Wilton’s Hy-Line North America hatchery made history Tuesday, Dec. 10, launching a European developed egg-sex determination technology for the first time in the United States.
The newly installed high-tech “Cheggy” machine at the plant managed by Scott Vieten on the northwest edge of the community changes the industry, providing a more humane treatment for male chickens, enhancing partnerships within the industry and possibly growing the 75 employee hatchery that came to Wilton in 2015.
The major announcement and launch was witnessed by city officials, including Mayor Keith Stanley, City Administrator Jeff Horne and Chamber & Development Alliance Director Becky Allgood. Also in attendance were media representatives from throughout the nation, and industry leaders, including the developer, Hy-Line officials and partners, as well as animal welfare representatives, including the ASPCA.
Hy-Line North America President Pete Block explained the Cheggy technology in the plant was made possible by a new partnership with NestFresh, who has plans to place the growing market of free-range eggs in grocery stores by August 2025. “It’s the first in America,” said Block, before introducing Jorg Hurlin, Managing Director of Agri Advanced Technologies (AAT), a German based company that invented the technology. The company, a subsidiary of the family holding EW GROUP, headquartered in Visbek, Lower Saxony, has been influential in at least four major developments in the industry.
Hurlin said the research for the technology came to life in 2003 before the first Cheggy was used in Europe in 2019. He said surveys showed 73 percent of consumers felt the industry needed to find an alternative to support animal welfare and 71 percent were willing to pay a more premium price for the end product to make that happen.
Hy-Line officials first discussed the possibility of utilizing AAT’s technology in October of last year before coming to Germany and France to witness the technology in use. The Cheggy will determine the sex of brown layered eggs at a rate of 25,000 per hour.
The technology is 97 percent accurate, non-invasive with no risk of contamination or injuries to the embryo, a sustainable process due to the fact no expensive consumables are required in a space-saving design that only requires 322 square feet of space. It’s also the most cost-efficient process on the market.
The company now has 12 units in seven locations in Europe and installed a second Cheggy at a sister Hy-Line plant in Texas later last week. Between the two plants, 180 million eggs are hatched annually.
Dr. Ian Rubinoff, the director of sales for Hy-Line NA, said the company came to Wilton because they were looking for a prime location with great transportation opportunities to ship their chicks all over the nation. The firm currently ships to about 35 states and has two other Iowa plants in Spencer and Goldfield, although Wilton has the largest operation.
Rubinoff said it takes three employees to operate the Cheggy, noting they went under rigorous training for about six weeks before the launch, and were all experienced employees, having to know how to operate every machine in the plant.
He said the eggs come from a dozen breeder stocks in the local area, noting there are actually an estimated 42 million laying hens in the state. He said the facility can hold the eggs up to 21 days, but typically puts them in use in 7-14 days. He said typically by about the 13th day of incubation, the embryo would develop feathers, essential in making the Cheggy process work.
Rubinoff said the male eggs are typically made into compost, used as farm fertilizer. “All is recycled,” he said.
Rubinoff said animal welfare representatives at the meeting were “very much in favor” of the new practice, noting it was great to be able to give them the live demonstration.
He said the NestFresh partnership has been developing over 40 years of doing business together with Hy-Line, but said the two companies have worked together to bring Cheggy to the U.S. for the past two years.
Jason Urena, vice-president of NestFresh, said his company, which has a proud history of innovation, has developed a network of family farms that are raising anywhere from 10,000-30,000 chickens, all organic and pasture raised, each laying 310-340 eggs per lifespan.. Officials praised the family farms and said chicken farmers are “energized” by the new technology and ideas. “Our producers are pretty special,” he said.
He said there is a consumer movement toward free-range eggs that NestFresh hopes to capitalize on in the next decade.
Rubinoff said there is a consumer movement that NestFresh hopes to capitalize on in the next decade.
Hy-Line serves a variety of egg-producing companies. Rubinoff said the majority of grocery stores in the United States carry eggs produced by chickens from the Wilton hatchery.
Wilton city manager Jeff Horne found the technology “pretty interesting,” but said it doesn’t surprise him with so many high-tech innovations in today’s world. He said Hy-Line continues to be a good corporate citizen for the city and the innovation further cements the company’s commitment to Wilton.