A Review on Poultry Chick Sex Identification: Traditional, Molecular and Advanced Methods
Sreedhara J.N. *
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
Yesappa L.
Department of Renewable Energy Engineering College of Agricultural Engineering, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
Prakash K.V
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
Raghavendra, V
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Chick sexing is the process of determining whether a newly hatched (or developing) chick is male or female. This is critical for the poultry industry – especially egg producers – because males (cockerels) are not needed for egg production and are often culled soon after hatching. Over the years, many methods have been developed to sex chicks, ranging from manual (traditional) to high-tech approaches. Each method has its principle, accuracy, speed, cost, and ethical implications. PCR-based methods have been applied widely to molecular sexing for many kinds of birds, providing rapid and accurate results. All bird species employ two sex chromosomes, Z and W. Male birds are homogametic (ZZ) and female birds are heterogametic (ZW). Constituent differences in the sex chromosomes between males and females therefore can be applied to DNA-based identification for sexing of birds. Various methods discussed presented in detail below, comparing their advantages and limitations and how widely they are used globally and in India.
Keywords: Sex identification, chicks, poultry industry, bird species, egg production industry