World's first no-kill eggs go on sale in Berlin

Scientists can now quickly determine a chick ’s gender before it hatches, potentially ending the need to cull billions of male chicks worldwideThe world ’s first ever no-kill eggs are now on sale in Berlin after German scientists found an easy way to determine a chick’s gender before it hatches, in a breakthrough that could put an end to the annual live shredding of billions of male chicks worldwide.The patented “Seleggt” process can determine the sex of a chick just nine days after an egg has been fertilised. Male eggs are processed into animal feed, leaving only female chicks to hatch at the end of a 21-day incubation period.“If you can determine the sex of a hatching egg you can entirely dispense with the culling of live male chicks,” said Seleggt managing director Dr Ludger Breloh, who spearheaded the four-year programme by German supermarket Rewe Group to make its own-brand eggs more sustainable.“It’s not about winning or losing,” he added of the worldwide race to find a marketable solution. “We all have the same goal, which is to end the culling of chicks in the supply chain. Of course, there’s competition, but it’s positive in that it keeps us all focused on that goal.”Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Farming Eggs Food Environment Germany Europe Ethical and green living World news Animals Agriculture Science Source Type: news