AI and MRI revolutionize poultry sex determination, moving beyond manual methods to address animal welfare concerns.
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The poultry industry traditionally relies on manual sexers to separate male and female chicks immediately after hatching because male layers produce little meat and do not lay eggs, leading to the sacrifice of hundreds of millions of males annually in Europe via crushing or carbon dioxide asphyxiation. New technologies are revolutionizing this process. Companies like Orbem are using artificial intelligence combined with magnetic resonance imaging to determine the sex of embryos inside eggs during incubation, allowing for automated sorting before hatching. These systems can process thousands of eggs per hour; female embryos continue incubating while males and unfertilized eggs are diverted for other uses. While some debate whether this constitutes an abortion, proponents state that developing embryos lack a nervous system capable of perceiving pain.
Legislation across the EU is shifting towards banning the culling of male chicks; countries like Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and France have implemented bans or restrictions on traditional methods. However, challenges remain, such as exceptions for certain white chicken breeds in France and ongoing transition periods in Italy due to costs. While public opinion strongly opposes the practice, the European Commission’s recent efforts are less ambitious than previous proposals. Furthermore, AI is being adopted in broiler (meat) chick production in places like Spain to separate sexes based on size differences for different market needs, offering benefits in efficiency and animal welfare by eliminating manual handling.
