The global demand for broiler chickens continues to grow, but consumers are increasingly demanding higher standards in animal welfare, food safety and sustainability. In 2026, the poultry industry will witness an unprecedented technological revolution. 
Vincent Favier, an executive of TARGAN, based on discussions with global industry leaders, has revealed four trends that are about to disrupt the traditional chicken farming industry.

01 Evolution or Elimination: Traditional Hatcheries Face a Life-and-Death Decision 
Against the backdrop of the continuously growing global demand for meat chickens, poultry producers are confronted with a challenging issue: How can they maintain profitability while meeting consumers' increasingly elevated expectations regarding animal welfare, food safety, and sustainability? 
Entering the hatchery, you will be astonished to find that the traditional manual sorting of baby chickens is disappearing. 
Instead, there is an efficient gender identification technology. This technology not only brings measurable results in terms of production efficiency and profitability, but more importantly, it provides a clear competitive advantage for the hatcheries that adopt this technology. 
These hatcheries can achieve stricter control over the entire value chain, improve the uniformity of the chicken flock and reduce the variability in live weight. This directly improves the feed conversion rate, makes the machine calibration of the processing plant more accurate, and reduces the number of carcasses with defects. 
When conducting separate feeding for male and female chickens on the farm, producers are allowed to adjust the feeding environment, feeding plans and stocking density according to the different needs of male and female chickens.

These adjustments have resulted in a more predictable growth pattern, higher yields, and better welfare indicators. As the technology for gender identification of chicks becomes widely adopted, hatcheries that fail to keep up with this change will face severe challenges. 
They will find it difficult to meet the customers' demands for uniformity of the chicken flock, production efficiency and cost control. Early adopters will become the preferred suppliers for those integrated producers and processors who seek consistency and predictability. 

02 Automation rises, traditional manual sorting exits the historical stage 
The traditional practice of separate feeding for male and female broiler chickens mainly relies on manual methods, but this approach is increasingly limited in large-scale hatcheries. The labor costs and logistical complexities associated with manual sex determination restrict its scalability. 
The manual sorting process is prone to human errors and highly dependent on employee training. With the shrinking of the labor pool in various regions, the rising employee turnover rate, and the high cost of training, this method is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. 
The emergence of automated gender identification technology marks a significant turning point.

The automated systems specifically designed for efficiency and consistency are rapidly replacing manual methods. In terms of scalability, automation has surpassed the limitations of manual gender identification. Take the WingScan™ system of TARGAN Company as an example. It can currently identify over 30 million chicks every week, achieving a productivity level that is beyond the reach of manual identification. This automatic feather speed and gender identification system enables large hatcheries to reliably and stably meet market demands. 
Meanwhile, this system offers a modular design that can be adapted to existing facilities, enabling producers of all sizes to benefit from automation technology. 
By 2026, automated systems will become the industry standard. In addition to achieving an accuracy rate of up to 97%, automation also improves the welfare of chicks by minimizing the stress caused by direct handling. 
For manufacturers, the shift from manual to automated gender identification is not merely about cost savings; it is a crucial step in enhancing operational resilience.

03 Precise Epidemic Prevention: How AI Technology Protects the Health of Chicken Flocks? 
As antibiotic resistance and avian influenza have become global challenges, poultry producers are facing a double burden: they need to reduce the use of antibiotics while maintaining strict biosecurity measures. Traditional vaccination methods, such as spraying or manual injection, are often labor-intensive and prone to causing uneven immune coverage or vaccine waste. 
The precise vaccination technology offers an innovative solution and is expected to become the cornerstone of chicken health by 2026. This technology utilizes artificial intelligence imaging and delivers precise doses to each chick to ensure uniform immunity. It is anticipated that the vaccination rate can reach 80,000 chicks per hour. 
This technology enhances biosecurity by achieving herd immunity, reduces the risk and spread of diseases, and decreases reliance on antibiotics. The new method of vaccinating chicks will breed stronger and healthier flocks, reduce farm losses, and improve animal welfare outcomes. 
As disease prevention is a core concern in poultry production, the precise vaccination technology not only protects the entire value chain but also drives the industry towards more responsible production methods. 
In a market environment that increasingly focuses on food safety and animal welfare, the significance of this technological innovation is self-evident. It represents the proactive efforts of the poultry industry in addressing global health challenges. 
04 Value Chain Integration: A New Cooperative Model That Breaks Industry Barriers 
An important trend in 2026 will be that poultry production will increasingly be managed as an integrated value chain, rather than remaining as a fragmented system where hatcheries, farms, and processing plants operate independently. Roundtable discussions are emerging as a new form of industry communication, bringing together various stakeholders such as processors, feed exporters, and technology providers to jointly explore value chain challenges and solutions.

The rise of separate feeding for male and female birds in poultry production has brought unprecedented opportunities for implementing differentiated feeding plans, reducing feed waste, and improving meat quality. 
At the same time, end customers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for high-value segmented products that meet specifications and are consistent – and these are precisely what the gender identification chicken flocks can provide. 
The vision that goes beyond traditional incubation facilities will be the core of successful poultry operations in 2026. Cross-value chain collaboration, including optimizing genetics breeding, nutrition, production, and processing, among other aspects, will set new benchmarks for efficient poultry production.

This integration approach is not only a necessary condition for enhancing production efficiency, but also the only way to meet the demands of consumers and the market. 
By 2026, effective management of the integrated value chain will become a key factor in differentiating industry leaders from followers. Those manufacturers that can establish strong partnerships, share data and resources will gain a significant competitive advantage. 
The automated chick sex identification system has achieved the capability of processing 30 million chicks per week, and the precise vaccination technology is advancing at a rate of 80,000 chicks per hour. These changes are taking place simultaneously all over the world, from large European farms to new incubation bases in the Middle East.