Lung respiration, somatic activity and gas metabolism in embryonic chicks prevented from hatching by thiourea.

Treating chick embryos with high doses of thiourea (32.8 mumol) on day 17 of incubation resulted in prevention of hatching and of active breathing. Furthermore, thiourea also prevented the increase of O2 consumption and the marked increase of somatic activity associated with the final hatching act. These findings provide evidence for the importance of active breathing in the prenatal period to initiate pipping and hatching of the avian embryo.