Methods for noninvasive assessment of sexual dimorphism of embryos in the poultry egg

Abstract

The necessity of determining the sex in the bird's egg by non-invasive methods before incubation and during the incubation period is shown. The use of non-destructive methods for assessing sexual dimorphism in practice will significantly reduce the cost of producing eggs and poultry meat. The introduction of such methods will reduce the moral problems associated with the physical destruction of hatched chickens, depending on the egg or broiler direction of the poultry farm profile. The main methods and technical means for determining sexual dimorphism, used in world practice, are considered, the main disadvantage of which is the complexity of implementation and the associated high cost of acquiring such tools. Analysis of current world trends in the determination of sexual dimorphism of embryos in the poultry egg was carried out. Less costly methods of estimating their sex before and during incubation were identified. The main noninvasive methods for assessing the sexual dimorphism of the egg embryo are analyzed and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods are shown. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time it was proposed to use all shape parameters, including egg asymmetries in three spatial coordinates, determined by computer vision methods, when assessing sexual dimorphism. An experimental colorimetric apparatus for assessing the sexual dimorphism of egg embryos before and during the incubation process based on computer vision was proposed. The use of an experimental setup in research will allow evaluating the effectiveness of at least 3 methods for determining the sexual dimorphism of chicken eggs in terms of parameters: spatial asymmetry of the egg, structural changes in the development of the embryo and its heart rate.