How chickens lay eggs. How a chicken lays eggs: interesting information

All life on Earth reproduces. Mammals give birth to their young, trees produce new shoots, flowers produce seeds, fish spawn, birds lay eggs. Nature created perfectly different ways the birth of new residents and each of them is amazing and mysterious. At least for ordinary people who are far from science. But I really want to lift this veil of secrecy and plunge into the mysterious world of the birth of new lives.

And for some it is simply necessary. For example, poultry farmers, who are responsible for the production of healthy bird offspring or simply complete, nutritious egg products. But really, how do chickens lay eggs? Where do they come from, why is not every one suitable for raising chicks, why are some considered dietary and others not? For what large number Questions a novice farmer must find answers to before he takes chicken stock under his care.

Egg formation process

The formation of an egg is a process that is the same for all birds, laid down at the genetic level from the time when birds were born. The mechanism is clear, proven and does not cause difficulties for wild breeds birds. But homemade ones can sometimes have annoying glitches. The explanation for this is very simple. In the wild, birds lay eggs only to hatch offspring; this happens once or twice a year. The owner expects the chickens in the poultry yard to lay eggs almost daily. With such intensity, it is no wonder that the laying hen’s body periodically deviates from the norm..

The process of egg formation begins in the hen's genitals. A bird's ovaries naturally contain a huge number of eggs. They all have different stages of development, and each is located in a separate membrane (follicle). When the egg matures, it ruptures the follicle and begins to move into the oviduct. From this moment on, the egg is called the yolk.

The yolk moves along the oviduct for almost 20 hours, becoming overgrown with albumen and membranes along the way and increasing in size along the way. Good breeds Laying hens lay fresh eggs almost every day, bringing up to 300 or more eggs per year to their owner. As soon as the bird lays an egg, the process of forming a new one begins. After 30-40 minutes, the next yolk passes from the follicle into the oviduct and the cycle begins again.

Often two yolks are found in domestic eggs. This happens when two eggs enter the oviduct at the same time, and the formation of one protein membrane begins around them. If the second yolk is freed from the follicle a little later, then a full-fledged shell is formed around the first, which will not be enough for the second.

The role of the rooster in egg laying

Many poultry owners, when acquiring a flock of chickens, have only one goal - getting fresh egg products to the table. They are not going to engage in breeding new livestock, and therefore do not understand what is the reason to buy a rooster in addition to the laying hens and spend money on feeding it.

When laying hens live in a poultry house without a rooster, they lay unfertilized eggs. Such products are considered dietary. And the eggs themselves cannot be used for incubation; chicks from them will never hatch. If there is no desire to put the bird in the nest, then the rooster will, indeed, become only a decorative addition to the inhabitants of the poultry yard.

However, there are still benefits from it:

Firstly, the rooster is a kind of leader. He makes sure that the entire flock of chickens is in a group, without wandering aimlessly in all directions. He restores order among his quarreling friends.

Secondly, the presence of a rooster stimulates the hen's instincts. If a farmer ever decides to raise chickens, his chickens will be ready and will not lose the skills of a caring mother.

Thirdly, fertilized eggs are richer in nutritional value. Therefore, they are healthier for the body, unless of course the doctor has prescribed you a diet.

Thus, a male in a chicken flock is still desirable, even if raising chicks is not part of your business plan.

Why are eggs so healthy?

Chicken eggs are one of the most popular components of the diet all over the world. For many millennia, man brought a unique, irreplaceable product to the table, first emptying the nests of wild birds, and then assigning the first chickens to his service, subjugating and domesticating them.

Compound the most useful product amazing:

12 most important vitamins for humans (A, group B, PP, K, etc.).

In terms of the amount of vitamin D, a chicken egg cannot compete only with fish oil.

Complex of essential health benefits mineral supplements. Such as potassium and magnesium, cobalt and iron, copper and magnesium, iodine and phosphorus, sulfur, manganese and calcium.

Just two eggs eaten daily can have an invaluable effect on a person and strengthen the body:

Strengthening the immune system.
Stabilization of the heart and blood vessels.
Normalization of the gastrointestinal tract.
Reducing the risk of malignant cell formation.
Strengthening and formation of bone and muscle tissue.
Maintaining the nervous system.
Beneficial effect on the organs of vision.

Egg products are indispensable for the diet of women expecting a child or breastfeeding. Eggs are a natural source of calcium, folic acid, and other essential substances for women and children.

Eggs have the most significant effect on male reproductive function. beneficial influence, since they help produce seminal fluid, improve its quality and contribute to the successful fertilization of the female egg.

Protein in egg products is an essential element in sports nutrition, dietary, as well as in people on severe physical work. For those who are trying to eat healthy and get rid of excess weight, you also can’t do without eggs on your table.

It is not true that healthy and strong hair, nails, and teeth are the prerogative of exclusively young people. Not at all. If you regularly eat chicken eggs at any age, these organs will be fine. And, conversely, in the absence of egg dishes, even young people will be in a deplorable state.

Despite the exceptional usefulness of the product, there are situations when the consumption of eggs is unacceptable or limited. This applies to categories of people suffering from egg white intolerance, diabetes mellitus, some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or liver.

Frequently Asked Questions

At what age does a chicken start laying eggs?

As soon as it reaches full sexual maturity. It depends on the orientation of the breed. The egg type begins laying at 15-20 weeks. The earliest ripening species are 14-16. Meat-egg type around 5-6 months. Meat - about 8 months.

How long does it take for an egg to form?

On average, it takes 20-25 hours to ripen a full-fledged egg (yolk, white, shell), provided the bird is well cared for. In egg breeds the process is underway faster, respectively, chickens lay eggs more often, chickens of mixed or meat type They produce fewer eggs and take longer to mature.

How long does the egg-laying period last for a laying hen?

It depends on the care and maintenance. Factory hens lay eggs on average for 2 years. Then comes the exhaustion of the body. Domestic ones, with sufficient care, can lay eggs for 2.5-3 years. but the number of clutches decreases compared to the first year, when it is at its highest.

Why are there eggs without yolk?

The very first eggs that a laying hen begins to produce may be small in size and consist only of protein. This product is called fat. This happens when a young hen has not yet released the egg from the follicle into the oviduct, but protein clots are already forming and are enveloped in a shell.

Why do eggs appear without shells?

Sometimes a hen lays an egg in a thin, leathery membrane, without hard shell. This happens when there is a deficiency of calcium and phosphorus in her body. The absence of such important elements can cause the death of a laying hen. It is urgent to enrich the diet with food rich in essential elements.

Why do eggs have blood clots?

This is a sign of a hormonal imbalance in the bird, stress or some infectious viruses. Good nutrition, supplementation with minerals and vitamins, and improved living conditions are required.

In order for your charges to be healthy and carry well, you need to create comfortable conditions for them:

balanced diet;
walking area;
minerals and vitamins;
temperature regime in the chicken coop;
absence of drafts and dampness;
duration daylight hours.

There may be other requirements specific to the selected breed. To find out the details of the content, you need to ask the breeder for information, read suitable literature, the Internet can help you. The more responsible you are in creating suitable living conditions for laying hens, the better they will thank you and delight you with high egg production rates, endurance and vitality.

Video "How to increase egg production of chickens"

Is it possible to increase the number of eggs from laying hens?

Each owner solves the problem of how to increase the egg production of chickens in his own way. However there is general recommendations to increase the egg production of laying hens, applicable to each farm.

In order for the chickens to lay eggs well, it is very important to observe temperature regime. They should have comfortable nests and good walking.
Short daylight hours negatively affect the number of eggs produced. It is necessary to install additional lighting in the poultry house to maintain lighting for approximately 13 hours.
Proper and balanced nutrition is the key to high egg production. Do not feed your pets only grain and dry food; be sure to give your chickens wet mash.
Yeasting of feed and the addition of necessary minerals will definitely have a positive effect on the number of eggs.
During molting, hens stop laying eggs. Therefore, some poultry farmers artificially create conditions for early molting using stress. Chickens are forced to starve for some time, given only water, and after the bird begins to molt, it is provided with complete food rich in vitamins and minerals. In this case, the molt proceeds faster, and the bird begins to lay eggs sooner after it.
Chickens are very fond of kitchen waste, such as cottage cheese, fish offal, ground bones and even leftover meat. Such additives will bring more eggs to the owner.
An increase in egg production is also influenced by the addition of appropriate premixes and mixed feeds to the chickens’ diet.

Considering that school course biology was completed a long time ago, and a lot of things have faded from my mind; questions like: “Can hens lay eggs without a rooster?” People simply don't need this information in their daily lives. That is why there is a great opportunity for the spread of all kinds of myths, unsubstantiated statements, and harmful misconceptions. At best, you can simply find yourself in a funny or awkward situation; at worst, you can pass on your misconceptions to your children or even become a victim of scammers. This question is worth considering in practical application in life, bypassing the boring course of elementary zoology.

Do you need a full-fledged chicken family on your farm?

The pastoral picture of rural life is often complemented by a classic chicken family - a cockerel and several hens. This image is constantly replicated in children's picture books, and thanks to the visual image, the information is set aside as the ultimate truth, and then an adult does not actually know whether a hen lays eggs without a rooster. The misconceptions turn out to be so great that there is even advice: if chickens begin to lay eggs poorly, then they are not coping with their duties.

If the question “Can hens lay eggs without a rooster?” turn to specialists, you can get a definite answer - yes. However, on private farmsteads, handsome roosters continue to crow, which are not at all needed to obtain the product for scrambled eggs and morning omelettes.

Can chickens lay eggs without a rooster: chicken physiology

If we consider the physiology of a chicken, then everything becomes clear. An egg is an egg cell that, if fertilized, can develop into a full-fledged organism. Then from the egg. However, in the absence of a rooster, the hen cannot independently turn off the egg production mechanism, as most females cannot do in other birds and animals, including humans.

Indeed, can hens lay eggs without a rooster and is it important? But a chicken egg is not at all a future chicken, just as every female egg without the participation of male reproductive cells will never become a child. Consequently, in the absence of a rooster, there will be eggs, but there will be no need to wait for chickens.

The healing properties of fertilized eggs

You can make money from any misconception. This is not an entirely honest practice, often clearly leading to fraud. For example, there is a myth that fertilized chicken eggs have a special set of incredibly valuable microelements that can cure everything, including severe forms of cancer. Asking a naive and harmless question whether a hen can lay eggs without a rooster, a person does not even suspect that such ignorance plays into the hands of schemers.

In fact, fertilized eggs do not have any magical properties, except for the pleasant chance of still getting a chick in the end incubation period. A small number of germ cells, which are sometimes even indistinguishable to the human eye and can only be detected with the help of an ovoscope, are not able to cope with diseases. Perhaps this falls into the category of mysticism designed to use the placebo effect.

Natural restocking of the chicken coop

Of course, a rooster is sometimes necessary in the chicken kingdom, especially if there are several good hens in the poultry house. In this case, young chickens will reproduce naturally without additional financial investments. In this case, a small household farm receives good help.

Beginning poultry farmers often worry about whether a hen can lay eggs without a rooster, because their primary focus is on getting enough eggs. I would like to reassure them - the absence of a male in the chicken kingdom does not affect the quantity or quality of eggs. Otherwise, large poultry farms would operate on a completely different principle.

The rooster is a helper in the household farming

What is the use of a rooster, besides the loud crowing early in the morning and hatching? Here you should not underestimate its role, because a rooster can become a real helper, sometimes priceless. A good rooster keeps the chicken coop in exemplary order, as befits an alpha male. Young cockerels destined for meat behave calmer with an older male and gain weight better; chickens do not quarrel and do not divide the hierarchy. The rooster vigilantly monitors his feathered harem, can drive away a stray dog that is encroaching on laying hens or chickens, and is capable of engaging in single combat with a hawk or ferret. One can speculate whether chickens lay eggs without a rooster, but one thing is certain - with a rooster it will be better for the entire chicken family, and it will be easier and calmer for the owner. Of course, an overly aggressive bird, ready to attack its owner or child, has a direct path to the soup, but this can be easily corrected. In a purchased batch of raised chickens, as a rule, there are several cockerels, and you can choose the best one.

School biology and humanization of chicken

Where do the questions “Can a hen lay eggs without a rooster?” come from, yes or no, and why won’t there be chickens if there are eggs anyway? As has already been said, people do not use the knowledge acquired at school unless they are required to do so. daily life. But this is not the only reason; you can study at school, but safely let the information fall on deaf ears. In addition, people traditionally try to humanize all objects around them - to attribute to them traits and qualities characteristic of people.

The model of the human family is attributed to dogs, cats, and chickens are no exception. In the depth of the question “Do chickens lay eggs without a rooster?” there is a misconception that everything that is born is already a child. Therefore, when it turns out that a chicken egg without the participation of a rooster is just food product, and not a “poor unborn chicken,” a person experiences natural bewilderment. It is advisable not to create myths and not tell children sob stories about how a mother hen cries for children who have already become an omelet. This approach will bring nothing but harm, and chickens will not even sympathize with people, because the maternal instinct is present only in hens. An ordinary laying hen doesn’t care what happened to her eggs.

The egg is a common food product that does not require the presence of a rooster to form. Such eggs are commonly called “scrambled eggs.” A rooster is necessary only when it is planned to breed offspring from eggs in the form of chickens.

To find out how a chicken lays eggs, you should become familiar with the physiological process of egg laying. Inside the chicken there is a fairly large number of eggs, each of which is at a certain stage of its development. Moreover, each egg is located separately from the others, it is covered with an individual membrane - a follicle.

The process of ripening (or yolk formation) causes the membrane to rupture and the embryo of the egg to enter the oviduct. As a rule, passing through the genital tract, the yolk becomes overgrown with albumen and shell. Half an hour after the egg leaves the follicle, the egg comes out, after which a new yolk enters the oviduct.

The appearance of an egg without a yolk indicates that a clot is accidentally released inside the body, which is subsequently enveloped in a shell. Such eggs are usually called fat eggs; they are much smaller in size than ordinary chicken eggs.

Where does a chicken lay eggs with two yolks? This occurs when two eggs enter the genital tract at the same time or after a relatively short period of time. Therefore, as a result, both yolks begin to acquire common membranes. Of course, this phenomenon is not considered an anomaly and does not in any way affect the quality finished products. This is a fairly common malfunction in the chicken’s body.

In some cases, eggs are laid without a shell or with a very soft shell (for example, in a leathery film through which the contents of the egg can be seen). As a rule, the reason is hidden in an insufficient supply of minerals and vitamins. First of all, this is a lack of calcium and phosphorus. Therefore, it is advisable to include various supplements in the diet ( vitamin complexes and others) that restore internal functions chicken.

The appearance of blood particles in the protein is a signal of disturbed hormonal balance. It could be stressful situations or some viral diseases which lead to premature destruction of the follicle. To avoid the reappearance of such “defective” eggs, it is necessary to enrich the diet nutrients and diversify your diet. If this does not lead to an improvement in the situation, you should immediately contact an experienced specialist who will select the necessary treatment package.

This method of restoring the body is also useful for the eggs themselves, since the growth of healthy offspring requires warmth, which the chicken provides due to its plumage and elevated temperature of your body after the egg is released.

It’s not difficult to understand where chickens lay eggs, since chickens are still birds and need nests. To do this, they arrange special places in which the laying is located. Very often, chickens independently create quite cozy and comfortable nests from scrap materials (hay, grass, twigs) in the form of a small round hole. It is here that the process of the egg leaving the oviduct occurs.

An interesting fact is that when hatching eggs, a chicken regularly turns over her future offspring. What is this for? First of all, after the egg leaves the body, the abdomen warms up. Therefore, the chicken sits on cool eggs and thus cools its belly.

The finished product is used not only in cooking for preparing various dishes, but also in cosmetology and folk medicine, as it allows you to give the skin, hair healthy color, improve the condition of the whole body, get rid of many diseases.

Nature has endowed all birds with one amazing ability - the development of the embryo occurs outside the female’s body, in the egg. It is precisely this feature of chickens that attracts farmers to breed and use laying hens. The process of how a chicken lays eggs is very mysterious and arouses the interest of many. Let's try to clarify what is happening to the bird.

Features of egg laying in chickens

Unlike wild birds, as well as most domesticated ones, a chicken lays eggs not only at the time when it wants to breed. If certain conditions are met, you can get eggs from a chicken that are almost all year round. Record chickens can lay up to 300 eggs in a year.

When do chickens start laying eggs? Laying hens begin to lay eggs when they reach puberty. It depends, first of all, on the breed of chicken. From pullets of egg breeds, the first eggs can be obtained as early as 17-20 weeks, from pullets of meat and egg breeds - after six months. A meat chickens in this regard, they are the latest - they will begin to lay eggs no earlier than 8 months.

An egg in a chicken’s body is formed from the yolk (ovum), which, passing through the egg-forming organs, is gradually enveloped in protein, membranes and shell. The entire process, with proper care and nutrition, takes from 22 to 25 hours.

And, what is noteworthy, the chicken lays eggs even without a rooster in the herd. The presence of a rooster is only necessary when the farmer wants to obtain eggs for hatching chickens.

Signs of good chicken performance

A good laying hen is easy to identify by its exterior. This chicken has dense bones and low weight. It is medium-sized, with smooth, well-developed plumage, large wings and a crest that usually hangs to one side. A productive laying hen has a large and soft belly. She is active, comes out of the coop early, and settles down late at night.

Leghorn is considered the best egg breed. Average egg production These laying hens produce 170-240 eggs per year. And in 1971, a chicken of this breed set a record - 371 eggs per year.

Composition of a chicken egg

chicken egg very complex in structure and composition. This is due to the fact that it is supposed to contain the chick embryo and all the substances necessary for its development and growth.

The formation of an egg begins directly with the maturation of the egg (yolk). If the egg is fertilized, the germinal disc (a whitish oval spot with a diameter of 3-4 mm) is clearly visible on the surface of the yolk. The main part of the yolk is represented by yolk balls, which contain carotenoids - a substance very important for the development of the embryo. The yolk is enclosed in a shell. Attached to it are protein cords that hold the yolk in the middle of the white part and allow it to rotate around its axis. Therefore, the germinal disc is always located on top of the yolk. The protein, in turn, is enclosed in the membrane and shell. Between the protein shell and the shell, there is usually an air chamber at the blunt end.

Thus, the structure of the egg is as follows: protein is 55-57%, yolk - 30-32%, shell - 10-12%. Chemical composition eggs are represented by water (73-74%), dry matter (26-27%), fats (11-12%), proteins (12-13%) and carbohydrates (0.8-1.2%). In addition, the protein contains the natural enzyme lysocin, which protects the egg from spoilage.

How to increase the number of eggs produced

Each owner solves the problem of how to increase the egg production of chickens in his own way. However, there are general recommendations for increasing the egg production of laying hens that apply to every farm.

In order for the chickens to lay eggs well, it is very important to maintain the temperature regime in the chicken coop. They should have comfortable nests and good walking.
Short daylight hours negatively affect the number of eggs produced. It is necessary to install additional lighting in the poultry house to maintain lighting for approximately 13 hours.
Proper and balanced nutrition is the key to high egg production. Do not feed your pets only grain and dry food; be sure to give your chickens wet mash.
Yeasting the feed and adding the necessary minerals will definitely have a positive effect on the number of eggs.
During molting, hens stop laying eggs, so some poultry farmers artificially create conditions for early molting using stress. Chickens are forced to starve for some time, given only water, and after the bird begins to molt, it is provided with complete food rich in vitamins and minerals. In this case, the molt proceeds faster, and the bird begins to lay eggs sooner after it.
Chickens are very fond of kitchen waste, such as cottage cheese, fish offal, ground bones and even leftover meat. Such additives will bring more eggs to the owner.
An increase in egg production is also influenced by the addition of appropriate premixes and mixed feeds to the chickens’ diet.

Chickens of egg breeds begin laying eggs at the age of 4.5-5 months. They reach maximum productivity at 9-10 months. In homestead farms, this period falls in the autumn months or the beginning of winter and coincides with the natural reduction of daylight hours.

Therefore, to increase egg laying during this period, the duration of daylight hours is gradually increased weekly due to electric lighting to 20-30 minutes, bringing it to 13-14 hours a day.

In the spring, as the duration of natural daylight increases, artificial lighting is gradually reduced until it stops completely, reducing it by 5-10 minutes per day.

When the planned duration of daylight hours is reached, the lights are turned on at 6 a.m., illuminating the poultry house until daylight hours and at dusk. They turn it off at 19-20 hours.

IN summer time the hatches are opened in the morning, and the birds are out on the run all day. In winter, the holes are opened in calm weather at a temperature not lower than 15°C. During a snowy winter, the paddocks are first cleared of snow. The area of the walking yard in front of the manholes is covered with straw. For egg-laying chickens, the most favorable air temperature in the poultry house is from 12 to 6 °C. When the temperature decreases to 5 °C, the productivity of laying hens decreases by 12-15%, and when it rises to 30 °C by 28-30%. Therefore, both a sharp decrease and a strong increase in air temperature are equally dangerous for them.

Chicken eggs are formed on average within 23.5-24 hours. Oviposition can, depending on the conditions of detention, take place daily or with a break of 2-5 days, i.e. in cycles. With short cycles, a laying hen can lay up to 300 or more eggs per year. The earlier in the morning a bird begins laying eggs, the more eggs there are in the cycle. Most laying hens lay eggs in the first half of the day, some - until 14-15 hours.

In the afternoon, eggs are laid, as a rule, by low-productive layers. They take more than 24 hours to form.

Chickens lay eggs of approximately the same weight - on average 50-60 g. The beginning of egg laying or its resumption after the next cycle is characterized by smaller eggs, but already the second and third eggs reach normal weight.

The eggs of different chickens also differ in shape. Chickens with a wide 11 short body lay round eggs, chickens with an elongated body lay elongated eggs.

Eggs are collected every two hours. Delaying it may encourage chickens to develop the habit of pecking, so collection time should not be missed.

Assessment of the productive qualities of chickens

A good hen with intensive egg laying has a smooth and full comb, earrings and earlobes.

If the comb is wrinkled, dry, pale and cold, the chicken is not laying eggs at all.

A good hen has a large and soft belly, an obese hen has a large and hard belly, a bad hen has a toned and hard belly.

The skin of a good hen is soft and velvety, while that of a bad hen is thick, dry and scaly (it is more convenient to feel the skin under the wings).

In rushing birds, at least three fingers of an adult are placed between the pubic bones, in the best - four. Their cloaca is large, moist and mobile. The pubic bones are thin and straight.

In chickens that do not lay eggs, no more than two fingers fit between the pubic bones. The ends of their pubic bones are rough, thick, curved inward and covered with fat. The cloaca is small and wrinkled.

As egg laying intensifies and the hen's belly increases, the distance between the ends of the pubic bones and the end of the sternum also increases.

U good layers In egg breeds, four fingers are placed between the pubic bones; in laying hens of meat-egg breeds, there are five fingers.

Farmer's handbook. A. Snegov 2009