ARAPAHOE COUNTY VIRTUAL EMBRYOLOGY FAQ'S

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR A CHICK TO HATCH? It will take 21 days from the time the fertilized is incubated for the chick to hatch.

WHAT DO CHICK EMBRYOS EAT INSIDE THE EGG? Since our embryos can't run to the grocery store for their favorite food, they will get all the nutrients and water from inside their egg. The egg supplies the embryo with everything they need to grow and develop. The albumen (or ) also supplies water and nutrients to the embryo.

HOW DOES THE CHICK EMBRYO EAT? Embryos are attached to the yolk sac through their umbilical cord (similar to mammals). The umbilical cord is connected to many blood vessels that attach to the yolk. So the chicks get their food through their belly.

HOW DO CHICKS HATCH? Chicks start hatching around day 20. They will begin to move into place, during this time we may hear them chirp and see the roll around. They use a hard, sharp point on the end of their called the egg tooth to puncture the shell membrane where they take their first breath from the air cell. Chicks will then begin to make the first hole, or pip, in the shell. They will use their body to move around inside the egg and make more and more holes, we call this unzipping. Once they have made it all around the egg, they will push against the shell and finally break free. This process can take a long time. WHAT DO CHICKS EAT ONCE THEY'VE HATCHED? We start our chicks out on a "Chick Starter Feed" it contains: Corn, Soybean Meal, Wheat Middlings, Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. HOW DO WE KNOW IF A CHICK IS A BOY OR GIRL? The easiest way for us to tell if a chick is a male or female is to look at the feathers on it's wing. Female chicks will have longer wind feathers than male chicks. This is not always 100% accurate, but one of the easier ways to tell on a chick. Otherwise we have to wait 6-8 weeks for the chick to start developing physical characteristic (comb/waddles). We can use the wing feather to idefity the gender of turkey poults. For ducks, we use their voice. Female ducklings tend to be noisier than males. By 6 weeks old, females are louder and make distinct quacks while males at this age sound raspy and low key.

AT WHAT AGE IS A WHEN DO ROOSTERS "FULL GROWN"? START CROWING? After a chick is a several weeks old, we call Roosters usually start crowing them either a pullet (if they are a female) or a around 5-6 months of age. cockerel (if they are a male). Once they are around 6 months old, they are usually considered full grown - at that time hens will begin laying eggs.

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? EMAIL CLAUDIA AT [email protected]