Kipster, a global leader in animal welfare and sustainable egg farming, announces the use of in-ovo sexing technology as an alternative to culling male chicks at hatch. The company is second in the U.S. to use this cutting-edge approach that allows for the sex determination of chick embryos in hatching eggs during incubation. The eggs with males are immediately removed once identified, thereby preventing the hatching and culling of the day-old male chicks as is common in the U.S. egg industry.
The U.S. egg industry kills over 350 million male chicks each year after they hatch because they are deemed useless. They do not lay eggs and are not bred to put on as much weight as fast as broiler chickens. Opposed to the common practice of decades ago when people consumed the by-product of egg farms as food – the male chickens – nowadays people eat predominantly meat chickens from the broiler industry.
Kipster’s goal is to give roosters a place in the food system, thereby making use of all animals born into its poultry farms. Kipster is the very first commercial egg producer in the U.S. to not cull its male chicks when its U.S. farm opened in 2022, similar to Kipster’s approach in Europe. However, the company had to resort to doing so for the first time in 2024 because of a lack of suitable infrastructure and retail market for males from breeds commonly used for egg production.
“We’re disappointed that we haven’t yet succeeded in raising male chicks in the U.S.,” said Ruud Zanders, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Kipster. “We see this as a shortcoming on our part—a failure to fully live up to our own vision. But allowing chicks to hatch only to be immediately gassed or macerated —standard industry practice in the U.S.—is simply not an option for us. That’s why we’re turning to in-ovo sexing as a temporary alternative.”
This choice allows Kipster to stay true to its values around animal welfare and waste reduction—while continuing to work toward a more structural solution. Male embryos that are not identified by the in-ovo technology—about 0.5%, or roughly 150-200 chicks — are planned to be raised at a farm. This means that the upcoming Kipster flock will be free of chick culling.
The Respeggt in-ovo sexing technology is used for the Kipster-hatching eggs at a Hendrix ISA hatchery. It is the first technology in the U.S. that uses DNA analysis to identify the sex of the embryos, and which can be applied to both white and brown layer hen breeds.
Originally launching in the Netherlands in 2017, Kipster started egg production in the U.S. with its partner, MPS Egg Farms, in December 2022, and its eggs are available at Kroger and its many other site banners in 28 states. The first eggs produced by in-ovo sexed hens will be coming to the market in early 2026, and it will take at least a year before all Kipster eggs will be free of male chick culling. Raising male chicks or applying in-ovo sexing is only one ethical practice at Kipster. These are part of a wider continuous effort to improve the living conditions and welfare of the laying hens and roosters.
The company invites stakeholders and the public to engage in discussions about this significant change. Input and ideas are welcome, please email us at egg@kipster.farm to help prompt more solutions to further Kipster’s ethical and environmental standards.
“We applaud Kipster for being one of the first companies to adopt in-ovo sexing technology in the United States, keeping with their commitment to end male chick culling. Now, consumers can know that the animals in Kipster’s supply chain are not only raised with higher welfare standards but will be hatched more humanely as well. We hope many other egg companies that are still practicing male chick culling follow suit to make meaningful change for baby chicks.”
—Nancy Roulston, Senior Director of Corporate Policy and Animal Science, ASPCA Farm Animal Welfare
”Mercy For Animals commends Kipster’s leadership on adopting in-ovo sexing in the United States. Consumers are horrified to learn that male chicks in the egg industry are routinely killed — often ground up alive — shortly after hatching, as they’re deemed useless by the industry. Kipster’s latest commitment to in-ovo sexing demonstrates its dedication to transparency and continually improving animal welfare.
—Leah Garcés, CEO and president, Mercy For Animals
“We are encouraged when producers, like Kipster, take innovative approaches towards improving animal welfare. By embracing technology to determine the sex of chicks before they hatch, egg producers can avoid the current practice of killing day-old male chicks, thus reducing animal suffering.”
—Karla Dumas, Vice President, Farm Animal Protection, Humane World for Animals
“The introduction of in-ovo sexing technology will allow specialty egg producers to create a new value-added category of more ethical eggs that will be massively successful in the market. Cost-effective technological solutions to major challenges like chick culling are critical to modernizing the US egg supply chain and restoring consumer trust in animal agriculture. We applaud Kipster for continuing to demonstrate their leadership in the egg industry by being one of the first producers to use this technology in the US.”
—Robert Yaman, CEO, Innovate Animal Ag, a Poultry Industry Think Tank
“Each year, at just one day old, billions of male chicks are killed without a second thought—deemed a “by-product” by the egg industry. Years ago, The Humane League was instrumental in encouraging United Egg Producers to ban this practice that had become the standard in all commercial egg production. With alternative methods available, we’re eager to see male chick culling come to an end once and for all. We encourage all egg producers to adopt in-ovo sexing technologies like Kipster has to put a stop to this practice.”
—Giovana Vieira, Senior Animal Welfare Scientist, The Humane League
