, 1409 KB  
Article
Feather RNA: A Non-Invasive Approach for Transcriptomic Profiling in Live Chickens
by Nadia Stoppani, Federica Raspa, Edoardo Fiorilla, Sandra Maione, Achille Schiavone, Cecilia Mugnai and Dominga Soglia
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(7), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13070653 - 5 Jul 2026
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Abstract
In this study, an exploratory transcriptomic investigation was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using feather transcriptomics to detect sex differences and gene responses to physiological changes in chickens. Feathers represent a promising non-invasive biological source of RNA, as the feather pulp of [...] Read more.
In this study, an exploratory transcriptomic investigation was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using feather transcriptomics to detect sex differences and gene responses to physiological changes in chickens. Feathers represent a promising non-invasive biological source of RNA, as the feather pulp of growing feathers contains living cells capable of active transcription. Growing feathers were collected from 150-day-old male and female chickens (Bionda Piemontese, a slow-growing breed) raised under a free-range system and fed two finisher diets differing in lipid content: low-lipid (LL, ether extract 3.6%) and high-lipid (HL, ether extract 9.3%) diets. RNA was extracted from feather pulp, and 12 pools were subjected to whole RNA-Seq analysis. The study was designed as 2 × 2 factorial experiments investigating the effects of diet and sex on gene expression. A total of 17,360 transcripts were detected and used for downstream analyses. Differential gene expression and functional enrichment analyses were performed. The main effects of diet and sex were estimated with an additive design using the DEseq2 package, while for the sex-specific diet analyses, subgroup comparisons were conducted on the RaNA-Seq platform. The analysis of the main effect of diet reveals that three genes associated with ether lipid metabolism (PLA2G10, PLA2G4F, and ENPP6) were upregulated in chickens fed the HL diet. In roosters, HL feeding significantly altered the expression of APOA1 and SLC27A4, suggesting an effect on lipid transport and metabolic regulation within the PPAR signaling pathway. In contrast, hens showed differential expression primarily in pathways related to apelin signaling, extracellular matrix remodeling, and cardiovascular function, rather than classical lipid metabolism pathways; additionally, gene set enrichment analysis indicated a limited enrichment of linoleic acid metabolism, suggesting secondary involvement of lipid metabolic processes. These findings are consistent with those in the literature reporting sex-related differences between males and females. The results further suggest that transcriptomic responses to dietary lipid supplementation can be investigated through the expression of selected candidate genes in feather pulp. Among the genes identified, PLA2G10, PLA2G4F, ENPP6, APOA1, and SLC27A4 emerged as potential molecular markers associated with dietary treatment, and the importance of sex-dependent transcriptional responses was highlighted. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential of feather pulp as a viable source of RNA for transcriptomic analyses in live chickens, providing a minimally invasive alternative to conventional tissue sampling. These preliminary results also support the hypothesis that feathers represent a practical and ethically favorable tissue for future nutrigenomic and genetic improvement studies, ultimately supporting more sustainable poultry production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Breeding and Production Enhancement in Poultry: Innovations and Applications)
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