SUNICO, LETICIA ROSE DVM 2-1

VANA 2210 LAB EXERCISE 6

MATURE OVUM
ACTIVITY
Place the egg on a flat surface and give it a few rolls until it settles by itself. Mark
an oval outline over the top surface of the shell with a pencil. With a pair of scissors, cut a
window by following the oval outline previously made or you may carefully break the egg
into a petri dish guided by your markings.
Upon opening, the yolk mass will become visible with the blastodisc in the most
dorsal surface. The blastodisc appears as a circular whitish area representing the earliest
embryonic development. The blastodisc is larger in fertilized egg than in an unfertilized
one due to a development that has taken place in the former. The development (mitosis)
in the blastodisc results in the formation of cells called blastomeres. Aggregation of these
cells is called blastoderm.
Draw the egg as seen in the petri dish. Identify and label the following structures:
yolk mass, blastodisc, chalazae, thick and thin albumen.

Let one fresh egg to settle in one position for a few minutes to allow the blastodisc
settle at the most dorsal position. Mark the dorsal surface of the egg and boil the egg in
the same position. Remove the shell and take note the inner and outer membrane and air
space at the blunt end of the egg. Using a thin thread, cut the boiled egg longitudinally
through the marked dorsal position of the egg. Draw a longitudinal section of a hard-boiled
egg and identify the following structures: shell, air space, inner and outer shell membrane,
albumin, yellow yolk, blastodisc, nucleus of Pander and latebra.
 `Dissect a hen/pullet, identify and draw the segments of the reproductive tract.
Identify the components of the egg formed in each segment and time needed for each
component to be formed.
STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. What is latebra?
★ The latebra is an area located in the center of the yolk. Its function is that it
may act as the central structure around which the additional layers of the
yolk are formed.

2. What is the nucleus of Pander?

★ The nucleus of pander is the flask-shaped mass of yolk and it provides
the place where the embryo develops.

3. What is the significance of air space in an egg?

★ The air sac is the space in the egg and it has a function in pressure
adjustments and in respiration. As the egg ages the air space increases.

4. What is the significance of pores in an egg?

★ The pores in the egg allow the transfer of gasses through the shell. It
permits the moisture and carbon dioxide to escape and be replaced by
fresh air.