In nature, the frequency at which birds lay eggs depends on many things. Wild birds such as thrushes or wild geese and ducks lay a single egg only if the right factors are present to raise the offspring. We will answer Why do hens lay eggs .
Feeding of the hens:
The feeding of the hen is of great importance when it comes to laying eggs. The curacas or gnatcatchers, for example, incubate only once and only once, because they feed their young with caterpillars that only occur at a few times of the year.(I also invite you to read this article about the most recommended Chicken Coops for 6 Hens ).
The hens that lay the eggs that we can buy in supermarkets lay more eggs than normal wild hens, these hens are given special food and are locked in cages all the time with 24 hours light so that they do not stop laying eggs. Hens that live in the wild and eat corn, leaves, and worms lay fewer eggs, but of course, better quality and more nutritious whether there is a rooster or not.
Because hens lay eggs without a rooster
All hens lay eggs regardless of whether they are fertilized by a rooster or not. We can say that the eggs are normally the hens’ menstruation, i.e., the unfertilized egg of the hen.
On the other hand, if the rooster fertilizes the hen, when the egg hatches, if it is incubated by the hen for 21 days, a chick will come out of it. In short, if there is a rooster, a chick will come out of the egg laid by the hen.
This is because the hen ovulates almost every day. The egg goes from the oocyte, passes through the oviduct, then to the cloaca, the cavity intended for excretion, open to the outside.
During its journey, if it has been fertilized by a cock, the egg joins the sperm cell to form an embryo.
As it passes through the oviduct, the yen is enveloped in many layers of egg white. Before leaving the cloaca, a calcareous layer, the shell, coats the egg. If two eggs are released on the same day, the hen will not lay the two eggs separately but only one egg with two yolks.
There is an urban rumor that the white spot that some eggs show, means that they have been fertilized, some even say that it is the sperm of the rooster. But the truth is that it is only the hen’s egg yolk, which serves as an anchor between the yolk and the egg white.
For the egg to be truly fertilized, a small clear circle in the center of the yolk, called the blastodisc, must be visible. Giving answer to Why hens lay eggs.
Today the hen lays eggs until the nest is completely full, about 10 to 12 eggs approximately. However, this is where the human hand comes in, as they steal the chicken eggs from the nest every time it is full or getting close to full, so the hen continues laying in succession, as the nest is never completely full. By doing this, the hen lays about 300 eggs a year, almost every day .
The egg can also be artificially incubated at 37ºC and 55% humidity. For this you can visit this article on Egg Incubators s .
The wild hens
The hens in the wild, regulate their laying depending on natural light, that is why in winter is that the hen does not lay eggs . However, in industrial farms, they are subjected to almost constant light so that they have the feeling that “it is always summer”.
On the other hand, it is important to know why hens do not lay eggs, this is often due to the poor nutrition of the hens, when it is not balanced and lacks the necessary proteins. Another reason why they do not lay eggs is because they are broody or during molting. Hens also stop laying because of age or disease.
Another interesting fact is that the gallus Bankiva (wild hen) has a life span of between 5-15 years, although cases of up to 30 years have been recorded. Because the hens lay eggs for about 2 years, then when they stop being productive, they become useless to humans, so they are slaughtered.
Finally, I recommend you to see this article about the best Chicken Laying Houses
