- We have created a technique to find out whether a hatching egg holds a male or a female chick, so we can prevent the male chicks from hatching. This leads to a big animal welfare win, and a very interesting, yet complex process.Our machine, Ella, is designed to carefully take a sample of fluid from the hatching egg, making sure not to hit the bird-to-be inside. These tiny drops are analyzed using a mass spectrometer to see whether the egg holds a male or fWe have created a technique to find out whether a hatching egg holds a male or a female chick, so we can prevent the male chicks from hatching. This leads to a big animal welfare win, and a very interesting, yet complex process.Our machine, Ella, is designed to carefully take a sample of fluid from the hatching egg, making sure not to hit the bird-to-be inside. These tiny drops are analyzed using a mass spectrometer to see whether the egg holds a male or f
