Chickscope Embryology:

Days 17-21: Happy Birthday!

Major Events:

• Day 17: The beak turns towards the air cell.

• Day 18-19: The beak breaks through the inner shell membrane.

• Day 18-19: The lungs begin to function.

• Day 19: The yolk sac begins to enter the body cavity.

• Day 20: The lungs are using the air cell for breathing completely.

• Day 20: The embryo occupies all of the egg except air cell.

• Day 21: The neck begins to spasm.

• Day 21: The egg tooth pips through the shell.

• Day 21: Exhausted and wet - but alive - the chick has hatched!

What Do I Look Like Today?

Focus On: Those Funny Chicks

Today we will look at different breeds of chicks and chickens. The color of the chick depends upon the characteristics of its parents. (Remember Day 6 and Day 7?) Different breeds of chickens produce differently colored and feathered chicks.

The first link gives some pictures of baby chicks with references to more photos; the second goes to one of our online resources - a paper illustrating dozens of varieties of chickens.

The image to the right is courtesy of Linda Brenner and comes from FeatherSite, "an on-line zoological garden of domestic poultry". FeatherSite has its own excellent baby chick page, with more varieties than are found in our pages. For information on how to raise the chicks in a proper environment, see Barry Koffler's Raising Chicks... Without Their Mom page.

• The Nursery: Baby Chicks of Differing Breeds.

• Standard Varieties of Chickens

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