Systems and methods for controlling environmental conditions within and/or around an animal enclosure are disclosed. These include a climate control system and infrared sensors in a poultry house having a first climate and housing poultry having one or more measurable parameters such as a temperature. The infrared sensors detect infrared light information emitted by a head and/or vent of poultry in the house. The climate control system processes the information to calculate an internal temperature of poultry and activates one or more climate conditioning devices in the house to change the first climate to a second climate determined by the detected information and/or calculated internal temperatures of the poultry. The systems and methods are deployed in houses that hold many poultry and include one or more climate zones. The systems and methods make one or more climate changes based on one or more different parameters.

The present invention relates to transgenic avians and the eggs produced therefrom wherein the eggs comprise a genetic modification that facilitates in ovo gender sorting and a genetic modification that increases a production trait in the eggs or the avians produced therefrom. The present invention also relates to methods of identifying the gender of eggs before hatching and methods of sorting the eggs based on gender before hatching.

The present disclosure relates to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) editing agents, and their use in preparing genetically modified cells and birds. The present disclosure further relates to fertile genetically modified avians and genetically modified avian primordial germ cells (PGCs) for producing sterile genetically modified avians (birds) that can serve as surrogate hosts for donor PGCs. The present disclosure further relates to methods for producing fertile avian strains that can produce a population of embryos and offspring, in both sexes, all of which are sterile and viable, and further relates to their subsequent use as sterile surrogate hosts for donor PGCs.

This disclosure provides, among other things, a transgenic chicken. In some embodiments, the transgenic chicken comprises B cells in which the endogenous immunoglobulin heavy chain locus comprises: (a) a functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene comprising a nucleic acid encoding a heavy chain variable domain in which the CDR3 is in the range of 30-60 amino acids in length and comprises at least 2 cysteine residues; and (b) a plurality of pseudogenes that are operably linked to said functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene and that donate, by gene conversion, nucleotide sequence to the nucleic acid encoding the heavy chain variable domain of (a), wherein the pseudogenes are upstream or downstream of the functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene.

The present disclosure provides genetically modified heterogametic organism that comprises a genetically modified first sex chromosome comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid sequence integrated therein. In more specific embodiments, the exogenous nucleic acid sequence comprises (i) at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding at least one nucleic acids modifier component, and further (ii) at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding and/or forming at least one target recognition element for the at least one nucleic acids modifier component of (i). The present disclosure further comprises systems comprising the discussed genetically modified heterogametic organism, methods and uses thereof in biasing sex-ratio of populations.

The present disclosure provides exogenous polynucleotide cassettes for generating chimeric bird cells and chimeric birds. The polynucleotide cassettes can be used to produce conditionally-lethal phenotype in male bird embryos. In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides methods for destroying male chick embryos in-ovo.

This disclosure provides, among other things, strategies for minimizing antibody diversification in a transgenic animal that uses gene conversion for antibody diversification. In some embodiments, the animal may comprise a genome comprising an endogenous immunoglobulin light chain locus comprising: (a) a functional immunoglobulin light chain gene comprising a nucleic acid encoding a light chain variable region; and (b) a plurality of pseudogenes that are operably linked to the functional immunoglobulin light chain gene and that donate, by gene conversion, nucleotide sequence to the nucleic acid encoding a light chain variable region, wherein the pseudogenes are upstream or downstream of the functional immunoglobulin light chain gene and encode the same amino acid sequence as the light chain variable region of the functional immunoglobulin light chain gene of (a). In other embodiments, the locus may have a tandem array of coding sequences for the light chain.

Provided herein is a transgenic chicken comprising a genome having an endogenous immunoglobulin heavy chain gene in which the IgY CH1 coding sequence is functionally deleted. In certain embodiments, in B cells of the chicken the endogenous immunoglobulin heavy chain gene comprises: (a) a functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene comprising, in operable linkage, a nucleic acid encoding an antibody heavy chain variable domain and a constant region coding sequence in which the IgY CH1 coding sequence is functionally deleted; and (b) a plurality of pseudogenes that are operably linked to said functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene and that donate, by gene conversion, nucleotide sequence to the nucleic acid encoding the variable domain of (a), wherein the pseudogenes are upstream of the nucleic acid encoding an antibody heavy chain variable domain of (a).

This disclosure provides, among other things, strategies for minimizing antibody diversification in a transgenic animal that uses gene conversion for antibody diversification. In some embodiments, the animal may comprise a genome comprising an endogenous immunoglobulin light chain locus comprising: (a) a functional immunoglobulin light chain gene comprising a nucleic acid encoding a light chain variable region; and (b) a plurality of pseudogenes that are operably linked to the functional immunoglobulin light chain gene and that donate, by gene conversion, nucleotide sequence to the nucleic acid encoding a light chain variable region, wherein the pseudogenes are upstream or downstream of the functional immunoglobulin light chain gene and encode the same amino acid sequence as the light chain variable region of the functional immunoglobulin light chain gene of (a). In other embodiments, the locus may have a tandem array of coding sequences for the light chain.

This disclosure provides, among other things, a transgenic animal that uses gene conversion for antibody diversification, comprising B cells in which the endogenous immunoglobulin heavy chain locus comprises: (a) a functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene comprising a nucleic acid encoding an autonomous heavy chain (AHC) variable domain; and (b) a plurality of pseudogenes that are operably linked to said functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene and that donate, by gene conversion, nucleotide sequence to the nucleic acid encoding the AHC variable domain of (a), wherein the pseudogenes are upstream or downstream of the functional immunoglobulin heavy chain gene.