Israeli firm develops hens which only lay female eggs
NRS Poultry introduces a trait to stop the development of male chicks early on
An Israeli firm developed a unique solution to an animal welfare issue within industrial farming - creating hens which only lay female eggs to stop the slaughter of billions of male chicks deemed less profitable.
Every year, approximately seven billion male chicks are killed in the agricultural sector because they are less valuable for farmers than female chicks, which grow into hens that lay eggs.
Dr. Yuval Cinnamon, founder and CSO of NRS Poultry, created a company which aims to address the problem at its source - after six years of research, the firm developed a genetically modified breed of chicken which lays only female eggs.
“It is the hen which determines the sex of the embryo,” Cinnamon told i24NEWS.
“We can introduce a genetic trait which will (affect only) the males… all the males which are going to get this trait from the mother hen will stop developing very early after fertilization,” he added.
While similar approaches to addressing the animal welfare issues exist, other companies require the use of additional machinery.
“Our solution is really viable, and it actually won’t require any specific equipment,” Eli Mor, CEO and co-founder of NRS Poultry said.
The firm hopes its solution will be employed around the world to help farms improve efficiency, reduce costs, and promote better animal welfare practices.