Egg yolk?

[Ricko Ov Ull]

What is the job of the yolk in an Egg?

[Grunty]

The yolk is the primary food source for the embryo. It is surrounded by the white, which initially protects the yolk and the embryo, and then becomes a food source as the embryo develops.

[Loosehead]

to dip your soldiers into of course!

[chiswickk]

the yolk (yellow) is the chicken and the albumen (white) are the feathers.

[rojash]

The egg cell of a bird is really what we call the yolk. In the chicken's egg this yellow ball of yolk is about 20 mm in diameter. The yolk is the food supply for the developing embryo. The nucleus of the bird's egg can be found in the middle of a white spot which is found on top of the yolk. You need a microscope to see the nucleus itself but the white spot is visible to the naked eye.

The egg that a hen (a female bird) lays is covered in layers of albumen (a material like jelly), two membranes and a hard shell. The shell and the membranes protect and support the egg. The albumen feeds the developing embryo with water and protein.

[rojash]

Should say I found that answer here:
http://www.saburchill.com/chapters/chap0034.ht ml

And, I gotta point out that up to now, Loosehead's was the only perfectly correct answer!

[Monkzie]

I have to say that rojash's link is perfect. Being a primary school teacher, every year we examine hens' eggs raw and boiled (to examine the effects of permanent change, etc) and each pair of children get an egg to crack open and examine. However, before they get their own eggs, I show them what to look for and when I crack open the egg, I show them the actual 'bird' (I hesitate to use the word 'nucleus', but that is pretty much what it is) which is situated somewhere in the middle of the yellow yolk (both begin with the letter y - Sorry, the teaching is coming out again!) Try it - with just a little bit of searching, you WILL find the nucleus - it is a small white spot in the middle of the yellow yolk, about the size of a pin head. I use a toothpick to find it. The children are always amazed at this. Anyway, the answer to your question is that the yolk provides the food (i.e., the reason why the nucleus is in the middle of the yolk.)

By the way, have you ever noticed that when you hard-boil an egg and start to strip away the shell, there is always (and I mean ALWAYS) a small 'dimple' in the internal structure? Apparently this is down to AIR being present in the raw egg...

[stevie21]

Monkzie - I thought you'd put "AIR" in capitals because it was an acronym!!!! :(

I was sat here for about 5 minutes going
"What's A I R ???"

I should get my hair dyed blonde :(

[joko]

it just wants to be centre of attention...