The incredible egg

Presented to you by-

Mr. Spaulding

What is an egg?

Egg- the female germ cell. The egg becomes the embryo.

What then are the eggs in which we see?

Avian egg- bird eggs.– It includes the following:

Shell Shell membranes Albumen Yolk

– Together they protect and nourish.

What are the parts of the egg?

From Outside to inside:1. Shell- hard outer surface; calcium

1. Shell has pores to allow loss of CO2, moisture.

2. Shell membranes- there are two one next to the shell, and surrounding albumen, yolk.

1. Known as Inner and Outer Membrane

3. Air Cell- air space between two shell membranes.

4. Albumen- egg white.

5. Yolk- true egg, if fertilized become embryo.

Parts of An Egg

How long does it take a hen to lay an egg?

Ovulation- release of mature yolk from the ovary.

Infundibulum- recieves the yolk, about 15 minutes spent.

Yolk moves into magnum 50% of albumen is added. Takes 3 hours.

Spends 1.5 hours in the Isthmus. Shell membranes added.

How long does it take a hen to lay an egg? Continued.

Spends the next 21 hours in the Uterus. Remainder of albumen is added. Shell pigment also happens here. Vagina- the fully formed egg enters cloaca and

is hard. 30 minutes after egg is laid process happens

again. Takes about 24 to 25 hours for chickens.

Female Poultry Reproduction System

How long does it take an egg to hatch?

Species Days to hatching

Chicken 21 Duck 33-35 Pheasant 23-25 Turkey 28 Geese 29-31

Development of a Chick

What is incubation?

Hatchlings are incubated in captivity. Artificial means of keeping an egg warm until

hatching. Done in an incubator- artificially heated

container. Still-air incubator- air is not circulated. Force-air incubator- has a fan to circulate air.

What are the different methods of incubating eggs?

Laying eggs in the incubator and turning them by hand every day.

In vitro- incubating eggs without shell. The incubator must be kept at a certain

temperature range 99 to 103 F.