A hypothetical: parthenogenic, i.e. self-cloning, all-female chickens

[Fishkeeper]

There are a few species of lizard, and a few fish, that are all female. They lay eggs that hatch into clones of themselves.
Let's say this happened in chickens somehow. Genetic modification, lucky mutation, whatever. The result is, you have hens, and they lay fertilized eggs without a rooster present. You will never hatch a rooster from their eggs.

Upsides:
No extra roosters to deal with, so no need to cull male chicks
Hens can't be over-mated with no rooster required
Reliable genetic traits- no surprises, what you see in the hen is what hatches from the eggs

Downsides:
All your chickens are the same in appearance and probably similar in personality
Lack of genetic diversity means possible vulnerability to disease
Eggs being fertilized may bother some people
Breeding projects are now impossible (unless they can also be mated with a rooster to produce eggs? I think some parthenogenic lizards can do that)

This is theoretically possible. To current knowledge, it's never happened in birds, but it could with the right mutation or the right genetic tweak. So, if it did, what would people think? I know big egg producers would probably like it.

 

[R2elk]

There are a few species of lizard, and a few fish, that are all female. They lay eggs that hatch into clones of themselves.
Let's say this happened in chickens somehow. Genetic modification, lucky mutation, whatever. The result is, you have hens, and they lay fertilized eggs without a rooster present. You will never hatch a rooster from their eggs.

Upsides:
No extra roosters to deal with, so no need to cull male chicks
Hens can't be over-mated with no rooster required
Reliable genetic traits- no surprises, what you see in the hen is what hatches from the eggs

Downsides:
All your chickens are the same in appearance and probably similar in personality
Lack of genetic diversity means possible vulnerability to disease
Eggs being fertilized may bother some people
Breeding projects are now impossible (unless they can also be mated with a rooster to produce eggs? I think some parthenogenic lizards can do that)

This is theoretically possible. To current knowledge, it's never happened in birds, but it could with the right mutation or the right genetic tweak. So, if it did, what would people think? I know big egg producers would probably like it.

Parthenogenesis has and can occur in turkeys. The problem is that when parthenogenesis occurs in turkeys, all of the offspring are male.

https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/turkeys-and-parthenogenesis/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29559496

Based on the research and information available, if you were able to get a chicken to reproduce by parthenogenesis, all the offspring would be male.

 

[ShannonR]

You could probably select for the trait so it happens more often, but as was already mentioned the offspring are male. It's fascinating how nature always finds a way, though! I have found myself wondering how many generations of back breeding and stabilizing this trait it would take for parthenogenesis to happen on a regular basis before...

 

[Fishkeeper]

Okay, that's pretty cool.

My question still stands: if it worked in chickens like it does in lizards, i.e. a hen lays eggs that hatch into genetically similar/identical hens, who would be interested?

 

[aart]

Okay, that's pretty cool.

My question still stands: if it worked in chickens like it does in lizards, i.e. a hen lays eggs that hatch into genetically similar/identical hens, who would be interested?

Probably anyone who didn't want to eat cockerels or cross certain breeds for specific offspring...someone who wants identical female birds.
Not me.

 

[ShannonR]

Okay, that's pretty cool.

My question still stands: if it worked in chickens like it does in lizards, i.e. a hen lays eggs that hatch into genetically similar/identical hens, who would be interested?

The whole parthenogenesis concept is totally fascinating to me. This could conceivably save the meat industry a lot of money as far as breeding is concerned. I really do wonder why nobody has taken this phenomenon and tried to further develop it, be it in turkeys or chickens or any other bird.

 

[R2elk]

Okay, that's pretty cool.

My question still stands: if it worked in chickens like it does in lizards, i.e. a hen lays eggs that hatch into genetically similar/identical hens, who would be interested?

It is really simple. It does not work in birds the way that it works in lizards. In birds, it is the male (ZZ) that has the same sex genes while the females (ZW) have the two different sex genes. In parthenogenesis the offspring have the same sex genes (ZZ) therefore making only male offspring possible in birds through parthenogenesis.

 

[centrarchid]

Most reptiles, amphibians and fish that reproduce via parthenogenesis are interspecies or even intergeneric hybrids. The system of replication differs markedly from what occurs in turkeys. The turkeys are not clones of the parent, while the other examples are. Many of the naturally parthenogenic populations also have more than one complete set of chromosomes from at least on of the parental species.