rents for the next generation of layers (quicker and more accurately? It's possible, thanks to genomic selection ByHansBilewMd —_Whatis the connection between poultry breeding and drawing blood samples foom birds? Red blood cells hve the hereditary (genetic information of an animal stored in its DNA, just ike itis nthe cello all other body parts, The new technique, called genomic election, an tead the genetic information and thereby learn alot about the character: istics and quality ofthe animals. This information an Uien be wsed to select patents forthe next generation ofthe breeding programme ‘he gpalofbreedingchickens and tur eys isto mate the best animals of gen cation to produce the next generation, ‘Butwhich anes are the best animals? Wor Poutty ‘rawng Hand Yon edna The animals that perform best forthe traits that the breeding company (act fi likes tosee most. These rai ally ts castomers finds important and change overtime, because customers sk fora animal with diferent qualities For years eng layers were selected for egg numbers, catly maturity, peak production and per sistency of lay and ega quality and colour {At he sime ime, selection attention was pido the egg weight curve, feed conver: sion, body weight, batchability and cll ‘All these traits were considered, more ot les, strongly depending on how they inthe breeding go: Emphasis on trait changes “Today cobustness (especially for Europe), behaviourand feathering get more em: phasis in the breeding goal while other rss et les. Not much progress canbe made any more fr eatly maturity and peak production, However persistency oflay and egg quality during the late stages of production have much more important, according to Fransvan Sambeek director of primary breeding forISA. the exglaying division of Hendvix Genetics "To collect data about these traits, we have kept crosbred progeny fom bred ing males up to 80 weeks” hesays. “Since 2009 progeny from the pure blood ine is kept until 10 weeks. When you keep hens to 80 weeks then the males are older than 105 weeks. selection i startedat {at late age then the selection interal seven longer: ISA also evaluates dry matter of eggs, which is trait expecially important tothe egg product industry. ‘Alower percentage dey matter indicates ‘move waterin the egand that hasto be removed to manufacture eg powder Toestablsh how good an animal is, we have to measure and coletall kinds of data Certain ats lke growth, canbeaa ae el \) ~ ear el weg Tete ‘measured on the animals themselves but fo many other ats, ike potential egg production on males thts nt possible Iesuch cases the peeticist evaluates parents, lf siblings and progeny Bused cnallthiscoleted dts an animal is assigned abreding value, which san tahae, because very pure blood line contains thousands of animal. in today’ poultry breeding ve we statistic, calculation models nd omer programmesto analyse the acces ofthe poultry breeding company’ Genome, chromosomes and genes 200A the chicken gnome mas cope od This mearthtthe chicken was ene cally carted that itwas known where allthe genetic information an be found. DNA (DesaxyriboNucletc Aci cae of beceitary infor thesocaled bie pi. DNA has four diferent ase: aninectrine adenine and thymine: these are sree epee tively 286, C,Aand'T focmabas pat andsocan Aand'T The oder ofthe mileids ima stand iscalled asequence. Thee sequences code ot forming many vary ing protein which perform a variety of functions in-and atid the cll. Con example digesting of fed san eflecton making eg shell. DNA ex body cls inthe form afehromosomes. Chickens have 32 pairs of chromosome (humans have 23) ofwhich one pails the sexchromosame.On each ofthe 39 pais liethousands ofgenes, altogether about 21000, which contain abou 15 billion ‘ase ais. Ie other words: each gene con Breedingoout “fishy taint” Trimethylamine (TMA) has distinct fishy aint which ean exe socalled stinky eg (ot for cows stinky mill and for people sy pep ar eae: One Too De iad amps la we are woman oie Bi reas ereieg uct a nee econ ‘our, Normally the enzyme FMO3 transforms TMA ito the odousess ‘TMA onde which the animal pases in itsurine, When FOS sabeene TMA isnotbroken down which allows the taintto frmin the eggs. Canola shorts {safeed ingredient thatcan cause fh lune gp because contains sinapine hich cn be transformed to TMA ater fermentation in the las part ofthe gt FMOS deficiency ocurred only in ce tan ines of brown layetsanthen only ‘na small percentage ofthe animals This Aeficiency was genetially preset. Mest een eon wing ise any eee Pe ee are Re ee eo fererrrres ST See World Poultry nanorsrnene} 9‘essing red prion ats such xo oud aren wil evan Teta sta ree share canes io the nairconete whee ‘he estate edng ales ase ‘are etic arash scales ‘ie aed yer arco en widieyoores “sa Thr 09, iors sn 3 heton ‘individuals ean frm the enzyme FMO3, bouts small numberesnnot Researchers tthe University of Upp Sala (Sweden) discovered that fish int ‘scausedio animals that have faulty MOS gene, which eases the ish taint. ‘They developed atest to prove this. ‘The Swedish researchers formed a firms ‘alled FunboGen, which holds the pat entforthis tes forall animal species. SA received the exclusive rights in 2008 toperform this test forall bird species, ‘hile primary breeder Lohmann applied fo perform the test for chickens Firstpractical application Both breeding companies uareel together over thee patents: Lohmann. claims that Hendrix Genetics may not se the test for chickens beeause Lohm ans has exclusive we for chickens, while Hendrix Genetics reasons that Lohmann ‘may not apply the teston chickens because chickens ae birds and they have the exclusive use to apply the testo birds Despite this apparent stalemate both global poultry breding companies hhave managed o remove the inability to destroy TMA from their brow layers ‘This was the first practical appliation of genomicselection. ‘The chromosomes vary from very large fovery small (f course they reall mi roscopic). In chickens chromosome Is very/large. This chromosome contains 15% of the hereditary traits of chicken Chromosome 38 contains veryittle Knowinjgthe genome of the chicken -meansthat we know the DNA ofall 39 chromosomes. [New possibilities ‘When the chicken genome was com pleted many new scentific methods ‘were developed to apply the knowledge ‘ofthis genome. It snow posible to place genetic markers on the chromo. Somes; kind of placing flags onthe chro rmasomes. A very sable type of uch genetic markers is theso-lled single rucleoid polymorphism, o for short SINE, which s pronounced "snip Ther are 15t0 70 millions snipsin a chicken ‘Sips cover each to sequences consist. {ng of 100 to 200 bases. Ofinteres ist tw joint base sequences can be diferent forone hase only, i. one sequence has Gand the other sequence hac aT at the ssn location, That may well be the reason fora difference in acertain trait ‘Machines were developed to read the snips, costing approximately 0.2 cents pecsnip. Hendrix Genetics started using hisin 2005 forbrolers and ater fr egg byes ‘Van Sambeek:"Westarted with agro ‘01000 animals of which we had lt detail and we had avery accurate breed ing value because we tested many oftheir progeny Gerard Albers directorof RUD for Hendrix Genetics states: “This way we can find out wht diference eslts from having a Cor T placed ata cer position, Using the results fall 60,000, SNPs andl ats in the breeding gol of the 4 eggayers we have tested avery large ble that contains the impacts fal 6,000 CT diferences tn ll tralts, This tables then used to ‘aleulat the genomie' breeding value forcusrent animals which only have snip result bt mo tit information International cooperation Hendrix Genetics callborats with several universities, one of which i ‘Wageningen University i the Neth- cerlands. US government organsition USDA has ranted2.5 lion USD in subsidies The advantage ofthis method ‘sthata elable estimated breeding value (EBV) ofan anioul on the basis of ips canbe made This can be done ta young age hen the ania itself as expressed ‘many of’ own features and properties and ofcourse ne of its progeny. ‘Albers: “Soe select earlier, which shore ‘ns the generation interval and theraby swe an make quicker genetic proses On the malesde we progges by leaps and bounds” Van Sambeck tates: "This ‘method is especially advantageous or features that ace dificult to mescue like calling bird behaviour egg quality 2100 weeks of age and sensitivity to disease For criteria like egg colour the sninisles Hendrix Genetics has related th ingto service abs in Canada and Spain, pre ithas been competelyautomated In the meantime many pure blood lines have been tested andthe table hasbeen compiled. ISA now appli 1d to several ofits co bloodlines of ‘The old method also remains Aluhough the new method of breeding vale genomic been implemented, it does not mean tht the old methods are thrown overboard Albers: "We hae to continue measuring ‘onthe animal itself the old way in order to condude what the genetic potential of ananimalis Because only the jdge with great certainty what impact 2 in loation makes diferentbase ta (GC Aorn) Measurin 1 dat fo hele families handheld comput npater where the individual animals snd entering this into the main ‘timated breeding value calculated, willremain’ « Ca > esac