Book 31, Question 63
How does a chick get out of its egg?
A chick works hard to hatch.
First it breaks a small hole in the shell, called pipping. Then it rests, breathes air from the pocket, and slowly turns, chipping a ring around the blunt end with its egg tooth. At last it pushes the top off and wriggles out, damp and tired. The whole job can take hours, and sometimes more than a day.
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Quick answers
How does a chick get out of its egg?
Using its egg tooth, it first pecks a hole through the shell.
Source: Penn State
More fun facts
- The hatching process actually starts about day 18, when the chicks start to prepare to break out of the egg.
- One of the last things the chick does inside the egg is absorb the remaining yolk sac, which provides nourishment the first few days after hatching.
- The chick takes its first proper breath and fills its lungs the moment it punctures the air cell inside the top of the egg.
- The chick twists its neck and pushes with its feet and breaks the shell open.
- Known as the egg tooth, its role in hatching was discovered by the ornithologist William Yarrell in 1826.
- The final, climax phase of hatching, in which the chick emerges from the shell, varies from a few minutes in small songbirds to a day or more.
Sources: Penn State, Audubon
Questions kids ask
When does a chicken chick begin to break out of its shell?
On the 21st day, the chick begins to break out of the shell.
Source: Penn State