When chickens mate, how many eggs get fertilized? Just the next egg laid or all of them or some or???
Chicken sex life question
One mating, theoretically, could fertilize eggs for several days. But roos are willing to put in a good deal of superfluous work.
One of the interesting things about hens is the fact that a hen has the ability to withhold sperm that fertilizes the egg. One thing that results is that sometimes the hen does not release enough sperm for an egg to become viable, which means the egg will began to form a chick, but will not finish the process. Hay
"One thing that results is that sometimes the hen does not release enough sperm for an egg to become viable, which means the egg will began to form a chick, but will not finish the process."
I had no idea it takes more than one sperm to fertilize a single chicken egg, or that "partial" fertilization is possible! Does this apply to all poultry?
I was always told that hens store sperm in the oviduct for up to 30 days, and that if one desires a soecific breeding from a hen who has been penned/pastured with more than one rooster, it is necessary to allow at least 3 weeks before re-breeding with the desired roo to insure that the chicks are from the chosen rooster.
Well, now I know that a few days is suffuicient :)
Thanks!
I think most people advise waiting at least 10 to 14 days to insure paternity.
Catmad! I'm no medical dr. nor am I an authority on chickens. I think what I was saying follows more than the world of fowl. I know that when husbands and wives want a family and have been unsuccessful, they usually see a doc. And many times I have heard doctors say the mans sperm count is to low, therefore the proccess that begans in the womans bodys at some point ceases. As I understand it the hen can be carrying sperm from a roo and if enough is not released and the sperm count is to low the process that begins in the egg at some point ceases. I'm not saying I have it right but that is what I have understood from material written by authorities that know more accidentally than I will ever know on purpose. Hope that helps Haystack
With mammals, they've discovered that it takes multiple sperm releasing enzymes to break through the egg's surface--only one gets in and fertilizes the egg--but it couldn't do it by itself.
So it wouldn't be suprising if the number of sperm available were critical to the sucessful fertilization of a chicken's egg..
Whoa.. learn somethin new every day.. cool..
Well, if it follows mammalian rules, once the fertilization takes place (by a single sperm) and the development begins, it's a done deal. The embryo may not develop for other reasons, but that's a different scenario. I'm sure of my biology with mammals, but avian possibilitites? Not so much *G*.
The funny thing was that when I tried to find out more about chicken egg developement I got sidetracked into another egg-layers biology, platypuses. Now there's a conundrum. Seems like Mother Nature was experimenting with all kinds of stuff :)
I think you are right, catmad. Once fertilization has taken place--it should be a done deal. I tried to research chicken sex chromosomes a couple years ago and it was very hard to get clear information. Basically, it is a bit of a black box--for years they didn't even think the hen produced one. And yet it is the presence of her chromosome that determines sex--almost the opposite of mammals. And the systems seem to vary in different birds.
One thing I did learn was that eggs containing pullet embryos are more susceptible to temperature variations, especially elevated one. It helped explain the mystery of too many roos in artificial incubations. If you are looking for pullets--it is better to incubate at a slightly lower, very constant. temp.
Ya know, that doesn't surprise me. We know that temp during incubation dictates sex in alligators, and birds and reptiles are very similar. Good to know, and I'm writing that in my "cheat" book, for when I have the need of it:). I've been lucky in my "straight run" orders this year, but when hatching for myself, it would be nice to have some influence'
Thanks!