Hamburger Hamilton Stages

Embryology - 23 Apr 2024        Expand to Translate
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The 1951 Hamburger Hamilton Stages are most commonly used for chicken staging.

Note that there was also an earlier Witschi staging and an even older 1900 Normentafeln zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Wirbeltiere - Gallus domesticus (Normal Plates of the Development of the Chicken Embryo} by Franz Keibel and Karl Abraham.

chicken

Hamburger Hamilton Stages	Age	Identification of Stages	Image
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 ±0.3 mm; 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

Original paper (and all data) was republished in 1992.

Hamburger Hamilton Stages (1951)
Hamburger Hamilton Stages	Age	Identification of Stages   (Chicken Development)
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 ±0.3 mm; 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
Hamburger V. and Hamilton HL. A series of normal stages in the development of the chick embryo. (1951) J Morphol. 88(1): 49-92. PMID 24539719 PDF Original 1951 paper (and all data) was republished in 1992. <pubmed>1304821</pubmed> PDF

Additional Media

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Images

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  HH4 and HH10 endoderm

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  HH20 head muscle MyoR

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  HH20 head muscle MyoR and MyoD

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Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 23) Embryology Hamburger Hamilton Stages. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Hamburger_Hamilton_Stages

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© Dr Mark Hill 2024, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G