Apparatus for analysis of eggs

An apparatus or system comprising

• (a) a quantitative analytic apparatus selected from the group consisting of a magnetic resonance spectrometer, a spectral resonance spectrometer, a GC coupled with a suitable detector, an HPLC coupled with a suitable detector, a fluorescence spectrometer and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system for measuring the level of at least a first developmental marker compound selected from sugars and/or amino acids, precursors and metabolites thereof in an egg;
• (b) a microprocessor configured to perform multivariate statistical analysis of the level of the at least a first developmental marker to compare the amount to a base line established for male and female, developmental stage of the embryo, and/or alive and deceased or non-developed embryo, to determine whether the embryo is viable, male and/or female, and/or the developmental stage of the embryo and identify viable female and viable male eggs;
• and
• (c) an incubator for subjecting the viable female and/or viable male eggs to an incubation and hatching process to form a predominantly female or male chick population, and/or for subjecting the viable egg selections to an incubation and hatching process in line with the expected hatching date, to form a chick population of predominantly the same developmental stage.