Tech Explained: Here’s a simplified explanation of the latest technology update around Tech Explained: AI-forward chick sorting could simplify hatchery operations in Simple Termsand what it means for users..
Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered gender identification technology uses computer vision to automatically identify and sort feather-sexable birds — approximately 80% of commercial broilers — at speeds up to 160,000 birds per hour.
Unlike conventional systems requiring conveyors and multiple workers to manually separate and gap sorted birds, the system’s modular design handles the entire process automatically through integrated landing and distribution zones. Birds move through the system until cameras capture images for gender determination, with automatic separation occurring downstream without human intervention.
“You don’t need conveyors and four other people behind the machine to actually separate and gap the birds by hand,” Ramin Karimpour, TARGAN‘s founder and CEO, explained at the 2025 Poultry Tech Summit. “We are already doing it automatically in our landing zone or distribution zone.”
The system could minimize reliance on manual labor, while improving accuracy in chick sorting in hatcheries.
The economic case for automated gender identification extends well beyond labor savings in the hatchery. Producers implementing this technology can realize up to two to five points of feed conversion ratio improvement on farms and up to 0.5 to two percentage points of yield gains in processing plants, depending on whether operations use manual or automatic deboning, Karimpour said.
Cloud-based monitoring ensures reliability
The chick sorting technology incorporates comprehensive cloud-based monitoring that tracks temperature, motor performance, camera function, sensor status and operational speeds in real-time.
This allows hatchery managers to monitor performance via smartphones, tablets or desktop computers, while also enabling field service teams to identify and address potential issues before they cause downtime.
The system operates on a lease model where payment depends on system operation, directly aligning the company’s financial incentives with customer success and system reliability.
Vaccine delivery technology coming in 2026
Building on its gender identification success, TARGAN will launch a complementary vaccine delivery system in 2026 that uses the same AI-powered computer vision technology to individually vaccinate chicks at the same high-speed throughput rates.
For hatcheries processing one million birds weekly, improved vaccination efficacy could generate annual feed cost savings ranging from $2.2 million to over $4 million through reduced disease cycling and improved bird health, Karimpour said.