Hendrix Genetics is collaborating with CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, to evaluate the viability of an innovative point of lay sex sorting technology for the egg laying industry.
The poultry industry is dedicated to developing a long-term solution to the practise of euthanizing male layer chicks. Chickens that lay eggs (layers) and chickens that produce meat (broilers) are two different breeds of chickens, with each best suited to its purpose. Broiler chickens are excellent at producing meat in a sustainable manner; laying chickens are excellent at laying eggs, producing one egg per day. Broiler chickens, both male and female, produce meat with a low carbon footprint. Layer breed males cannot produce eggs, and because they are a layer breed, they are extremely inefficient at producing meat in a sustainable manner.
Solving this ethical dilemma would improve both animal welfare and food system sustainability. Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has developed sex sorting technology which can identify eggs containing male embryos at point of lay before they are incubated and hatched. To support this initiative, Hendrix Genetics has partnered with CSIRO to conduct exploratory research to assess the viability of this solution. A major objective of the project is to explore how this technology can best be integrated with current industry practice.
The project will study technology developed by CSIRO that uses a biomarker protein that is only found in male embryos and not in female embryos. This allows us to identify male embryos during the very early stages of development that occur prior to egg incubation. Therefore, the hens hatched and the eggs they lay remain the same as they are today.
This exploratory research is an important first step that could lead to a solution for a major animal ethics and welfare challenge as well as improving the carbon footprint and sustainability of the egg industry.
Johan van Arendonk, Chief Innovation & Technology Officer at Hendrix Genetics, said:
