R-COM MINI - Incubation Development Stages; The Incubation Process

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THE INCUBATION PROCESS
On the second day of the
incubation period
The head, including the eyes, the heart and the blood vessels start to develop.
On the 4
th
day
The brains are separated into frontal-, middle- and rear brains.
The heart and the blood vessels are getting bigger and bigger.
On the 6
th
day
The wings and the paws start developing and the brains and eyes can be clearly
seen. The embryo starts moving.
On the 8
th
day
The brains are fully developed now, the neck is getting longer, the beak starts
growing and the wings and the paws are being separated.
On the 10
th
day
The wings and the paws are now totally separated and the toes are starting to

are becoming visible.
On the 12
th
day
The chicks is getting considerably bigger and is able to listen now. The feathers
are good visible and the skeleton starts hardening.
On the 14
th
day
The little head is bent towards the chest and the back is bent tot the left. The
whole little body is now covered with feathers and the head is looking in the
direction of the air chamber.
On the 16
th
day
The little head moves until under the right wing and gets this way in the best
position for hatching.
On the 18
th
day
The quantity of amniotic fluid decreases and the chick gets ready for hatching.
The time has come to stop the automatic egg turning system.
On the 19
th
day
The air chamber of the egg gets bigger and bigger and the yolk is attached to the

lung breathing function is activated.
On the 20
th
day
The yolk has been totally assimilated by the little body and the belly button is
still not fully closed. The yolk will serve as nutrition to the chick during the first
two to three days after the incubation period.
On the 21
st
day
The chick stt out of the egg shell. With the aid of
its limps the chick turns in the egg and pushes against the inner side of the egg
shell to break it. A too low humidity level may cause the feathers to dry up too
quick and stick to the inside of the egg shell whereby the chick cannot turn and
therefore cannot hatch.
It may take up to 12 hours to break the egg shell and hatch.