In-ovo sexing

In poultry farming, in-ovo sexing is a chick sexing method carried out while chicks are still in ovo (Latin for "inside the egg"). There are various methods to determine a chick's sex in the 21-day incubation period before it hatches (born by emerging from its eggshell).

Chick

The first method to be successfully commercially introduced for poultry farming was that of the Dutch–German company Seleggt in November 2018.[1]

History

Background
Main article: Chick culling

The present-day ethical problem with egg production is chick culling of one-day-old male chicks, millions of male chicks that are killed as part of the production process. At the day the chicks hatch from their eggs the chicks are sexed. During chick sexing the day old chicks are divided into male and female groups. Female chicks can be raised to become egg-laying hens, or broilers fed to be slaughtered for meat, both for human consumption; after the sexing, these female chicks are transported to the rearing farms where they are housed before they go to a laying hen farm or broiler farm. On the other hand, the male chicks are deemed have much less economic value, as they cannot lay eggs and are usually less suited for meat production; most male chicks are therefore culled on the day they hatch after they have been sexed as male.[2] These male layer chicks are deemed economically useless because they can not lay eggs and cannot grow meat fast enough as compared to broiler chicks, resulting in the killing of billions of day-old male chicks because they do not have an economic purpose.[3]

Innovation in the poultry sector

In-ovo gender determination has the potential to bring an end to the unnecessary killing of billions of male chicks. It is estimated that yearly around 7 billion day-old male chicks are killed.[4] Implementing in-ovo sexing into the poultry industry results in a more animal friendly and more sustainable production. More animal friendly because the day-old male chicks no longer need to be culled, and more sustainable because less energy is used because only the female eggs need to be further incubated after sexing.[5] The male eggs are sorted out and can be used for different purposes such as an alternative high-value protein source.[6]

Early technological breakthroughs
Jumbo shelf talker for Respeggt egg sixpacks, May 2020, Netherlands

For a long time it was held impossible to determine the sex of the hatching egg before or during the hatching process. The poultry sector has been working on this for years in order to be able to phase out chick culling in the interest of animal welfare.

In 2018 Seleggt succeeded in developing a method where this is possible. Seleggt managed to sex the hatching eggs on day 9 of the incubation process with a hormone test.[7] The method is based on the fundamental research of Prof. Dr. Einspanier at Leipzig University. [8] From November 8, 2018, consumption eggs that are laid by the hens that have been sexed with the Seleggt method are to be found on the shelves of the German supermarket REWE, in the Berlin region.[9] The eggs that have been sexed with the Seleggt method are sold under the label "Respeggt". This label guarantees the promise "Free of chick culling".[10] Since 2018, Respeggt eggs have been available not only in Germany, but also in France and the Netherlands.[6]

Sex determination methods

Although it was the first and best-known, the Seleggt company is not the only company that is engaged in sex determination in the hatching egg. It is estimated that there are dozens of companies worldwide that are developing methods to enable in-ovo sexing. The hormone method that Seleggt uses is also not the only method either. The following mentioned are the most well-known methods that are ready for practice or may be ready for use within a year.

Bio-marker detection (Seleggt, In Ovo)

The Dutch–German company Seleggt measures a substance that is a 'biomarker' for the sex through a small hole in the eggshell on day 9 after fertilisation. Mixed with fluid from fertilised eggs, this marker changes blue for a male and white for a female, with a 98.5% accuracy rate.[1] As of May 2019, Seleggt sexed one egg per second (3,600 an hour) and thus enabled 30,000 'no-kill' female chicks to hatch in Germany every week.[11] The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) has invested 5 million euros in the development of the Seleggt technology.[11]

Another Dutch company is In Ovo, a spin-off of Leiden University, Netherlands. This company was founded in 2013 by students Wouter Bruins (biology) and Wil Stutterheim (biomedical sciences) and, just like Seleggt, uses a small amount of liquid from the hatching egg and determines whether it is a male or female hatching egg by means of biomarker detection on the 9th day.[12] By January 2020, In Ovo was capable of sexing 1,500 eggs an hour (0.42 per second), but the Dutch poultry sector required 40,000 eggs an hour, so further innovation was necessary.[13] In Ovo received millions of euros in research investments, mostly from German chemicals company Evonik, Singaporese venture capital company Visvires New Protein, and Rabobank Leiden-Katwijk.[12]

PCR (Plantegg)

The German company Plantegg uses a PCR method, which uses DNA to determine whether the hatching egg is male or female. Like In Ovo and Seleggt, this method determines the sex on day 9 of the incubation process. This method is expected to be ready for use by the end of 2020.[14]

Spectroscopy (AAT, Projet Soo, Hypereye)

Another German company, Agri Advanced Technologies (AAT), uses spectroscopy to determine the sex of the egg. The hatching egg is examined with by light beam, with a hyperspectral measuring technology the sex is determined on the basis of the calculated light spectrum. This method works for brown hatching eggs and can take place from the 13th day of the hatching process.[15] AAT's goal is to eventually be able to sex eggs at the 4th day.[11] The German Agriculture Ministry has also invested in AAT's technological development.[11]

The French company Tronico, based in La Roche-sur-Yon, collaborates with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) on Projet Soo, which employs a mix of spectroscopy and the use of biosensors with the target of achieving 90% accuracy in ovo sexing at 9 days of incubation by the end of 2019. In 2017, French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll granted Projet Soo 4.3 million euros to finance its egg sexing research.[16]

Hypereye is a Canadian spectroscopic technology that is being developed by the Egg Research Development Foundation (ERDF), initially funded by Poultry Industry Council in Ontario and later by Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO).[17] It aims to achieve a 99% accuracy rate and to process 30,000–50,000 eggs per hour (8.3–13.9 eggs per second).[17] In 2018, Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced an $844,000 investment in the research project to stimulate its development.[18]

Alternative: male broilers

Another alternative to preventing chick kills is fattening rooster chickens, which is what the Dutch company Kipster does. Hens and roosters are separated in the hatchery as usual. The cocks then go to a Kipster broiler farm where the cocks are fed and slaughtered when they reach their target weight.[19]

References
  1. Josie Le Blond (22 December 2018). "World's first no-kill eggs go on sale in Berlin". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. Gibbs, C. S. (2016). A guide to sexing chicks. Read Books Ltd.
  3. Reithmayer, C., & Mußhoff, O. (2019). Consumer preferences for alternatives to chick culling in Germany. Poultry science, 98(10), 4539-4548
  4. Krautwald-Junghanns, ME; Cramer, K; Fischer, B; Förster, A; Galli, R; Kremer, F; Mapesa, EU; Meissner, S; Preisinger, R; Preusse, G; Schnabel, C; Steiner, G; Bartels, T (1 March 2018). "Current approaches to avoid the culling of day-old male chicks in the layer industry, with special reference to spectroscopic methods". Poultry Science. 97 (3): 749–757
  5. Doran T. J., Morris K. R., Wise T. G., O’Neil T. E., Cooper C. A., Jenkins K. A., Tizard M. L. V. (2017) Sex selection in layer chickens. Animal Production Science 58, 476-480.
  6. Fabian, Brockotter (7 February 2020). "SELEGGT stops day-old-chick culling". Poultryworld. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  7. Seleggt GmbH. "Seleggt process". Seleggt GmbH. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  8. Seleggt GmbH. "Durchbruch: Gemeinsam Kükentöten beenden!". Leipzig University. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. McDougal, Tony (9 November 2018). "Launched: Method to identify gender in hatching eggs". Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  10. respeggt GmbH. "The promise". respeggt. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  11. David Reid (30 May 2019). "Germany hopes new technology will stop the slaughter of male chicks". CNBC. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  12. Epping, Marieke (29 October 2018). "Millions invested in Leiden method of determining sex of chicks before hatching". Leiden University. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  13. "Pasgeboren kuikens niet meer vergast of in de shredder in Frankrijk". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 29 January 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  14. "ALDI schafft das Kükentöten ab". Aldi Nord. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  15. In ovo (2019). "In ovo". agri-at. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  16. Marie-Noëlle Delaby (17 April 2019). "Une technique pour éviter le broyage des poussins mâles". Que Choisir (in French). UFC-Que Choisir. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  17. Melanie Epp (19 December 2016). "Hypereye: A game changer". Canadian Poultry Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  18. Wray, Meaghan (16 January 2020). "Germany, France push to end male chick 'shredding' in European Union". Global News. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  19. W., Olivier. "Kipster". Kipster. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
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