Chick viability is known to be an important factor determining profitability of the poultry industry. Chick embryo tissues contain a high proportion of highly polyunsaturated fatty acids in the lipid fraction and therefore need antioxidant defence. The antioxidant system of the developing embryo and newly hatched chick includes the antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxida...

We report here that cells present in embryonic chick retinal monolayer cultures express differentiated properties characteristic of chick cones developing in vivo. Cell suspensions from 8-d chick embryo retina (a stage when photoreceptor differentiation has not yet started) were cultured for up to 7 d in low density, glial-free monolayers. Under these conditions, monopolar cells represent appro...

Changes in lectin activity during development of embryonic chick skin were studied. In the dorsal skin of the chick embryo in which feathers were formed, lectin activity first increased, during the period of dermal condensation, and then it decreased during the development of feathers. A similar change in lectin activity was also found in the anterior shank skin, the prospective scale region of...

The observation and manipulation of chicken embryos in ovo has been useful for understanding the development vertebrates. However, viability longevity are severely compromised even by simple manipulations to egg shell. We have explored experimental protocols that promote ex use an undergraduate teaching laboratory setting. Here, we demonstrate a modified windowing technique increases survival t...