This Question may be in the wrong place , but I will ask anyhow ,

How is a egg fertilised and at what stage in the mating cycle.

Ross

This Question may be in the wrong place , but I will ask anyhow ,

How is a egg fertilised and at what stage in the mating cycle.

Ross

 

okay I will give this one a go.

 

When the hen is in condition and ready to 'go down' she will start dumping huge runny poos. This is because, unlike mamals, birds only have one hole for pooping and procreation so she needs to clear all the poop out before mating otherwise the sperm would die if it came in contact with it.

 

Once she is clear she will usually mate right after having a dump. The sperm then travels up the OVIDUCT to the INFUNDIBULUM where it is fertilised. Over the next 3 hours the eggs is transferred to the MAGNUM, which is the largest part of the OVIDUCT and the albumen is formed. Then it travels down to the ISTHMUS where the inner part of the shell is formed over a period of 1-2 hours. Finally it travels down to the UTURUS where it remains for for 20-26 hours before it is laid.

 

It varies from hen to hen but usually after she has lain a few she will then start to incubate the eggs, that is keep them warm, although she will continue to mate and lay further eggs while incubating.

 

From the onset of incubation you should be able to see that the egg is fertile by about the 4th day, in so far that is you shine a direct light at the the egg you will see blood vessels beginning to form.

Edited August 14, 200915 yr by renee

Wow, thanks renee...

Thanks Renee thats is very informative and now I know . Here is the next question you may be able to answer , What came first the chicken or the egg.

Ross

Something important to realise is that the hen has crypts in her oviducts where the sperm kind of wait around for the oocytes to be ready. So when an egg is released from the follicle, even if mating hasn't occurred for a number of days, the egg can still be fertilised by the sperm that is waiting ready to go. This is especially important if you lose a cock bird or he gets sick, and you have a hen that is laying, the eggs can be fertile for a fair while after the cock bird has been removed. It is certainly a wonderful process.

Thanks Renee thats is very informative and now I know . Here is the next question you may be able to answer , What came first the chicken or the egg.

Ross

 

The egg because without the egg the chicken wouldn't have come about... Having said that i don't beleive that egg came from a "chicken" but the stage in evoloution before they became chickens

Something important to realise is that the hen has crypts in her oviducts where the sperm kind of wait around for the oocytes to be ready. So when an egg is released from the follicle, even if mating hasn't occurred for a number of days, the egg can still be fertilised by the sperm that is waiting ready to go. This is especially important if you lose a cock bird or he gets sick, and you have a hen that is laying, the eggs can be fertile for a fair while after the cock bird has been removed. It is certainly a wonderful process.

 

I have heard of a hen who mated in the aviary and laid the egg 10 days later!

Thanks Renee thats is very informative and now I know . Here is the next question you may be able to answer , What came first the chicken or the egg.

Ross

 

The egg because without the egg the chicken wouldn't have come about... Having said that i don't beleive that egg came from a "chicken" but the stage in evoloution before they became chickens

 

 

 

Beautifully put

Thanks Renee thats is very informative and now I know . Here is the next question you may be able to answer , What came first the chicken or the egg.

Ross

 

The egg because without the egg the chicken wouldn't have come about... Having said that i don't beleive that egg came from a "chicken" but the stage in evoloution before they became chickens

 

Ah see, for me, i believe that they came in whatever order God decided that they needed to be here in.

 

Who am I to question the almighty?

I have heard of a hen who mated in the aviary and laid the egg 10 days later!

7-10 days after mating is the average for laying an egg, so whats weird about that ?