What Is Embryology? R. MICHAEL HULET Associate Professor Poultry Science Embryology is the study of growth and development of embryos from fertilization to hatching. It is also the most pop ular 4-H youth program in the state of Pennsylvania and in Conservancy LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) The Lancaster County Conservancy, established in 1969 as a non-profit, private, membership-supported land trust dedicated to the conserva tion of Lancaster County’s nat ural open space resources, will gather for its 30th Annual Meeting and Banquet on Saturday, March 6, 1999, in the Lehr Dining Room of Millersville University’s Gordinier Hall. The evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a recep tion during which Mr. John Jarvis, former headmaster of Lancaster Country Day School and amateur cartographer of wide renown will sign and num ber prints of his historical ren dering of a map of the Pequea Valley. Following dinner, a brief meeting will follow at which time The Conservancy’s V*** * - *' •» |"\^NSYLVANIA IBIyfcODUCEBS February 10, 1999 - 8 AM to 4 PM at the Lebanon Valley Expo Center Lebanon Fairgrounds, Cornwall & Rocherty Roads, Lebanon, PA Wednesday, VISIT THESE EXHIBITORS: A & E Enterprises Inc Aerotech Inc. Agri King Inc. Animal health Sales Inc. Animal Medic Inc. Automatic Farm Systems Birchwood Genetics Cobiporc Sponsors: -Agway, may other states. One of the rea sons for this interest is the satis faction and understanding that youth can gain from observation and the study of life. The bird egg is ideal for this study because the development takes place outside the animal and can be easily observed and studied during the three week Celebrates Accomplishments Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented to Fred Kyper, a land steward for the Tuquan Glen Nature Preserve; the Robert K. Mowrer Board Service Award will be presented to two retiring members of the board of directors, Valerie A Moul and Philip L. Taylor; and Land Conservator Awards will be pre sented to the Donald E. Rannels’ family for their recent gift of 91 acres, the largest ever to be donated to The Conservancy. The speaker for the evening will be Dr. W. Fred Kinsey, 111, whose subject will be “Shenk’s Ferry and Susquehannock Indian History.” For over 40 years Dr. Kinsey has conducted research on the prehistory ol eastern Pennsylvania and espe cially the Lower Susquehanna Valley. From 1955-1960, Dr. Kinsey was state archaeologist '1 " * % > Silent Auction - Bids Submitted by 1:00 PM A Sampling of Silent Auction Items; ★ Longaberger Baskets ★ Winross Thicks ★ Ertl Trucks ★ Framed Limited Edition Prints ★ Farm Related Items ★ Quilts ★ Novelty Items ★ Plus Much More Schick Enterprises South Mountain Swine Genetics Tech Mix Inc. Triple M Farms Trojan Livestock Equipment Vac Pac Inc. W.W. Supply Inc. White Oak Mills Zeiset Equipment Inc. • Hatfield Quality Meats • Leidy’s Pork Products ♦ Purina Mills Commercial Concepts Continental Grain Co. Dekalb Swine Breeders Inc. Dyna Tech Industries Elanco Animal Health Farmer Boy Ag Systems Fort Dodge Animal Health incubation period (important for youth). The level of difficulty can be varied according to capabili ties of the students involved. Knowledge of embryology can also be used by hobby and com mercial poultry producers to evaluate hatchery management. By breaking out the hatch residue one can determine when the embryo died, possibly why they died, and how a change in management of the equipment or handling of the eggs could improve reproductive efficiency. While many are able to study this process in school with a teacher or a 4-H youth agent providing training and instruc- and from 1960-1963 chief cura tor of the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Dr. Kinsey was a member of the anthropology department of Franklin and Marshall College which he chaired for five years, and direc tor of the North Museum. The public as well as mem bers of The Conservancy are welcome to attend this event. The per person price is $19.00 and reservations must be received by no later than February 26. For further details or to place a reservation, contact The Conservancy office either by phone at 392-7891; or by fax at 392-8220; or by email at con serv@redrose.net. Presents the Twenty First KEYSTONE PORK EXPO FREE ADMISSION Furst McNess Grand Valley Fortifiers Hatfield Quality Meats IMV International Corp Key Aid Distributors Inc Keystone Farm Credit Lipha Tech Inc. Loveland Industries Merial Limited Minitube of America Inc tion, small groups or family 4-H groups could also accomplish this process by contacting their local extension agents. The agents and offices have resource material that can guide a study of embryology at many levels. The fijfst question is “where can I get the eggs and equip ment?” The information is included 1 ! in the manual “Beginning of Life.” What’s required is an incubator that can maintain 99.5 to 101.5 degrees F, fertile eggs, and time to manage and study the devel oping chicks. , Fore thought in deciding what to do with the chicks that hatch is important prior to set ting the eggs in the incubator. Placement of the birds in a good home and humane disposal of all remaining embryos is essential and is discussed in the manual. After obtaining fertile eggs from a reliable source (eggs from the Pa. Tobacco Market Report 1- lbs. Sold 105,858 Avg. 530 High 640 Low 350 2- lbs. Sold 126,850 Avg. 510 High 670 Low 350 2-3-99 lbs. Sold 81,830 Avg. 560 High 670 Low 400 3 day total 314,538 Avg. 530 We are still accepting Membership Application To sign up Call the Warehouse 355-5336 Attn: Auction starting time will be 9:00 A.M. Mon., Wed. & Fri. Pfizer, Inc. Pig Improvement Co. Progressive Pressure Systems Purina Mills Raytec Manufacturing Co. Reinecker Ag Systems Sobering Plough Animal Health Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 6, 1999-A25 grocery store are not normally fertilized), the eggs should be maintained in a manner to pro tect them from conditions that would cause early embryonic mortality. Hatching eggs should be held at temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees F at 70 to 80 percent relative humidity (RH). Temperatures greater than 68 and lower than 40 degrees F can cause some embryonic death. Storage of hatching eggs for less than 10 days is advisable - opti mal storage time is three days. After storage, eggs are warmed to room temperature for 2 to 3 hours before placing in the incubator. Incubation is the process of maintaining environ mental conditions favorable for development and hatching of eggs. The most critical incuba tion factors are temperature, humidity, ventilation and turn (Turn to Page A 36)