What is in ovo sexing?

The term 'in-ovo' is derived from Latin and means 'within the egg.' In-ovo sexing is an advanced technology that determines the sex of a chick before it hatches. Sexing is done by analyzing certain biological markers that can be identified through various methodologies.

When should in-ovo sexing be performed?

The timing of in-ovo sexing is crucial, as it should take place before the embryo can feel pain on incubation day 13th. Depending on the method, it usually occurs between Day 9 and Day 12 of incubation. Choosing a humane sexing window improves efficiency and enhances hatchery sustainability.

Tray filled with rows of brown eggs in a low-lit setting with a blurred dark background.

Operational Excellence with the Genus Focus

Download our latest White Paper to discover how AI-powered MRI for in-ovo sexing performs in live production.

OUR SOLUTION

Non-invasive in-ovo sexing at industrial scale

We bridge the gap between strict ethical compliance and high-volume commercial viability. By combining non-invasive imaging with AI, we reveal what is hidden behind the shell - at industrial scale .  

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0.8 seconds per egg scanned

With an effective throughput of 3,100 eggs per hour per module.

Average of 1% males in hatch (MinH)

With more than 1 in 5 hatches falling below 0.5%.

Uncompromised hatchability

With standard in-ovo mortality rates strictly maintained between 3–8%.

SETTING THE STANDARD

The four industrial benchmarks of in-ovo sexing

The Genus Focus – developed by Orbem in partnership with the Vencomatic Group – offers the only in-ovo sexing solution that meets all industrial benchmarks:

NO IMPACT ON EMBRYONIC HEALTH

Non-invasive AI-powered MRI allows us to see what's inside the egg without opening or disturbing the egg shell, thus maintaining sterility and preventing contamination.

An illustration of a chicken embryo inside an egg.

SEXING on and before EMBRYONIC DAY 12

The Genus Focus identifies the embryo's sex before pain perception develops, allowing commercial hatcheries to comfortably comply with animal welfare standards and national regulations.

Illustration of two eggs, one male and one female

reliable performance across breeds

The Genus Focus performs reliably across all commercial breeds and pigmentations.

THROUGHPUT at industrial SCALE

Engineered for high-volume hatcheries, a seamless trolley-to-trolley automated workflow enables sexing at industrial speeds.

Illustration of rising throughput in a graph

Non-invasive IN-OVO SEXING

Deployed at commercial scale

Across 11 customers, six countries, and two continents, with over 200 million eggs scanned and performance validated across more than 51 breeds.

France

Germany

Netherlands

Norway

Switzerland

USA

proven in production

A mature, field-proven technology

The Genus Focus plays a central role in the industry's transition away from male chick culling.

Download the complete white paper to take a deeper look at live production results across various hatcheries.

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Worker in green scrubs monitoring an automated conveyor system transporting eggs in a clean factory setting.