Hendrix Genetics, Orbem to sex eggs in-ovo at commercial scale
Hendrix Genetics using Orbem's MRI-based technology to sex eggs
19 April 2023
3 minute read
By: Earlier this year, Hendrix Genetics and Orbem announced the successful launch of Orbem’s Genus Focus system in the Hendrix Genetics laying hen hatchery in Mûr-de-Bretagne (France), according to a press release from Hendrix Genetics.
Orbem was founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich, its founding is based on years of scientific research at the interface of artificial intelligence (AI), imaging technology and embryonic poultry development.
Headquartered in Munich, their top-tier, international, diverse, and multidisciplinary research team is conquering new frontiers every single day to build a healthy and sustainable future.
The Genus Focus is an MRI-based high throughput non-invasive solution for in-ovo sexing of poultry eggs of any breed, MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The modular solution combines Orbem’s imaging and classification technology with automation equipment of the Vencomatic Group (VMG) to enable reliable and non-invasive real-time sex determination of poultry embryos on day 12 of incubation.
The installation in the French hatchery has the capacity to analyse 250.000 eggs daily when incubating one-day-old chicks. With the implementation of this technology, the hatchery meets current French and German regulations, and thus KAT standards (the German Association for Controlled Alternative Animal Husbandry) against the culling of male one-day-old chicks.
“The successful launch of in ovo-sexing technology in our operations is an important step in our vision to set the standard for sustainable animal breeding," said Gosse Veninga, director product excellence at Hendrix Genetics Layers. "The system delivers a high level of automation and efficiency to ensure that the process can be completed on a large scale in our commercial hatchery. The result is a key achievement in animal welfare and overall sustainability in the industry."
The parties are already in advanced talks for further installations of the Genus Focus and additional projects to apply MRI-based egg analytics to other applications in the poultry industry, including the breeding process (phenotyping eggs) and detecting the fertilization status of hatching eggs.
Orbem’s team of thirty-five scientists and engineers have developed the proprietary imaging and AI technology behind the Genus Focus, including determining hardware specifications and software data flows required for high throughput analytics. The Dutch-based Vencomatic group (VMG) supplies a newly engineered handling and sorting system for moving, picking, and transporting hatching eggs with great care and throughput.
“We are very pleased to see our machine now fully in operation," said Pedro Gómez, CEO of Orbem. "It is a world premiere as the first fully automated MRI system in an industrial use case based on artificial intelligence."
"We are grateful to Hendrix Genetics for the early support of our innovative technology solution," Gómez added. "The fully automated Genus Focus system is a game-changer for in-ovo sexing because it is completely non-invasive and functions for all poultry breeds, including white, colored, and brown layers."
