Embryogenesis and early development

of birds ;chick
Lecture 1
 Poultry male reproductive system- paired organ

• Testis
• Short epididymis
• Vas deferens opens into cloaca
• No vesicula seminalis
• No prostate and Cowper,s glands
 Bird,s ovum
• Type: telolecithal
Large rounded yolk mass with a small germinal
disc of cytoplasm and nucleus floats on the top
Vitelline membrane Germinal disc
Structure of the hen egg at laying
Structure of the hen egg at laying
• Germinal disc: at the top of the egg.
• Yolk: alternately arranged white and yellow yolk around latebra.
• Latebra: central flask- shaped area of white yolk.
• Neck of latebra : connects latebra with germinal disc.
• Vitelline membrane: covers egg cell.
• Albumen : secreted by magnum of oviduct. Keeps egg cell in the
centre of egg white.
• Shell membranes : two membranes secreted by isthmus of oviduct.
• Air chamber: At laying, the two shell membranes are separated
from each other at the blunt end of the egg forming air chamber.
• Calcareous shell : secreted by shell gland ,porous for gas exchange
and consists of calcium carbonate.
Hen reproductive system
 Hen reproductive system
• Left ovary only.
• Left oviduct consists of:
1. Infundibulum: reception of ovulated egg and
fertilization.
2. Magnum:synthesis and deposition of albumen
3. Isthmus: synthesis of shell membranes.
4. Shell gland or uterus: synthesis of the shell.
5. Vagina: opens into cloaca: storage of sperms.
Hen ovary
 Ovulation and fertilization
• Ovulation: exit of egg cell from the ovary.
• Fertilization: ovulated egg enters the
infundibulum where internal fertilization takes
place.
• After fertilization : albumen , shell membranes
and calcareous shell are added to the egg cell.
• The laying down of the egg takes place after
about 24 hours of ovulation.
 Cleavage
• Cleavage is the division of the fertilized egg into
blastomeres.
• Type of cleavage in birds: incomplete or meroblastic.
• It is restricted to the germinal disc on the animal pole.The
lower yolk- filled part of the egg never cleaves . It is known
as discoidal cleavage.
• Cleavage planes in the early stages are vertical .all
blastomeres lie in one plane.
• Cleavage starts in the center of the germinal disc . Then it
spreads peripherally.
CLEAVAGE
 Cleavage furrows
• First cleavage furrow: meridional in the
middle of the germinal disc.The result is 2
blastomeres.
• Second cleavage furrow: meridional , at right
angle to the first one.the result is 4
blastomeres.
• Third cleavage furrow: are two in number
and more or less parallel to the first one.The
result is 8 blastomeres.
 Cleavage furrows and subgerminal cavity
• The fourth cleavage furrow: circular
• Through the 32- cell stage the cleavage furrows are all
perpendicular to the germinal disc.Then it becomes
irregular and spread to the periphery.
• After cleavage the central blastomeres become
separated from the underlying yolk by the subgerminal
cavity.
• The outer margin of blastoderm which adheres closely
to the yolk is the periblast.As development proceeds
the free edge of periblast overgrows the yolk mass.
 Blastulation
After cleavage ,blastulation occurs .Due to blastulation the
following structures are formed:
• The blastoderm appears in surface view as two zones:
Acentral lighter coloured area pellucida beneath which
the subgerminal cavity.
Adark area opaca or periblast surrounding area pellucida.
• The embryo develops in area pellucida .
• Area opaca takes no part in formation of embryonic
body .But it helps in formation of extraembryonic
membrane as yolk sac and is concerned with break down of
yolk and supply the embryo with food.
Area pellucida and area opaca
Blastulation
 Blastulation
Blastomeres of blastoderm form a superficial
layer, the epiblast.
Primary hypoblast cells delaminate from epiblast
individually to form islands of cells beneath it.
Secondary hypoblast cells migrate beneath epiblast
from the posterior margin and attach to primary
hypoblast forming one layer of hypoblast.
The hypoblast is separated from epiblast by the
blastocoel.