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Poultry is subject to varying degrees of feather loss and feather pecking during production, which seriously affects the live appearance and carcass appearance of their commercial traits and greatly reduces the production profitability of the farming enterprise. It also has an impact on down production and quality in the case of geese. In this study, mathematical models (Logistic, Gompertz, and Von Bertalanffy) were used to assess feather growth and development during the embryonic period in Jilin white geese (Anser cygnoides) predicting the weight and length of feathers from the back, chest, and belly tracts at different embryonic ages, to determine which growth model more accurately described feather growth patterns. The result first showed that the primary feather follicles of the Jilin white goose developed at E14 and secondary feather follicles at E18; primary feather follicle density increased and then decreased, whereas secondary feather follicle density increased continuously and the primary and secondary feather follicles developed independently. Secondly, the embryonic feather growth followed a slow–fast–slow pattern, with feathers growing slowly from E12 to E18, quickly from E18 to E24, and then decreasing after E24 until just before emergence (E30). In addition, before E14, feathers were concentrated in the back tracts, and no feathers were found on the head, neck, chest, abdomen, or wings. By E22, the whole body of the embryo was covered with feathers, and the back feathers were the earliest and fastest to develop. Compared to the Gompertz and von Bertalanffy models, the logistic model fit (R2 = 0.997) was the highest, while the sum of residual squares (RSS = 25661.67), Akaike’s information criterion (AIC = 77.600), Bayesian information criterion (BIC = 78.191), and mean square error (MSE = 2851.296) were the lowest. Therefore, the logistic model was more suitable for describing the changes in whole-body feather growth during the embryonic period in Jilin white geese. In conclusion, using the growth curve model to explain the relationship between feather growth and embryonic age in geese will potentially speed up the process of genetic improvement in Jilin white geese (A. cygnoides) and thus provide scientific support for molecular genetic breeding.

Feather performs important physiological functions in birds, and it is also one of the economic productions in goose farming. Understanding and modulating feather follicle development during embryogenesis are essential for bird biology and the poultry industry. CHIR-99021 is a potent Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activator associated with feather follicle development. In this study, goose embryos (Anser cygnoides) received an in ovo injection of CHIR-9902, which was conducted at the beginning of feather follicle development (E9). The results showed that feather growth and feather follicle development were promoted. The Wnt signaling pathway was activated by the inhibition of GSK-3β. Transcriptomic analyses showed that the transcription changes were related to translation, metabolism, energy transport, and stress in dorsal tissue of embryos that received CHIR-99021, which might be to adapt and coordinate the promoting effects of CHIR-99021 on feather follicle development. This study suggests that in ovo injection of CHIR-99021 is a potential strategy to improve feather follicle development and feather-related traits for goose farming and provides profiling of the Wnt signaling pathway and transcriptome in dorsal tissue of goose embryos for further understanding of feather follicle development.