NestFresh’s Humanely Hatched programme sets new standard
In a landmark achievement for animal welfare, NestFresh announced the successful birth of the first chicks hatched using in-ovo sexing technology in the US last year. The company also recently launched its new Humanely Hatched packaging, with the eggs coming from hens selected using this in-ovo technology. This marks a bold step toward greater transparency and improved animal welfare.
NestFresh has become the first egg producer in the US to completely eliminate the culling of male chicks, a long-standing ethical issue in the industry. The Humanely Hatched programme uses the Cheggy in-ovo sexing technology to identify the sex of chicks before they hatch.
So far, the results are significant:
- Over 245,000+ male chicks have been spared to date
- The programme is verified by Certified Humane – a US egg industry first
- It offers a scalable, science-based model for the entire sector
Commitment to transparency and welfare
The new packaging for the Humanely Hatched eggs highlights NestFresh’s industry-first use of this technology, reflecting a bold step toward transparency. The programme is an extension of NestFresh’s ongoing mission to lead the industry in ethical practices. While the eggs are independently verified under the Certified Humane standards, the Humanely Hatched brand is proprietary to NestFresh.
NestFresh didn’t just adopt this technology – we spearheaded the effort to bring it to market in the US.” – Jasen Urena, executive VP of NestFresh
How Cheggy technology works
The Cheggy system, developed by Germany-based Agri-Advanced Technologies (AAT), revolutionises in-ovo sexing with exceptional accuracy and speed. The system can sort up to 25,000 eggs per hour, making it the fastest of its kind. The technology works by analysing light spectra to determine a chick’s gender based on its feather colour, all without penetrating the eggshell. This non-invasive process safeguards the quality of the embryo and significantly reduces the need to euthanise male chicks. The in-ovo technology sets a new benchmark for humane and modern egg production.
We are excited to bring our well-proven, scalable solution to the US that puts animal welfare at the forefront of egg production.” – Jörg Hurlin, managing director at AAT
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