Cows born without horns (so they don’t have to be cut off); pigs that never reach puberty and never have to be castrated; chickens as big as elephants; and dairy cows that can withstand warmer temperatures.
Crazy gene editing possibilities.
For instance, animal welfare advocates have long criticized the way farmers use caustic paste or hot irons to dehorn dairy cows so the animals don’t harm each other. Recombinetics snips out the gene for growing horns so the procedure is unnecessary.
Last year, a bull gene-edited by Recombinetics to have the dominant hornless trait sired several offspring. All were born hornless as expected and are being raised at the University of California, Davis. Once the female offspring starts lactating, its milk will be tested for any abnormalities.
Another Recombinetics project: castration-free pigs.
When male piglets go through puberty, their meat can take on an unpleasant odor, something known as “boar taint.” To combat it, farmers castrate pigs, a procedure animal welfare advocates say is commonly performed without painkillers. Editing genes so that pigs never go through puberty would make castration unnecessary.
Also in development are dairy cows that could withstand higher temperatures so the animals don’t suffer in hotter climates.
Read the whole thing.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/nov/15/farm-animals-may-soon-get-new-features-through-gen/