**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN A POULTRY HATCHERY, UNHATCHED EGGS (I.E., INFERTILE EGGS AND DEAD EMBRYOS) POSE A CONSIDERABLE CHALLENGE BECAUSE THEY OCCUPY SPACE IN THE INCUBATOR, INCREASE HANDLING COSTS, REDUCE OVERALL YIELDS, AND POTENTIALLY HARBOR BACTERIA OR MOLD, WHICH COULD CONTAMINATE OTHER EGGS. APPROXIMATELY 300 MILLION MALE LAYER CHICKS ARE CULLED ANNUALLY IN THE UNITED STATES AND KILLING DAY-OLD MALE LAYERS IS CONSIDERED A WASTEFUL PRACTICE AND A SERIOUS ANIMAL WELFARE ISSUE THAT RAISES CONSIDERABLE ETHICAL CONCERNS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT DATA-DRIVEN HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGY WILL ENABLE EARLY NON-INVASIVE SENSING OF HATCHING EGG CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON THE IMAGE AND SPECTRAL FEATURES FOR THE EARLY PREDICTION OF CHICK SEX AND EMBRYONIC MORTALITY. WE WILL SELECT SOME IMPORTANT SPECTRAL BANDS TO DESIGN MULTISPECTRAL REAL-TIME IMAGING THAT WILL MEET THE ACCURACY AND SPEED OF THE POULTRY INDUSTRY. SUCCESS OF THIS PROJECT WILL MINIMIZE ETHICAL CONCERNS IN HATCHERY PRACTICES BY ALLEVIATING THE HATCHING AND THEN KILLING OF DAY-OLD MALE CHICKS. IT WILL ALSO MAKE THE POULTRY INDUSTRY MORE ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE.