Gender recognition in the egg makes it possible New technology puts an end to chick gassing
The mass killing of male chicks in egg production is about to end: with modern egg sexing technology, this practice could soon be a thing of the past.
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- MRI and artificial intelligence are used to determine the sex of chicks in the egg without harming the embryo.
- The new technology is to be used in the largest hatcheries from 2025 and could make Switzerland a global pioneer.
- The additional costs for consumers will remain low - eggs could only become slightly more expensive.
- While organic farms rely on rearing male chicks, the new method is reserved for conventional farming for the time being.
In Switzerland, the shredding of male chicks has been banned since 2020, but this has not prevented the end of their brief existence: Every year, around two million male chicks are gassed immediately after hatching.
An initiative by the Green Party in 2020, which called for roosters to be reared, failed due to the argument that it was not economically viable. Now the egg industry is relying on a revolutionary method to stop the killing of male chicks once and for all, reports Watson.
The so-called in-ovo sex determination allows the sex of the chick to be determined on the eleventh or twelfth day of incubation - even before the embryo can feel pain.
Switzerland offers a globally pioneering solution
The technology is based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and artificial intelligence, which leave the egg undamaged. Eggs containing male chicks are no longer hatched after identification.
This ground-breaking technology is set to go into operation in two large hatcheries from the beginning of 2025 and will be established nationwide by the end of 2025. According to the industry, Switzerland could be the first country to offer a comprehensive solution that makes ecological, economic and ethical sense.
The additional costs for this technology would be passed on to consumers, but would only be minor: the price per egg could increase by around 1.5 centimes.
Organic farms rely on rearing male chicks
However, the in-ovo method is only approved for conventional farms. Instead, organic farms rely on the gradual rearing of male chicks and the use of so-called "dual-purpose chickens", which lay eggs and can ultimately also be slaughtered for meat production.
Currently, half of all male chicks are still killed, but this number is to be reduced to zero by 2025.
