Yes, it is no secret to anyone that chickens and roosters, like other birds, reproduce and lay eggs. However, the process is more complicated than that, and is unknown to many people.
If you have some hens at home or on your farm and you want them to raise chicks, knowing the whole process is crucial to understand when is the best time and provide them with the necessary conditions for mating. Read on to find out everything you need to know about chicken reproduction
The first thing you need to know is…
Chickenaceae, which includes chickens and roosters, are polygamous. However, usually a group of between 6 and 10 hens mate only with the same rooster, who protects them from the other males. Its reproduction is oviparous, that is, it occurs through the incubation of eggs, and fertilization takes place internally.
The best times for mating are spring and summer. This is so because light favors the reproductive instinct, so the more hours of natural light, the better. Likewise, hens must be 6 months old in order to reproduce.
A very common question is whether hens and roosters have reproductive organs similar to those of other animals, such as mammals, and the answer is no. The appearance of both organs is quite rudimentary, and they are called "cloacas". The hen's vagina is limited to being a small hole that carries the semen towards the oviduct, while the rooster's penis is like a simple balloon capable of depositing a sac full of sperm. The rooster is capable of mating up to 30 times in the same day.
Mating Ritual
As with other species, gallinaceous birds participate in a mating ritual. The rooster does a dance around the chosen hen, dropping one of its wings and walking in a circle. At this signal, the female may try to flee, initiating a chase.
When he sees the right moment, the male will jump on her and grab her by the crest or neck feathers, causing the hen to crouch down to receive him. After positioning himself in this way, the rooster will step with his legs on the back of the hen and push aside the tail feathers, so that both cloacas can connect. When this happens, the male deposits a semen sac inside the hen, ending mating.
Hen fertilization
After the mating ritual, the role of the male will be over. The semen sac that he has managed to deposit survives for a maximum of 10 days, during which fertilization takes place
What is fertilized is the yolk found in the infundibulum. A yolk is released every 24 to 48 hours, and when this happens they meet the semen and are fertilized. Even when there has been no mating ritual, eggs are produced, although a new chick will not hatch from them. For more information, don't miss our article on how to recognize a fertile egg.
When fertilization occurs, the hen's body activates the process of organ formation. First the shell is generated, which covers the embryo, and in the next 24 hours an egg will be expelled.
Incubation process
When the hen lays a fertilized egg, the incubation stage begins. After expelling the first egg, it will still have a maximum of 10 in the next few days, at the rate of one per day.
When the hen is incubating, it enters a period from which the expression "broody hen" comes from. This means that will not separate from the nest and will cover theeggs with its body, hatching them to give them the necessary heat for the development of the young.
This phase lasts between 21 and 24 days, after which the chicks will hatch. Both the eggs and the young should be kept away from the roosters, as they often bite them to death.
Now that you know what the hen reproduction process consists of, you must remember that, if you are thinking of carrying it out with your own hens, you must provide them with adequate space and care, offering them a large pen so they can move freely and escaping from small cages.
