Every year in Europe alone about 330 million male chicks are killed directly after hatching during egg production.
This is because cockerels don’t lay eggs and cockerels of egg-laying breeds gain less meat than those of typical broiler races. Chick culling is a worldwide phenomenon that poses an ethical dilemma for society. At respeggt, we have been researching this phenomenon for many years, seeking solutions that put an end to chick culling. And we have found those solutions. We are now able to avoid chick culling by using two different processes, both of which fulfil our high respeggt requirements.
Become part of the respeggt supply chain and join us in our efforts to end chick culling.

With heart...
The heart-shaped respeggt label is our promise: “Free of Chick Culling”. Since we control the complete supply chain, we can guarantee that all products bearing the heart-shaped respeggt label fulfil our high respeggt requirements.
By using modern blockchain technologies that transmit data sets in a transparent and tamper-proof manner, we can ensure that all the principles of our respeggt promise are respected throughout the supply chain. You can easily identify respeggt eggs that bear our heart-shaped respeggt label and be completely sure that no chicks were killed during their production. The first table eggs bearing the heart-shaped respeggt label were already available for sale in November 2018.

See our respeggt Style Guide for more information on the guidelines for using our heart-shaped respeggt label.
You can find more information on where to buy respeggt eggs or foodstuffs containing respeggt eggs on our consumer website: http://www.respeggt.com/en

...and mind
Our vision: Day-old male chicks are no longer killed in the supply chains of egg-production.
Our contribution: Innovative processes of gender identification in the hatching egg that we provide as a service in the supply chains of egg production. Furthermore, we offer projects for the fattening of male layer chicks that provably comply with our respeggt requirements to verify supply chains so that these eggs may also be labelled with the heart-shaped respeggt label.
To make it as simple as possible for all system partners along the supply chain to end chick culling, respeggt group offers “Sexing as a Service” (Saas). This means that respeggt conducts gender identification in the hatching egg free of charge for hatcheries. Consequently, hatcheries need not invest in the technological processes of gender identification in the hatching egg. The hatcheries are not billed by respeggt group for this service. Rather, the packing centres pay a licence fee per respeggt laying hen. Our SaaS business model allows new system partners to easily become part of a respeggt supply chain.
Through our SaaS and our control across the supply chain, we can guarantee consumers the added value of “Free of Chick Culling” thanks to gender identification in the hatching egg using the SELEGGT process or respeggt’s fattening of male layer chicks.
See our respeggt System Manual for further details on the services provided by respeggt group.
Newsletter No. 1/2022 - Early in-ovo sexing processes with respeggt supply chain verification
Read Newsletter (EN)December 10, 2021
December 10, 2021 - Changes and system adjustments at respeggt group
Read Newsletter (DE)August 12th, 2021
Largest laying hen hatchery in Europe - Verbeek´s Broederij B.V.
implements in-ovo sexing with respeggt group to end chick culling.
Read press release (EN) Read press release (NL)
June 7th 2021
First brood of female respeggt chicks in France!
We have set up a respeggt Sexing Unit in the hatchery Novoponte where we carry out gender identification in the hatching egg. Find the French press release below.
December 3rd, 2020
SELEGGT Circulus wins silver medal!
Our SELEGGT Circulus technology for gender identification in the hatching egg was awarded a silver medal at the EuroTier 2021 Innovation Awards.


respeggt System

Would you like to become a respeggt system partner? We recommend you first read our respeggt System Manual to become acquainted with our requirements. The System Manual defines the binding rules for securing, verifying and implementing the respeggt process along the respeggt supply chains.
respeggt system manual 5.0
Annex 5.1 Requirements fattening of respeggt male layer chicks
Annex 5.2 respeggt Styleguide 3.0
Annex 5.3 Marking of respeggt eggs with a stamp
Process for alternative in-ovo sexing processes
respeggt posters

Are you a new respeggt system partner that would like to inform your employees about our respeggt requirements? Download our posters here to display the respeggt rules for hatcheries, rearing farms, laying hen farms, packing centres and egg processing plants.
7 respeggt rules for hatcheries
7 respeggt rules for rearing farms
7 respeggt rules for laying hen farms
7 respeggt rules for packing centres
7 respeggt rules for respeggt egg processing plants
respeggt barn sign

You can use the respeggt barn sign (in size A4) to mark your barns that house respeggt animals.
respeggt Stallschild
respeggt Barn sign
respeggt Affiche poulailler
respeggt Staldeur-poster