# Alternative to the culling of male day-old chicks of layer lines

Joël Gautron

► To cite this version:

Joël Gautron. Alternative to the culling of male day-old chicks of layer lines. French-German Inter-ministerial Symposium on Alternative to the culling of male day-old chicks of layer lines, Jan 2020, Berlin, Germany. hal-03625920

HAL Id: hal-03625920

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03625920

Submitted on 31 Mar 2022

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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
# Alternative to the culling of male day-old chicks of layer lines

Joël GAUTRON

joel.gautron@inrae.fr

Directeur de recherche
Research Director
UMR BOA
(33) 2 47 42 75 40
# The specialized chicken lines

## Broiler Production

(<150 eggs per year)
Non marketable low quality
eggs

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>

6 billions of males are killed every year in the world

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /></figure>

Ethical and societal concern

# Alternatives ?

INRAO

Alternative to the culling of male day-old chicks of layer lines

13/01/2020 / German-French seminar/ Joël GAUTRON

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /></figure>

## Layer hens

(340 eggs per year)
Meat is not marketable

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_6.png" /><figcaption>ZW female chicken</figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="image_7.png" /><figcaption>ZZ male chicken</figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="image_8.png" /></figure>
# Reduce the number of layers

## ✓ Use of molt cycles

<figure><img src="image_9.png" /></figure>

Second and third laying cycles are possible after molting of the layer
→ Need to induce artificial molt with water and feeding privation not allowed in
EU

**Research is needed to induce moulting while respecting animal welfare**

INRAO
# Increasing persistency of laying hens to reduce the number of layers

Breeding companies claim that they will have developed the « long life » layer, which will be capable of producing 500 eggs in a production cycle lasting 100 weeks by 2020 (Van Sambeek, 2010)

<figure><img src="image_10.png" /></figure>
# Increasing persistency of laying hens to reduce the number of layers

Bain et al., 2016 estimated « than even 25 more eggs per hen could potentially reduce the UK flock, including breeding hens by 2,5 millions birds per annum. »

limited by the health charter in France..

Reduce, but don't avoid the culling of male day-old chicks of layer lines

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WP 5 Innovative alternatives of the elimination of one day old male layer chicks

1. Task 5.1: Evaluation of dual-purpose production potential in different environment (month 1 to month 50)

2. Task 5.2: Evaluation of dual-purpose genotypes on organic farms (month 24 to month 60)

3. Task 5.3: Early sex determination using in-ovo methods (month 1 to month 54)
# Dual purpose chickens

<figure><img src="image_14.png" /></figure>

## Layers strain

(340 eggs per year)
Meat is not marketable

<figure><img src="image_15.png" /></figure>

## Broiler strains

(<150 eggs per year)
Non marketable low quality eggs

<figure><img src="image_16.png" /></figure>

Females are reared for
egg production

Low number of eggs
Quality ?

Crossbreed

<figure><img src="image_17.png" /></figure>

Males are reared for
meat production

Low meat yield
Different meat texture (consumer education)

<figure><img src="image_18.png" /></figure>

Unfavorable
environmental impact

Need to evaluate the productivity, the quality, the behaviour of animals in various housing systems and
various environmental conditions, health and costs
# IN OVO SEXING

## Gender determination before the birth

* ✓ Must be fast (20 000 to 30 000 eggs per hour)

* ✓ Must be cheap

* ✓ Must be precise (98.5 %)

* ✓ Without detrimental consequences on the hatchability and the viability of the chicken

* ✓ Must be done before 9 days of embryonic development to avoid any nociception

→ A frantic race between states, scientists and industry to offer alternative solutions and hit the jackpot.

<figure><img src="image_19.png" /></figure>
# How to determine sex in ovo

* Destructives and non destructive methods

* Biological approaches

Hormonal detection

Metabolite marker detection

* Physicochemistry approaches

Dimorphic volatile odors between male and females

* Physical and optical approaches

FTIR spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy

Magnetic resonance imaging

Hyperspectral analysis

* Genetic engineering

Genome editing

<figure><img src="image_20.png" /></figure>
How to determine sex in ovo

<table><thead><tr><th>Project</th><th>Country</th><th>Method</th><th>Day of egg incubation</th><th>Accuracy %</th><th>Price Cents/egg</th><th>Number of egg / H</th><th>Marketing</th><th>Remarks</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>SELEGGT</td><td>Germany</td><td>Hormonal</td><td>9</td><td>97-98</td><td>1-3</td><td>5000</td><td>Yes</td><td>The only available commercial solution, but not enough fast for the entire egg market</td></tr><tr><td>EMBREX</td><td>USA</td><td>Hormonal</td><td>17</td><td>100 ?</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>No</td><td>No prototype, 17 days is too late</td></tr><tr><td>In ovo</td><td>Netherlands</td><td>Metabolite</td><td>9</td><td>??</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>Planned in 2020</td><td>2 Sec/egg</td></tr><tr><td>Vital farms</td><td>USA</td><td>Odor detection</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>EggXYt</td><td>ISRAEL</td><td>Genome editing</td><td>0</td><td>100</td><td>???</td><td>A lot</td><td>Yes</td><td>Transgenic chickens, consumer acceptance</td></tr><tr><td>Dresden</td><td>Germany</td><td>Raman</td><td>3,5</td><td>90</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>Prototype</td><td>Accuracy to improve</td></tr><tr><td>Hypereye</td><td>Canada</td><td>Hyperspectral</td><td>0</td><td>99</td><td>1-5</td><td>30 000 50 000</td><td>????</td><td>Large number of eggs, No news since 2018</td></tr><tr><td>Evonta</td><td>Germany</td><td>Hyperspectral Feather color</td><td>14</td><td>97</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>Late determination, Needs strains with feather differences</td></tr><tr><td>SOO</td><td>France</td><td>Raman Biocaptors</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>PPILLOW</td><td>France</td><td>Electromagnetic signature</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>???</td><td>No</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Many of them are still in development

Research and development must be continued (New methods, Big data, deep learning, artificial intelligence)
<figure><img src="image_21.png" /></figure>

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INRAE
science for people, life & earth

CoordinatorA. Collin
UMR BOA INRAE, France

Poultry and PIG Low-input and Organic production systems' Welfare

<figure><img src="image_23.png" /></figure>

(2019-2024)

## WP 5 Innovative alternatives of the elimination of one day old male layer chicks

1. Task 5.1: Evaluation of dual-purpose production potential in different environment (month 1 to month 50)

2. Task 5.2: Evaluation of dual-purpose genotypes on organic farms (month 24 to month 60)

3. Task 5.3: Early sex determination using in-ovo methods (month 1 to month 54)

(INRAE Egg team UMR BOA, LAAS CNRS, OVALIE Innovation)

* Development of physical methods based on electromagnetic signatures of males and females (Non-invasive method)

* Characterization of omics signatures in allantoic fluids of male and female embryos
  (Identification of new biomarkers or a set of complementary biomarkers)

INRAE
# Take-home messages

Few alternatives to the culling of male day-old chicks of layer lines:

* Increasing of laying period and use of molt cycles to reduce the number of births chickens for renewal

* Developing dual purpose chickens, but not for a mass market

* Strengthening the development of *in ovo* sexing processes

BUT

* Today whethever method used, no fast and robust method is operational

* A race against time: There is an increased need for research and development before considering the industrial scale

* This change will be really challenging for producers with many technical and economical adaptations