We would run to catch the cute little chicks that are wobbling to keep away from us. The colorful chicks would captivate the eyes of the people. Well, the chicks are protected by the mother chickens as they would carefully watch over their newly-born chicks. Almost, every part of the chicken is edible and the eggs laid by the chickens are fried and consumed in different forms. And then there is this question of how chicks could breathe inside the eggs. Ever thought of the process of chicks breathing inside the eggs while frying it or consuming the raw eggs? Well, let’s get to know about the chicks’ breathing process.
The chicken eggs and the other eggs of birds and reptiles are wonders of the scientific world. The naturally hard-shelled bird eggs incorporated albumen or egg white and yolk. Meanwhile, the fertilized egg cell or embryo is known to develop within the yolk and it would feed the yolk as well as the white of the egg. The human fetus would naturally develop inside the womb of the mother and it gets the food and develops the organs inside. Similarly, the baby bird which develops inside the mother chicken has a shelter, food, and other essential things to grow completely inside the egg, until is ready for hatching. But except, experiencing little refreshing air though.
Animals such as mammals that develop inside their mothers would get their oxygen from mom through the umbilical cord naturally. But this is not the case with the birds or chicks. While the baby bird is inside the hard-shaped egg, it does not have any way to take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. But this hard-shaped egg would again take care of these things. How does it work? Does the eggshell contain any amazing power? Well, there are two membranes under the eggshells. While the eggs are laid by the mother, they would turn warm. But they would also cool the material inside the egg and then it would shrink a little though. The presence of two membranes under the eggshell would then pull a little apart, thereby creating a small pocket or sack of air. In this way, the developing little chicks would take in the oxygen for breathing and give out the carbon-dioxide. There are several thousand microscopic pores under the surface of the egg which would allow the carbon dioxide to escape as well as the fresh air to come in. This is the natural process of how the chicks get oxygen.
Howbeit, the presence of these pores would let the moisture get into the egg while the eggs keep on growing and never allow the egg parts to dry out. This is the reason why the hard-boiled eggs would be heavier than the raw eggs. So, next time, while you are consuming eggs in any form or frying or grilling the chickens, you would remember or think about this breathing technique of little birds inside the eggs. That’s science works and leaves you in wonder!