Merck Animal Health expands in North Carolina with acquisition of poultry tech firm Targan

Merck Animal Health plans to acquire Raleigh-based Targan, enhancing its poultry biopharmaceutical efforts and automating chick sexing with Targan’s WingScan system, potentially processing up to 160,000 chicks an hour.

Merck Animal Health is set to deepen its presence in North Carolina’s Triangle after agreeing to buy Raleigh-based Targan, a poultry technology company whose WingScan system automates chick sexing in hatcheries. Merck said the transaction, expected to close in the third quarter of 2026 subject to regulatory approval, would strengthen its biopharmaceutical push in poultry; financial terms were not disclosed.

WingScan uses high-speed imaging, conveyors and machine learning to identify male and female chicks, a task that has traditionally relied on manual labour. Targan says the system can process up to 160,000 chicks an hour in Merck’s statement, while the company itself has described throughput of up to 100,000 per system and accuracy as high as 98%. Targan also says the platform has now processed more than one billion birds and is installed in more than 40 hatcheries worldwide.

Founded in 2015, Targan has been a Merck partner since 2017, and the acquisition extends a relationship that has already helped carry the startup from Morrisville to a headquarters in Raleigh. Merck has been expanding elsewhere in the region too, including through its Durham vaccine manufacturing site and its purchase of Raleigh-headquartered Verona Pharma earlier this year.

Image Source: Targan