Aspects for utilizing a seawater fluid to optimize egg-production characteristics are disclosed. In one aspect, a method is provided, which includes identifying a desired optimization, determining a corresponding seawater to non-seawater ratio, and generating a seawater fluid according to the ratio. An egg-cultivation method is also provided, which includes ascertaining a desired optimization, selecting a corresponding seawater to non-seawater ratio, and providing a seawater fluid comprising the ratio to a hen. In another egg-cultivation method, hens are provided with a mixed feed comprising a feed to seawater-mineralized produce ratio selected according to a desired optimization. A method to grow produce is also provided, which includes mineralizing soil with a seawater fluid comprising a seawater to non-seawater ratio corresponding to a preferred optimization. In another aspect, a method to produce feed is disclosed, which includes mixing feed with mineralized produce according to a ratio corresponding to a desired optimization.

The invention relates to a method for determining, the sex of at least one embryo in an egg (12), in which the sex of the embryo is determined by means of at least one detection method which is noninvasive at least with regard to the egg (12), wherein at least one oestradiol value which characterizes the concentration of oestradiol in the egg (12) is determined by means of the noninvasive detection method and the sex is determined as a function of the oestradiol value.

The sex of embryos in eggs is influenced or controlled through the application of light having selected wavelengths and heat in order to promote the development of embryos of a selected sex. An incubating device is provided having an interior cavity that can be sealed from an outside, and having a plurality of lighting elements disposed in the interior cavity. Eggs are disposed on trays, and pre-determined environmental conditions are applied to the interior cavity to promote hatching of the eggs. Concurrently with the application of the environmental conditions, the eggs are irradiated according to pre-determined lighting conditions having wavelengths substantially concentrated in selected ranges In some embodiments, the temperature of the incubator is kept above or below the optimal incubation temperature.

An improved poultry production method comprising providing dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP) to poultry eggs, chicks and birds, and devices for providing DHP to poultry production during laying, incubating, hatching, and growing.

A bird vaccination system for vaccination of a bird while the bird is retained on a conveying mechanism and transported by the conveying mechanism along a first direction. The bird vaccination system comprises a fluid discharge device comprising a fluid discharge opening operative to discharge at least one vaccination fluid to the bird, at least one actuator operative to effect a displacement of at least the fluid discharge opening, at least one control circuit operative to control the at least one actuator, and a data acquisition device operative to capture image data of the bird retained on the conveying mechanism. The at least one control circuit is operative to control the at least one actuator to adjust a position of the fluid discharge opening relative to the bird based on the image data for performing the vaccination while the bird is being moved by the conveying mechanism.

A method and a system are provided for collecting volatile organic compounds and applying THz based detection of a signature of the collected compounds to determine egg properties. Egg properties include gender and/or fertility.

Volatile organic chemicals emitted by a shell egg embryo are used to identify the fertility, viability, and sex of the shell egg embryo. Shortly after the egg is laid, the egg is isolated in a vapor-tight compartment so that a vapor containing volatile organic chemicals emitted by the shell egg embryo collect in the headspace of the compartment. The chemicals in the vapor are analyzed to construct a chemical profile of the shell egg embryo, and then the chemical profile of the shell egg embryo vapor is loaded into a previously developed model. Based on the data generated by the model, the shell egg is embryo is predicted to be an alive male, an alive female, an infertile egg, or an egg containing a dead embryo.

A system and method for determining and managing the volume and concentration of sanitiser optimised for use in a method for disinfecting an intra-ovum substance application module, with information on the average size of the vaccinated and/or fed fertile eggs being used as the paradigm, represent a solution in the field of poultry farming, in particular in the poultry breeding sector, particularly useful to aid the disinfection of the components of operational modules of the breeding system, in particular the substance application module [E12], adding value in that it ensures that a volume of prepared concentrated sanitiser (Sa31) with assured quality is obtained, especially in that it exhibits titration with a concentration suitable for the batch of vaccinated/fed fertile eggs, ensuring the suitability and effectiveness in respect to the true mean age of the matrix batch, determined as a function of average egg size (Tm1), wherein for that purpose the system of the invention was designed with an architecture comprising the following modules: fertile egg batch data module (M1), action management module (M2), concentrated sanitiser module (M3), water purification module (M4) and module (M5) for preparing the prepared concentrated sanitiser.

A system for recognising the stage of fertile eggs from an ovoscopy step and sorting same, and a method for operating the submodules of the system and modules for applying substances and hatching represents an inventive solution in the field of poultry farming, in particular in the sector of poultry breeding, and more specifically in the step of application of vaccines or nutrients or a vaccine-nutrient complex into fertile eggs by intra-ovum injection, and also in the hatching step, on the basis of a module for sorting eggs in the matrix (4), in particular blind matrix (Mz1) of fertile eggs, and of an egg stage sensing module (M41), wherein the data obtained are processed by an egg sorting module (m42), using an application software (d21) which first generates a virtual matrix (Mz2) of the incubation tray, then a matrix (Mz3) that mirrors approved eggs, these data being then processed to feed the substance preparation submodule (m43) and the device set-up module (m44), in order to optimise the operation of the substance application module (m2) and hatching module (m3), respectively, a sorted egg data base submodule (m45) being further defined to feed the module for analysing the quality of the matrices (egg-laying hens) used to develop avian species.

An improvement to an operational system of a module for locking injection devices of a subsystem for applying substances into fertile eggs represents an inventive solution in the field of poultry fanning, in particular in the field of poultry breeding and more specifically in the step of application of vaccines and/or nutrients into fertile eggs (Ov), wherein the locking submodule (m1) of the subsystem for applying substances into fertile eggs has a distinguishing concept, the locking and stabilising of each injection device (I) by at least three inflatable elements (12) mounted side by side in respective adjacent openings (11b), and a pressure recognition submodule (m5) is provided under operational optics to allow the management submodule (m2) to decide whether to start the substance inoculation module.