A morphological study of skeletal development in turkeys during the pre-hatching stage

Skeletal chondrofication, ossification and growth of turkey embryos were investigated and analysed to enable assessment of the developmental status and evaluation of the experimental effects on skeletal development, skeletal mutations and development of cultured embryos. Ten embryos were prepared every 24 h from 8 to 28 days of incubation. The fixed embryos were cleared and stained in toto with Alcian blue & Alizarin red for cartilage and ossified components, respectively. Observation of the skeleton was performed under a stereoscopic microscopy, with special attention to the timing of chondrofication and ossification of the bones. The first occurrence of the primary ossification centres was observed in the femur, tibiotarsus, and the dentary and supra-angular of the mandible on the 12th day, followed immediately by the other long bones. Skeletal features of the skull were determined to show the latest appearance of cartilage and ossification. Hence, all elements of the hyolingual apparatus remained cartilaginous until hatching took place except for the ceratobranchial. Even though the vertebral column chondrified earlier as compared with the ribs and sternum, they ossified later. While chondrofication was present in all the regions of the vertebral column at the same time, ossification progressed from the cervical through caudal regions. The growth rate of the femur was eminently higher than that of the humerus with increase in time, particularly after the 20th day of incubation. This seems to be obviously natural because the eggs used in the study are from the broiler turkey, which gains giant muscle mass at a very short period; precocity is probably at the expense of the bones of the leg rather than those of the wing.