Kipster unable to achieve in-ovo sexing

Here’s an update about our efforts to use in-ovo sexing technology for hatching eggs in the United States. We have tried hard to use the technology for yesterday’s hatch, but we were unable to achieve this.

Why it didn’t work

After initially aiming for this, in-ovo technology providers and hatcheries have not yet installed machines that can identify the gender of the chick in white hatching eggs in the U.S. at this moment. We explored other options, including bringing in-ovo sexed chicks in from Europe in consultation with NGOs, government, and others. Chicks flown in from Europe need to go through a 30-day quarantine process. It was not possible to find an egg layer pullet raising farm that is equipped and approved by USDA to do this in the short term.

The male chicks were euthanized

As a result, the male chicks from our current flock—approximately 24,000—were euthanized. While this is an industry norm, it is a particularly painful reality for us at Kipster, as one of our founding principles is to avoid the unnecessary culling of male chicks. In Europe, our male chicks are raised for meat, and we made every effort to do the same in the U.S. Unfortunately, we have not found a viable path to bring this meat to the market, yet. Therefore, we donated the meat from previous rooster flocks to local food banks. In-ovo sexing is our plan B.

We remain steadfast

We are fully aware that implementing our full Kipster vision in the U.S. will take time and persistence. Nevertheless, we remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a future where the brothers of laying hens are treated with the same care as their sisters. We will not accept the status quo. Though in-ovo sexing technology will be installed in the U.S. by the end of the year, the machines being installed are limited in that they only work with brown hens, and not the white hens that Kipster raises.

Reach out to us for possible solutions

We will keep working towards solutions for the next Kipster flocks in close consultation with stakeholders, including hatcheries, technology providers, and NGOs. Keep any eye on our social media posts or newsletter to follow our progress. Or reach out if you’d like to collaborate with us to find ways to bring the meat to market or to implement in-ovo technology for white eggs.