# How important is it for a chick to work at getting out of the shell?



## Oladeus (Apr 10, 2021)

I am going to try to grow some chickens inside clear plastic cups so my students can watch the embryonic development. (I have a local farmer who has agreed to take the chicks once they've hatched.) I have seen lots of websites and videos on how to do this. My biggest question is how do the chicks actually get out of the cup? The videos always jump from the full-sized chick in the cup to the fluffy chick outside the cup walking around. I always believed that the struggle to break the shell was an important developmental step for the chick. I don't think we should just dump them out of the cup on day 21. Should we just let them wiggle around and struggle for a while first? For how long? Or can they pip and crack a plastic cup? Should we crack the cup for them? How do you know when it's time? Any suggestions or insights you can share will be greatly appreciated.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

How absolutely certain are you that the video you saw was real?

How do you get the internal parts of the egg out without breaking the membrane? 

The shell also protects the developing embryo from bacteria, how is that going to work without a shell?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

We need more information.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*When I typed the below in a google search box a lot came up; site-videos, etc. It has been a very long day so I did not look at any of the information. It sounds rather incredible.

Growing chicks inside a clear container without the shell*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I just read one of the articles on the possibility. It mentioned a "solution" being used. No mention as to what that solution was.


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## Oladeus (Apr 10, 2021)

I assure you. This is real. 
I'm using mainly these sources for information:

A lesson plan from the University of Connecticut:


https://animalscience.uconn.edu/extension/poultry-extension-4-h_2_3284039681.pdf



A document from the National Center of Biotechnology Information, National Library of Information:








Shell-less chick embryo culture as an alternative in vitro model to investigate glucose-induced malformations in mammalian embryos - PubMed


We have developed a simple shell-less chick embryo culture system to study glucose-induced malformations. This system involves the culturing of chick embryos from the second day to the fifth day of incubation, with associated yolk and thick and thin albumen outside the egg shell. The system...




pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov





There are many other resources, but these two have the most credibility.

There are many videos that show this being done at home and in school labs. I'm using this video to create the procedure because I think it has the most details and will be the most useful:






This is video is nearly 10 minutes long. It's VERY cool to watch. But, if you skip to 8:30, you see the the 21-day-old chick is moving and kicking. In the next scene it appears that the cover was removed, and the chick just kinda looks around. In the next scene you see the half-dried baby chick walking around. This is the closest I can get to seeing how the chick actually gets out. My husband suggests that that may be because it's not an issue. If it was, someone would have mentioned it.
So my question is, Will that be enough for the chick to accomplish whatever it needs to accomplish while hatching? I'm starting to think 'yes.' What are your opinions?
Thank you.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Having to help quite a few peeps hatch over the years, I'm not that certain that the act of the peep hatching itself plays into how well they do afterwards. 

I hope you realize that if this is successful we'd very much appreciate seeing it documented here. We're constantly learning and this would be a fascinating one.


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## Oladeus (Apr 10, 2021)

Thanks for your reply. I'd be happy to share my results. It's the least I can do for the help you all are giving me.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Oladeus said:


> I am going to try to grow some chickens inside clear plastic cups so my students can watch the embryonic development. (I have a local farmer who has agreed to take the chicks once they've hatched.) I have seen lots of websites and videos on how to do this. My biggest question is how do the chicks actually get out of the cup? The videos always jump from the full-sized chick in the cup to the fluffy chick outside the cup walking around. I always believed that the struggle to break the shell was an important developmental step for the chick. I don't think we should just dump them out of the cup on day 21. Should we just let them wiggle around and struggle for a while first? For how long? Or can they pip and crack a plastic cup? Should we crack the cup for them? How do you know when it's time? Any suggestions or insights you can share will be greatly appreciated.



*I do not know anything of this experiment, but possibly what I know of hatching eggs will be useful to you. 

First there would need to be something to replace the air cell-I would think that the chick would drown when it gets to the internal piping stage; at this point the chick is not ready to hatch but need oxygen to breath. **In the video, the top of the cup takes the place of the air cell. I wonder what happens if the chick develops head down.*

*Secondly the yolk sack-The chick would be ready to remove from the container when the yolk sack at its vent is completely absorbed. Removed too early the yolk sack would not be absorbed and the chick would likely die. **Timing would be important. Internal piping should not be a problem as long as humidity is correct. Full hatch shouldn't be hard. Once the yolk sack is absorbed and the chick is peeping loudly, it then could be removed from the cup.*

*I do wonder how the egg contents are removed from the shell and put into a clear container without damage, but most of the egg is food for the developing embryo, so possibly that is not as serious of an endeavor as I think.*
*Certainly doesn't look serious in the video. Care would have to be taken so the yolk does not break.*

*I am a retired junior high science teacher. I look forward to hearing how your experiment goes. Before retiring I, often, used birds in the classroom in one way or another.

After watching the video, I would think the internal piping stage would be the most critical in the chick's development and hatching. Should the embryo form upside down...? And if the membrane surrounding the chick forms wrong from incorrect humidity, then the chick would have problems with internal piping.

I hope my post is of help to you. Good luck.*


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Oladeus said:


> I assure you. This is real.
> I'm using mainly these sources for information:
> 
> A lesson plan from the University of Connecticut:
> ...


*Your husband is correct. Piping through the sack that surrounds the chick is more important.

After watching the video again, there is one critical step missing and that is showing the chick piping through the amniotic sack. The video completely passes this over; one scene shows the chick within the sac and the next scene he sack is completely gone. It makes no sense to me why this isn't in the video as it is the most important step in hatching. If the humidity is too high moisture builds up and the piping chick drowns-too little humidity and the membrane is too tough for the chick to break through. I'd suggest you look for a video that shows the chick piping through the amniotic sack.*


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