Infertile chickens have the ability to

Scientists have created a genetically modified chicken that cannot lay its eggs but has the ability to be a host to produce eggs for other chickens.

Scientists from the Roslin Research Institute in Edinburgh, who created Dolly's first cloned sheep, have found a new way to create chicks.

Accordingly genetically modified chickens, although they cannot lay their eggs, can act as a "stunt mother" for other hens. Experts believe that this will be a way to protect rare chickens such as Scots Dumpy, Marsh Daisy and Cream Legbar .

The chickens mutate the infertile gene but can serve as a host.(Illustration).

To create these special infertile chickens , scientists modified their genes to eliminate the chickens' ability to lay eggs themselves. Then transplanting stem cells from other chickens and resulting in a reproductive system in this genetically modified bird breed.

This "infertile" host chickens are therefore able to lay eggs of completely different chickens without mixing any of their genes into chicks.

"These chickens are the first step in saving and preserving rare chickens. We can use stem cells from any breed of chicken and transfer them to these infertile chickens. so that it can lay eggs for other chickens " - researcher Mike McGrew at Roslin Research Institute - who led the research team.

The result is believed to be an important step forward in the application of genetic modification technology to poultry species - which is more complex than mammal due to egg-related reproductive problems.