Common Sense: Destruction of male chicken eggs pain free before hatching is about to spread worldwide

Monday, July 27, 2026

Destruction of male chicken eggs pain free before hatching is about to spread worldwide

Good news! Don't feel so guilty anymore when eating chicken meat, soup or eggs! 😊

"In-ovo sexing is a hatchery technology that determines the sex of a chicken embryo inside an egg using optical, fluid-biomarker, or MRI methods between days 8 and 13 of incubation." (Google Search)

"Today, throughout much of the chicken egg industry, newly hatched male chicks—economically useless because they neither lay eggs nor grow efficiently for meat—are gassed or thrown into industrial grinders.

That horror may come to an end thanks to in-ovo sexing, a relatively new technique that allows hatcheries to cheaply identify and destroy male chicken embryos before they are capable of feeling pain.

According to a recent report from Innovate Animal Ag, an animal agriculture think tank, 40 percent of Europe’s commercial laying flock had been sexed in ovo as of June 2026, up from 34 percent in 2025. ..."

"Summary ...

40% of the EU’s commercial egg layer flock was sexed with in-ovo technology–a 6-point penetration increase from April 1, 2025.
Since 2021, over 281 million male embryos have been removed before hatching globally.
In Europe, in-ovo sexing technology has reached a production rate of 100 million female chicks per year, climbing from 500k chicks per month in 2021 to well over 8 million female chicks per month by the publication of this report, a CAGR of over 75%.
In-ovo sexing is beginning its market-based rollout in the US with over 4% of the country’s commercial layer flock having publicly announced a transition to use the technology as existing flocks are retired.
In Switzerland, where in-ovo sexing technology kicked off in 2025, in-ovo sexing penetration climbed rapidly and now sits at around 85 to 100% of the country’s layer flock. In Norway, in-ovo sexing has hit a 52% market penetration.
The global penetration of in-ovo sexing is forecasted to continue its sharp growth in the next few years, led by expansion in the US, continued strength in Europe as a consequence of Italy’s ban on male chick culling, growth in markets where the technology has recently entered such as Australia and Brazil, and potential penetration into greenfield markets like Canada and China.