Although IgY is the major circulating antibody in chickens, Aves Labs chooses to use eggs exclusively because it is animal-friendly. We never bleed our hens, and we don’t have to perform cardiac puncture to obtain large quantities of antibodies. We simply collect eggs.

Hens naturally transfer their circulating IgY antibodies into their eggs as a means of conferring passive immunity to their offspring. Although the eggs used for antibody production at Aves Labs are not fertilized, they contain about 100mg of IgY per yolk.