Egg Laying Process and Egg Behavior
If you've ever wondered how hens lay eggs each day and what that process looks like, we're here to tell you all about it!
Egg Laying and Development
Chicks are born with thousands of ova, which is another way of saying yolks that are undeveloped. When a chick reaches full maturity, an ovum will be released, which will begin the process of development. A productive hen can have eggs in several different stages of the reproductive system. When an egg is released from the ovary, it's just a small yolk. Over time, the eggs become larger and more developed. It takes 25 hours for an egg to reach the vent for laying. During those 25 hours, the yolk becomes larger, gets wrapped in a membrane and enclosed in a shell. In the final step, the egg gets its pigment.
Once the egg is laid, the embryo develops in the fertilized egg. It takes 21 days for that fertilized embryo to hatch into a fully developed chick. Now, let's talk about chicken/egg behavior.
Chickens and Their Eggs
Hens lay eggs in the same next box as their flock, so there's no need to separate them. Hens will make a noise or "sing a song" before or after they lay an egg. It's kind of like how hospitals will play a song when babies are born. The hen likes to make a prideful announcement. However, sometimes those eggs will break, and often times, the hens will eat their own eggs if broken, but if you find broken pieces or yolk, and usually that's nothing to be concerned about. If it keeps happening, you'll want to separate that chicken from the flock because they tend to learn from each other and you won't want a flock of egg-eaters.
If you follow along on our Instagram, we like to share fun chicken facts! Among these facts, we mention that chickens love to eat scrambled eggs! It provides protein and it's actually good for the chickens. If you feed them raw eggs, it could lead to your chicken becoming an egg-eater, so it's best to cook the egg if you want to feed them a healthy snack.
Check back on Friday for our next blog post! If you have suggestions on what you'd like to hear from us, send an email to elle@chickens.com