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UNSW Embryology

Chicken Development Stages

© Dr Mark Hill (2011)

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Hamburger & Hamilton staged the chicken embryo in 1951. The original paper had approx 25 citations between 1955 - 59, while in the year 1991 alone there were over 300 citations. Series of Embryonic Chicken Growth. J. Morphology, 88 49 - 92 (1951). Atlas recently republished by J.R. Sanes in Developmental Dynamics 195 229-275 (1993).

The HH stage table below describes feature of the chicken that can be seen at specific times (mean of a range) after fertilization. Some of the stages can be clicked to see sample embryo pictures on another page.

There is also an comparisons with the alternative universal Witschi staging and, on another page, the Carnegiestaging of embryos.

Hamburger Hamilton Stages

Hamburger Hamilton Stages
Age
Identification of Stages
Before Laying
Early cleavage

3.5-4.5 hr

Shell membrane of egg formed in isthmus of oviduct
During cleavage

Germ wall formed from marginal periblast
Late cleavage

4.5-24.0 hr

Shell of egg formed in uterus
After Laying
1

Preprimitive streak (embryonic shield)
2

6-7 hr

Initial primitive streak, 0.3-0.5 mm long
3

12-13 hr

Intermediate primitive streak
4

18-19 hr

Definitive primitive streak, ±1.88 mm long
5

19-22 hr

Head process (notochord)
6

23-25 hr

Head fold
7

23-26 hr

1 somite; neural folds
7 to 8-

ca. 23-26 hr

1-3 somites; coelom
8

26-29 hr

4 somites; blood islands
9

29-33 hr

7 somites; primary optic vesicles
9+ to 10-

ca. 33 hr

8-9 somites; anterior amniotic fold
10

33-38 hr

10 somites; 3 primary brain vesicles
11

40-45 hr

13 somites; 5 neuromeres of hindbrain
12

45-49 hr

16 somites; telencephalon
13

48-52 hr

19 somites; atrioventricular canal
13+ to 14-

ca. 50-52 hr

20-21 somites; tail bud
14

50-53 hr

22 somites; trunk flexure; visceral arches I and II, clefts 1 and 2
14+ to 15-

ca. 50-54 hr

23 somites; premandibular head cavities
15

50-55 hr

24-27 somites; visceral arch III, cleft 3
16

51-56 hr

26-28 somites; wing bud; posterior amniotic fold
17

52-64 hr

29-32 somites; leg bud; epiphysis
18

3 da

30-36 somites extending beyond level of leg bud; allantois
19

3.0-3.5 da

37- 40 somites extending into tail; maxillary process
20

3.0-3.5 da

40-43 somites; rotation completed; eye pigment
21

3.5 da

43-44 somites; visceral arch IV, cleft 4
22

3.5-4.0 da

Somites extend to tip of tail
23

4 da

Dorsal contour from hindbrain to tail is a curved line
24

4.5 da

Toe plate
25

4.5-5.0 da

Elbow and knee joints
26

5 da

1st 3 toes
27

5.0-5.5 da

Beak
28

5.5-6.0 da

3 digits, 4 toes
29

6.0-6.5 da

Rudiment of 5th toe
30

6.5-7.0 da

Feather germs; scleral papillae; egg tooth
31

7.0-7.5 da

Web between 1st and 2nd digits
32

7.5 da

Anterior tip of mandible has reached beak
33

7.5-8.0 da

Web on radial margin of wing and 1st digit
34

8 da

Nictitating membrane
35

8.5-9.0 da

Phalanges in toes
36

10 da

Length of 3rd toe from tip to middle of metatarsal joint = 5.4±0.3mm; length of beak from anterior angle of nostril to tip of bill = 2.5mm; primordium of comb; labial groove; uropygial gland
37

11 da

Length of 3rd toe = 7.4±0.3mm; length of beak = 3.0 mm
38

12 da

Length of 3rd toe = 8.4±0.3 mm; length of beak = 3.1 mm
39

13 da

Length of 3rd toe = 9.8±0.3 mm; length of beak = 3.5 mm
40

14 da

Length of beak = 4.0 mm; length of 3rd toe = 12.7±0.5 mm
41

15 da

Length of beak from anterior angle of nostril to tip of upper bill = 4.5 mm; length of 3rd toe = 14.9±0.8 mm
42

16 da

Length of beak = 4.8 mm; length of 3rd toe = 16.7±0.8 mm
43

17 da

Length of beak = 5.0 mm; length of 3rd toe = 18.6±0.8 mm
44

18 da

Length of beak = 5.7 mm; length of 3rd toe = 20.4±0.8 mm
45

19-20 da

Yolk sac half enclosed in body cavity; chorio-allantoic membrane contains less blood and is "sticky" in living embryo
46

20-21 da

Newly-hatched chick

Standard Stage Comparison

Standard Stages
(Witschi)

Hamburger Hamilton Stages
Age
Identification of Stages
Before Laying

3,4

Early cleavage

3.5-4.5 hr2

Shell membrane of egg formed in isthmus of oviduct

5,6

During cleavage

Germ wall formed from marginal periblast

7

Late cleavage

4.5-24.0 hr2

Shell of egg formed in uterus
After Laying

8,9

1

Preprimitive streak (embryonic shield)

10

2

6-7 hr

Initial primitive streak, 0.3-0.5 mm long

11

3

12-13 hr

Intermediate primitive streak

12

4

18-19 hr

Definitive primitive streak, ±1.88 mm long

13a

5

19-22 hr

Head process (notochord)

13b

6

23-25 hr

Head fold

14a

7

23-26 hr

1 somite; neural folds

14b

7 to 8-

ca. 23-26 hr

1-3 somites; coelom

14c

8

26-29 hr

4 somites; blood islands

15a

9

29-33 hr

7 somites; primary optic vesicles

15b

9+ to 10-

ca. 33 hr

8-9 somites; anterior amniotic fold

15c

10

33-38 hr

10 somites; 3 primary brain vesicles

16a

11

40-45 hr

13 somites; 5 neuromeres of hindbrain

16b

12

45-49 hr

16 somites; telencephalon

16c

13

48-52 hr

19 somites; atrioventricular canal

17a

13+ to 14-

ca. 50-52 hr

20-21 somites; tail bud

17b

14

50-53 hr

22 somites; trunk flexure; visceral arches I and II, clefts 1 and 2

17c

14+ to 15-

ca. 50-54 hr

23 somites; premandibular head cavities

17d

15

50-55 hr

24-27 somites; visceral arch III, cleft 3

18

16

51-56 hr

26-28 somites; wing bud; posterior amniotic fold

19

17

52-64 hr

29-32 somites; leg bud; epiphysis

20

18

3 da

30-36 somites extending beyond level of leg bud; allantois

21

19

3.0-3.5 da

37- 40 somites extending into tail; maxillary process

22

20

3.0-3.5 da

40-43 somites; rotation completed; eye pigment

23

21

3.5 da

43-44 somites; visceral arch IV, cleft 4

24

22

3.5-4.0 da

Somites extend to tip of tail

25

23

4 da

Dorsal contour from hindbrain to tail is a curved line

26

24

4.5 da

Toe plate

27

25

4.5-5.0 da

Elbow and knee joints

28

26

5 da

1st 3 toes

29

27

5.0-5.5 da

Beak

30

28

5.5-6.0 da

3 digits, 4 toes

31

29

6.0-6.5 da

Rudiment of 5th toe

32

30

6.5-7.0 da

Feather germs; scleral papillae; egg tooth

33a

31

7.0-7.5 da

Web between 1st and 2nd digits

33b

32

7.5 da

Anterior tip of mandible has reached beak

34a

33

7.5-8.0 da

Web on radial margin of wing and 1st digit

34b

34

8 da

Nictitating membrane

34c

35

8.5-9.0 da

Phalanges in toes

34d

36

10 da

Length of 3rd toe from tip to middle of metatarsal joint = 5.4±0.3mm; length of beak from anterior angle of nostril to tip of bill = 2.5mm; primordium of comb; labial groove; uropygial gland

34e

37

11 da

Length of 3rd toe = 7.4±0.3mm; length of beak = 3.0 mm

34f

38

12 da

Length of 3rd toe = 8.4±0.3 mm; length of beak = 3.1 mm

35a

39

13 da

Length of 3rd toe = 9.8±0.3 mm; length of beak = 3.5 mm

35b

40

14 da

Length of beak = 4.0 mm; length of 3rd toe = 12.7±0.5 mm

35c

41

15 da

Length of beak from anterior angle of nostril to tip of upper bill = 4.5 mm; length of 3rd toe = 14.9±0.8 mm

35d

42

16 da

Length of beak = 4.8 mm; length of 3rd toe = 16.7±0.8 mm

35e

43

17 da

Length of beak = 5.0 mm; length of 3rd toe = 18.6±0.8 mm

35f

44

18 da

Length of beak = 5.7 mm; length of 3rd toe = 20.4±0.8 mm

36a

45

19-20 da

Yolk sac half enclosed in body cavity; chorio-allantoic membrane contains less blood and is "sticky" in living embryo

36b

46

20-21 da

Newly-hatched chick

Modified from: GROWTH Altman, P.L. and Dittmer, D.S. (ed) Biological Handbooks, FASEB (1962)

Other Chicken Atlases

Mostly photos of embryos with a few drawn diagrams and a series of staging correlation graphs.

Glossary of Terms

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