embryology - NorthMacAgScience

CHICK EMBRYOLOGY

WHAT ARE THE PROPER TERMS USED IN

DESCRIBING POULTRY?

Poultry is the group name for all domesticated birds used for meat, eggs, or feathers.

A baby chicken of either sex is a chick .

A young male chicken is a cockerel .

A castrated (neutered) male chicken is a capon .

A mature male chicken is a rooster .

A young female chicken is a pullet .

A mature female chicken is a hen .

A group of chickens is a flock .

WHAT ARE THE PROPER TERMS USED IN

DESCRIBING POULTRY?

A. Chickens are classified as layers or broilers.

Layers are chickens used to produce large quantities of eggs.

On average layer hens produce 250 to 270 eggs per year.

Broilers are six- to seven-week-old chickens weighing about 4 pounds that are used for meat because they are tender.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT, BREEDS,

AND VARIETIES OF CHICKENS?

We have two breeds of chicken in our incubator:

1. The White Leghorn.

The Leghorn is the most popular layer breed in the United

States.

This breed is also known for its ability to take flight.

Leghorns produce white eggs.

They express yellow skin, yellow shanks, white earlobes, and reddish-bay eyes.

They are somewhat smaller than most breeds, and tend to be noisy.

The chicks are white in color.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT, BREEDS,

AND VARIETIES OF CHICKENS?

2. Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red is a dual-purpose breed; that is, it is raised for meat and eggs.

The breed is dark red and lays brown eggs.

Rhode Island Reds have yellow skin, yellow shanks, red earlobes, and reddish-bay eyes.

Chicks are a light red to tan color with two dark brown bars running down their backs.

HOW DOES THE PROCESS OF FERTILIZATION TAKE

PLACE IN A CHICKEN EGG?

The yolk is released into the oviduct (a long, spiraling tube in the hen's reproductive system), where it can be fertilized internally (inside the hen) by a sperm.

Fertilization of a chicken egg takes place when the sperm unites with the egg, forming the blastoderm.

Unfertilized eggs will go through the same process however, it will form a blastodisc.

A blastodisc will not be a dark white

Not symmetrically round

Can an un-fertilized egg develop an embryo?

CAN AN UNFERTILIZED EGG ACTUALLY

DEVELOP?

Parthenogenesis is an inherited trait that causes the development of unfertilized eggs .

About 1% of parthenogenetic embryos will develop and hatch with deformities.

Parthenogenesis is more common in turkeys than in chickens.

WHAT ARE THE INTERNAL PARTS OF AN EGG

AND WHAT ARE THEIR FUNCTIONS?

1. Blastoderm/blastodisc

2. Yolk: Produced by the hen's ovary in a process called ovulation.

It is the yellow, inner part of the egg where the embryo will form.

The yolk contains the food that will nourish the embryo as it grows.

WHAT ARE THE INTERNAL PARTS OF AN EGG AND

WHAT ARE THEIR FUNCTIONS?

3. Vitelline (yolk) membrane - the membrane that surrounds the yolk.

4. Thick albumin - the stringy part of the egg white (albumin) located nearest the yolk.

5. Thin albumin - the watery part of the egg white (albumin) located farthest from the yolk.

6. Chalaza - a spiral, rope-like strand that anchors the yolk in the thick egg white. There are two chalazae anchoring each yolk, one on the top and one on the bottom.

WHAT ARE THE INTERNAL PARTS OF AN EGG

AND WHAT ARE THEIR FUNCTIONS?

7. Inner shell membrane - the thin membrane located between the outer shell membrane and the albumin.

8. Outer shell membrane - the thin membrane located just inside the shell.

9. Air cell - an empty space located at the large end of the egg; it is between the inner and outer shell membranes.

10. Shell - the hard, protective coating of the egg.

It is semi-permeable; it lets gas exchange occur, but keeps other substances from entering the egg.

The shell is made of calcium carbonate.

Label the Chick Egg

WHAT IS THE IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR INCUBATING

EGGS ARTIFICIALLY?

Four Factors must be present for ideal incubation conditions:

A. Temperature. Optimum temperature for hatching chickens is between 99 and 100 degrees F.

B. Humidity. Eggs lose moisture during development and low humidity causes an increased loss. High humidity can prevent the correct evaporation of water.

WHAT IS THE IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR

INCUBATING EGGS ARTIFICIALLY?

C. Ventilation. Proper circulation is critical to assure a fresh supply of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide.

D. Position and turning of eggs. The head of the chick must face the large end of the egg for proper hatching.

Eggs should be incubated large end up, and turned three to five times daily to prevent the developing embryo from attaching to the shell membrane.

HOW DO WE PREPARE EGGS FOR HATCHING AND CARE

FOR YOUNG BIRDS DURING BROODING?

Fertility of eggs can be determined by a process known as candling.

A. Eggs held up to an egg candler , a device for shining a light beam into an egg. Eggs will look different depending on fertilization or lack of fertilization. Fertile eggs will appear darker as the developing embryo begins to form. Infertile eggs can be detected after 15 to 18 hours of incubation.

Between the following poultry species, who has the longest incubation period? Shortest?

WHY?

-

-

-

-

-

Duck

Pigeon

Ostrich

Chicken

Turkey

HOW DO WE PREPARE EGGS FOR HATCHING AND CARE

FOR YOUNG BIRDS DURING BROODING?

Different breeds of poultry have different incubation lengths:

Bird:

Chickens

Ducks/Turkeys

Pigeon

Ostrich

Incubation:

21 days

28 days

18 days

42 days

Do not candle or turn the eggs the last three days of incubation.

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

DAY 1

18 hours – the digestive system starts to appear

20 hours – the vertebral column starts to appear

21 hours – the nervous system and brain begin to form

22 hours – the head begins to form

23 hours – the extraembryonic blood systems begin to form

24 hours – the eyes begin to form

DAY 2

25 hours – the heart begins to form

35 hours – the ear pits begin to form

37 hours – the amnion starts to appear

42 hours – the heart starts to beat

46 hours – the throat begins to form

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

DAY 3

50 hours – the amnion begins to form

60 hours – the nose begins to form

62 hours – the legs start to appear

64 hours – the wings start to appear

70 hours – the allantois begins to form

Day 4

• The tongue begins to form

• The tail appears

• The toes begin to form

• Extra-embryonic circulation is fully functional

DAY 5

-The crop begins to form

-The bones of the legs begin to form

-The sex of the chick is determined and its reproductive organs begin to form(ovary & oviduct for the female as studied in Part III)

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 6

The beak and egg-tooth begin to form

The ribs start to appear

The gizzard begins to form

Voluntary movement begins

Day 7

The wings bend at the elbow and the leg at the knee

The toes are visible

The abdomen is bigger as the intestine starts to loop

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 8

The feathers begin to form

The eye lids begins to form

Day 9

The mouth opening appears

The claws begin to form

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 11

The toe claws begin to curve downwards

The bottom of the feet become padded

The chick begins to take calcium from the eggshell

Day 10

The beak starts to harden

The comb is visible

The flight feathers develop

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 12

Scales appear on the lower legs

The chick continues to grow and move

Day 13

Body fairly well covered with feathers

The left and right collar bones join to form the wishbone

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 14

The embryo turns its head towards the large end of the egg

The skull and ribs have begun to ossify

Day 15

The scales, claws and beak are becoming firm

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 16

The chick is fully covered with feathers

The albumen is nearly gone and the yolk is increasingly important as nourishment

Day 17

The chick turns its beak towards the air cell and begins preparation for hatching

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 18

The growth of the embryo is nearly complete

The amnion which protects the chick begins to disappear

Day 19

The yolk sac begins to enter the body

The chick occupies all the space in the egg except the air cell

CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Day 20

The yolk sac is completely drawn into the body

The beak breaks through the inner shell membrane

The lungs begin to function and to use the air cell for breathing

The allantois ceases to function and starts to dry up

Day 21

The neck begins to jerk

The egg tooth pips through the shell

The chick hatches!

HOW THE CHICK HATCHES

When the chick is completely out of the shell it lies still.

It is extremely tired.

After a rest it begins to rise to its feet and gain coordination.

Within a few days the egg tooth will disappear.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF CHICK DEVELOPMENT DURING

INCUBATION?

Day 3:

Body parts have begun to for

The embryo will have a distinct question mark shape

Heart begins to beat

Day 6

Voluntary movement begins formation of reproductive organs and differentiation of sex

Day 9

Egg tooth begins to form

Body parts can be clearly recognized

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF CHICK DEVELOPMENT DURING

INCUBATION?

Day 12

Beginning of feathers

Day 16

Beak, claws become to harden

Embryo continues to grow and moves into position to break the shell

Day 20-21

 yolk sac completely drawn into body cavity;

 embryo occupies practically all the space within the egg except the air cell

When the air cell is broken, the embryo only has a limited time to pip its way out of the egg.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF CHICK DEVELOPMENT DURING

INCUBATION?

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tof5b1Qs_OE&feature=related

HOW DO WE PREPARE EGGS FOR HATCHING AND CARE

FOR YOUNG BIRDS DURING BROODING?

D. Brooding refers to the care of young poultry from the time of hatching through eight to ten weeks of age.

Chicks should be removed from the incubator when they have dried and the down becomes fluffed. This drying normally takes about 12 hours.

1. Certain environmental conditions are needed for proper brooding.

 a. Temperature—When chicks are one day old, the temperature should be between 90 and 95 degrees F. The temperature is generally lowered five degrees per week until a temperature of 70 to

75 degrees is reached, or until the chicks are fully feathered.

 b. Ventilation—Proper ventilation provides fresh oxygen, removes carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and keeps bedding dry.

 c. Moisture—50 to 60% relative humidity is recommended for good feathering.