Europe’s largest laying hen hatchery implements in-ovo sexing

Verbeek´s Broederij B.V. and respeggt group have entered into a collaboration to reduce the number of day-old male chicks that are culled in the Netherlands for the German and other egg markets.

The SELEGGT Circuit state-of-the-art technology for gender identification in the hatching egg will be installed in the Verbeek hatchery in September 2021.

The equipment will be put into use immediately after installation and on a frequent basis to successively reduce the number of day-old chicks culled at Verbeek.

Packing centres will then have the option of ordering Novogen and other genetic breeds of chicks that are “Free of Chick Culling” due to gender identification on the ninth day of incubation.

Verbeek´s Broederij B.V. supplies laying hen hatching eggs, day-old chicks and pullets to poultry farmers in the Netherlands and abroad. For this purpose, Verbeek operates a modern laying hen hatchery in Zeewolde in the Netherlands as well as various rearing farms in Europe for the rear-ing of day-old female chicks. The laying hen hatchery is the largest in Europe and offers primarily Novogen breeds.

Respeggt group is a service provider specialized in early gender identification in the hatching egg by applying the SELEGGT Circuit technology.

Additionally, respeggt ensures the added value “Free of Chick Culling” through the supply chain verification of every hatch. Customers can already find eggs branded with the respeggt label “Free of Chick Culling” in more than 6,000 supermarkets and discount supermarkets in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.

The total hatchery capacity of Verbeek´s Broederij B.V. is 30 million layer chicks per year. The collaboration between Verbeek and respeggt will allow an annual output of more than 10 million female respeggt laying hens that lay over three billion “Free of Chick Culling” respeggt eggs for a handful of European egg markets.