Technical Abstract: The first build of the chicken genome sequence appeared in March 2004 – the first genome sequence of any animal agriculture species. That sequence was done primarily by whole genome shotgun Sanger sequencing, along with the use of an extensive BAC contig-based physical map to assemble the sequence contigs and scaffolds. Subsequent sequencing and mapping efforts have improved upon that first build, and efforts continue in search of missing and/or unassembled sequence, primarily on the smaller microchromosomes and the sex chromosomes. In the past year, a draft turkey genome sequence of similar quality has been obtained at a much lower cost primarily due to the development of “Next Generation Sequencing” or NGS techniques. However, assembly of the sequence contigs and scaffolds still depended on a detailed BAC contig map of the turkey genome that also utilized comparison to the existing chicken sequence. These two land fowl (Galliformes) genomes shows a remarkable level of similarity, despite an estimated 30-40 million years of separate evolution since their last common ancestor. Among the advantages offered by these sequences are routine re-sequencing of commercial and research lines to identify the genetic correlates of phenotypic change (for example, selective sweeps), a much improved understanding of poultry diversity and linkage disequilibrium, and access to high density SNP typing and association analysis, detailed transcriptomic and proteomic studies, and the use of genome-wide marker-assisted selection to enhance genetic gain in commercial stocks.