Abstract
With the eventual application of the embryo culture system (ECS) first developed for chickens to endangered avian species in mind, we examined some of the basic features of the ECS in the chick. We demonstrate that embryos cultured in System II for 72 h show a delay in development as well as a wider distribution of the developmental stages attained (range Stages 12-20; mode Stages 17-18) than the control intact embryos (range 15-21; mode 19), and that the developmental stage of the embryos at the time of transfer to System III significantly affected subsequent viability and hatchability. When the Stage 18 embryos were transferred to System III, they showed the best rates of viability and hatchability in the present study. The implications of the results as applied to endangered avian species are discussed.
