Using an Optoelectronic Method for Non-Destructive Sorting of Hatching Duck Eggs

Modern incubation tasks require high accuracy of duck egg selection, which can ensure a consistently high hatchability of young animals. Traditional methods of hatching egg sorting are based on manual measurements of weight, shape and subjective visual assessment, which reduces the level of reliability and productivity. In this paper, a rational optical-electronic method has been developed and scientifically substantiated for non-destructive analysis of duck eggs by key incubation parameters: weight, geometric dimensions, density, shape index and shape coefficient (K₁).. The method is implemented on the basis of a digital camera, a strain gauge, an infrared rangefinder and image processing algorithms. The studies were conducted on a sample of 300 duck eggs of the Adigel breed. The results of the studies showed a high degree of correlation between machine and manual measurements (r> 0.95), as well as an average relative error of less than 2%. The developed method ensures accurate, fast and reproducible sorting of duck eggs according to incubation suitability indicators, reducing the influence of the human factor and increasing the efficiency of incubation processes. Unlike previous systems designed for chicken eggs, the proposed method was specifically adapted for duck eggs by introducing calibration routines, empirical correction factors, and illumination adjustments for reflective and spotted shells. This ensures reliable, reproducible and breed-specific optical assessment for the Adigel duck population.