Spurred by European regulators' approval of the production of an anti-clotting agent in transgenic goats, other firms are tailgating. California-based Origen Therapeutics have been developing genetically modified chickens to manufacture human antibodies and other proteins.

"We now have a technology to genetically modify chickens in a very precise way," Robert Kay, the president of Origen, said in an interview.

He said the technology would allow scientists to alter the chicken genome in ways that could allow them to produce drugs in very large quantities and develop new therapies.

The technology is based on genetically engineering primordial germ cells, the precursor cells to sperm and eggs, in chickens.

Aside from genetically engineering chickens to serve as a production plant for therapeutics, Origen is also working on genetically enhacing chickens to grow bigger, and faster.

Read more from the Reuters report: New technique to create genetically modified chickens.