Why do hens lay eggs without roosters?

[CMV]

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Parrots do not usually lay eggs unless they are mating. I don't know why but I had some parrots that would not lay even with a mate. Parrots are one of the few animals that must make an emotional bond before mating and maybe this is necessary for ovulation.

That's interesting. Do parrots mate for life? I wonder how this applies to monogamous species that mate for life and lose their mate. Do the females stop ovulating if they lose their male partner? Anyone know?

 

[City Gardener]

You all are so funny!
I will definitely post the article when it comes out. It is basically about how in love with my chickesn I am and how I think everyone should have chickens!

Anyway, in the article, I talk about how I always get asked this question: how can chickens lay eggs without a rooster around? (I also mention the follow-up question: "so... how do the roosters fertilize the eggs?")

But the editor of the newsletter wants more explanation. I know that females of many species have lots of unfertilized eggs inside/our their bodies, but most species don't produce the eggs unless they're fertilized. Um, right? (just guessing here).

I was assuming it was a domestic animal thing. I THINK (again, just guessing here) that wild birds don't have the luxury of laying eggs most of the year. It probably takes a lot of energy to produce an egg. So I just thought it was domestic fowl....?

 

[CMV]

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Wrong. Most species do produce eggs, but they are too tiny to see.

 

[sfw2]

Just guessing here, but I would imagine that domestic fowl have been bred, over centuries, to enhance egg production, too.

Interesting thread!

 

[LizzyJo]

Here's a thread that started out really funny, but broke down towards the end when a couple of people took offense, but it is interesting reading.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=187526

 

[LizzyJo]

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I might be wrong here, but I thinks some species (dogs, cats, horses) go into heat and have to be bred before the egg is released.

I'm too lazy to look it up; I'll leave that to someone else.

 

[chickenbottom]

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