Because male chicks will not grow to become egg-laying hens, it’s the industry norm for hatcheries to identify male chicks upon hatch and euthanize them using methods approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) guidelines.
At Vital Farms, we’re committed to improving the lives of animals through food. In late 2026, we plan to adopt in-ovo sexing technology in collaboration with our primary hatchery supplier, Hy-Line North America.
Hy-Line North America has installed Cheggy technology developed by the German company, AAT, which uses a safe, non-invasive scan to determine whether the developing chick is male or female. This determination occurs before the embryo can feel pain, and the male eggs are prevented from developing further — allowing hatcheries to significantly reduce the number of male chicks that hatch.
The birds hatched after in-ovo sexing will begin arriving on farms in early 2027, and by 2028, we anticipate that the majority of our hens will have come from this process. While not all hatcheries in our network have adopted the technology yet, we’re hopeful that taking this step will help inspire broader change across the industry.
We are committed to actively following the latest developments of in-ovo sexing technology. By dedicating ourselves to raising the standards of our animal welfare practices, we can continue to bring ethical food to the table while better serving the long-term priorities of all our stakeholders.