May 8, 2023

 

Hendrix Genetics and Orbem launch first commercial in-ovo sexing for poultry eggs

 

Hendrix Genetics and Orbem announced the successful launch of Orbem's Genus Focus system in the Hendrix Genetics laying hen hatchery in Mûr-de-Bretagne, France, the first commercial scale commercial in-ovo sexing for poultry eggs, Hendrix Genetics reported.

 

The Genus Focus is an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)-based high throughput non-invasive solution for in-ovo sexing of poultry eggs of any breed. The modular solution combines Orbem's imaging and classification technology with automation equipment of the Vencomatic Group (VMG) to enable reliable and non-invasive real-time sex determination of poultry embryos on day 12 of incubation.

 

The installation in Hendrix Genetics' French hatchery has the capacity to analyse 250,000 eggs daily when incubating one-day-old chicks. The hatchery meets current French and German regulations, and KAT standards (the German Association for Controlled Alternative Animal Husbandry) against the culling of male one-day-old chicks.

 

Gosse Veninga, director of product excellence at Hendrix Genetics Layers, said the successful launch of in ovo-sexing technology in theiur operations is an important step in their vision to set the standard for sustainable animal breeding.

 

Veninga said the system delivers a high level of automation and efficiency to ensure that the process can be completed on a large scale in our commercial hatchery. The result is a key achievement in animal welfare and overall sustainability in the industry.

 

The parties are already in advanced talks for further installations of the Genus Focus and additional projects to apply MRI-based egg analytics to other applications in the poultry industry, including the breeding process (phenotyping eggs) and detecting the fertilisation status of hatching eggs.

 

Orbem's team of thirty-five scientists and engineers have developed the proprietary imaging and AI technology behind the Genus Focus, including determining hardware specifications and software data flows required for high throughput analytics.

 

The Dutch-based Vencomatic group (VMG) supplies a newly engineered handling and sorting system for moving, picking, and transporting hatching eggs with great care and throughput.

 

Dr Pedro Gomez, CEO of Orbem, said their new machine is the first fully automated MRI system in an industrial use case based on artificial intelligence.

 

Dr Gomez said the fully automated Genus Focus system is a game-changer for in-ovo sexing because it is completely non-invasive and functions for all poultry breeds, including white, colored, and brown layers."

 

Orbem was founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich. Its founding is based on years of scientific research at the interface of artificial intelligence (AI), imaging technology and embryonic poultry development. The company is headquartered in Munich.

 

-      Hendrix Genetics