Ethiopian Chickens Can Face Climate Changes, Study Suggests

Jun 19 , 2021

A new study has found that the indigenous chickens of Ethiopia have developed a characteristic that enables them to manage climate challenges in their environment. Research studies from the Roslin Institute and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ethiopia, discovered six main drivers that are bringing up the adaptation, three of which are connected to rainfall impacting water availability, two connected to the soil that provides food availability, and one connected with temperature. The research was conducted with the genomes of 245 indigenous village chickens, which as per the researchers, suggest that the DNA of these chickens have developed traits to cope with the climatic challenges they face.