Device and method for in-ovo determination of the sex of a fertilised bird egg

A method for in-ovo determination of the sex of a fertilized bird egg, comprising the steps of:

• emitting excitation radiation for exciting fluorescence in a region inside the fertilized bird egg by means of a light source;
• analyzing fluorescence radiation emitted from the region inside the fertilized bird egg by means of a spectroscopic apparatus in a temporally- and/or spectrally-resolved manner;
• and
• determining the sex from the data obtained by the spectroscopic apparatus,
• wherein by means of a measuring head the excitation radiation is emitted into the fertilized bird egg and jointly therewith the fluorescence radiation is received from the fertilized bird egg,
• wherein
• the spectroscopic apparatus is a device for analyzing fluorescence radiation in a temporally-resolved or temporally- and spectrally-resolved manner, wherein the spectroscopic apparatus is configured to measure, at a plurality of equidistantly increasing times for each of one or more wavelengths, a respective value of the fluorescent radiation, the measured values corresponding to a matrix object;
• and
• the measuring head comprises a light guide system and the emission of the excitation radiation into the fertilized bird egg and the reception of the fluorescence radiation from the fertilized bird egg is effected via a head end of the light guide system which is brought close to the fertilized bird egg, wherein the light guide system is a Y-shaped light guide system having two light guide strands which are brought together on a side of the head end.