THE CHICKEN IS ONE OF THE MOST AFFORDABLE AND ACCEPTABLE SOURCES OF ANIMAL PROTEIN FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. AS THE CONSUMER DEMAND FOR CHICKEN MEAT INCREASES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO INCREASE THE LAYING PERSISTENCY WITH FERTILIZABLE EGG PRODUCTION FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE BROILER INDUSTRY. OBESITY/OVERWEIGHT PRIMARILY IMPAIRS THE FOLLICULAR RECRUITMENT AND OVULATORY PROCESS AND DECREASES THE EGG-LAYING PERSISTENCY IN THE BROILER BREEDER HEN. THE BROILER BREEDERS' EGGS INTERIOR AND EGGSHELL QUALITY ARE OF ANOTHER CONCERN TO THE BROILER BREEDER INDUSTRY. HIGH-QUALITY EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL EGG TRAITS INFLUENCE EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT AND HATCHABILITY IN BROILER BREEDER HENS. THE OVIDUCT PROVIDES THE BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT FOR EGG FORMATION AND UNDERGOES DYNAMIC CHANGES DURING THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE; YET, THERE IS NO PRECISE STUDY ON THE TRANSCRIPTOMIC REGULATION OF EGG FORMATION IN THE OVIDUCT OF BROILER BREEDER HENS. THIS STUDY WILL IDENTIFY AND SUBSTANTIATE THE OVIDUCTAL GENES AND BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN EGG ALBUMEN BIOSYNTHESIS AND EGGSHELL BIOMINERALIZATION AND RELATE THE FINDINGS WITH EGG QUALITY. FURTHER, OVIDUCTAL GENE EXPRESSION AND EGG QUALITY WILL BE COMPARED BETWEEN THE YOUNG AND AGED HENS. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PILOT STUDY IS TO ADVANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF EGG FORMATION IN THE OVIDUCT. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE PROJECT, FINDINGS REGARDING POTENTIAL REGULATORY GENES AND RELATED PATHWAYS UNDERLYING EGG ALBUMEN AND EGGSHELL TRAITS WILL BE ESTABLISHED. THIS FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE WILL PROVIDE FURTHER PRECISION IN THEIR ROLE IN QUALITY EGG PRODUCTION AND COULD POTENTIALLY BE USED FOR THE GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF BROILER BREEDERS.