Egg farm eliminates chick culling

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. — Kipster egg farm announced it will be one of the first U.S. egg brands to adopt in-ovo egg sexing this fall to end male chick culling.

In-ovo sexing is an approach that allows for the sex determination of chick embryos during incubation before they develop sentience, aiming to prevent the hatching of males.

“In-ovo sexing is a crucial step forward that will allow us to eliminate chick culling right away,” said Ruud Zanders, cofounder of Kipster.

“This technology provides an immediate and effective solution as we continue to explore sustainable meat production that meets our high welfare standards.”

More than 300 million male chicks are killed each year after they hatch. Kipster’s goal is to utilize all animals born into its farm system, including raising roosters for animal protein.

However, the U.S. meat supply chain is not currently set up to process males of the breed commonly used for layer hens. This innovation will allow the company to chase its goal.

“The introduction of in-ovo sexing technology will allow specialty egg producers to create a new value-added category of more ethical eggs that will be massively successful in the market,” said Robert Yaman, CEO of Innovate Animal Ag.

“Cost-effective technological solutions to major challenges like chick culling are critical to modernizing the U.S. egg supply chain and restoring consumer trust in animal agriculture.”

Learn more at www.kipster.farm.