Will there always be chicks inside?

[I_AmPairPair]

My hen just layed her first egg! I am curious, though. Somebody once told me that there is always a chick inside, but doesn't the chicken have to mate first?

 

[sourland]

First you need a hen and a rooster , and they have to mate- basic 'birds and bees', and then the egg needs to be incubated before a chick will start to develop. 'Somebody' needs to retake Biology 101.

 

[SueT]

My hen just layed her first egg! I am curious, though. Somebody once told me that there is always a chick inside, but doesn't the chicken have to mate first?

Yes, she has to mate, and then go broody which causes her to sit on the eggs for 21 days to incubate them.

 

[lazy gardener]

Somebody missed the important details in sex ed and biology. There can never be a chick unless A: the egg is fertilized. and B: the egg is incubated.

Many of us have roosters in our flocks. I have 2. Every time I crack an egg into the frying pan, I check to see if the egg has been fertilized. The difference is very subtle, and the casual observer will never know that difference unless he takes the time to learn how to identify a fertile egg! No taste difference between fertile and infertile eggs. Even in hot summer weather, I have never had an egg start to develop. The only time that happens is if I have a broody hen and allow her to hatch some eggs, or if I put them in an incubator. Getting a chick in an egg requires a deliberate action!

 

[moniquem]

First you need a hen and a rooster , and they have to mate- basic 'birds and bees', and then the egg needs to be incubated before a chick will start to develop. 'Somebody' needs to retake Biology 101.

Do you think this response is necessary? The tone seems condescending toward someone who really just had a basic chicken question. Responses like this make it hard for a newbie to ask questions, which could lead to them not asking and potentially and unintentionally harming putting their chickens in jeopardy. Maybe we could all just use this site for what its intention is and be cordial to one another? IMHO

 

[sourland]

Do you think this response is necessary? The tone seems condescending toward someone who really just had a basic chicken question. Responses like this make it hard for a newbie to ask questions, which could lead to them not asking and potentially and unintentionally harming putting their chickens in jeopardy. Maybe we could all just use this site for what its intention is and be cordial to one another? IMHO

Your reaction was far from my intent and might be regarded as condescending if I chose to go that way.

 

[Abriana]

There is an egg, and it gets laid, but unless there is a rooster, it won’t be fertilized, and if the hen isn’t broody and doesn’t set on the eggs, there won’t be a chick

 

[sourland]

To the OP I hope that my response was not taken as condescending. It was meant with a touch of humor. Hopefully you were not offended.

 

[Welshies]

Your friend may have been referring to the yolk, which is not to be confused with a chick. All chicken eggs have a yolk, but only some are fertile. In order to be fertilised, anywhere from 1-8 hens must have a rooster who is sexually mature (16+ weeks) and actively mating with them. However, even then the yolk is just a yolk. It will not develop until incubation starts. Incubation happens when a broody hen begins to sit on a clutch of eggs, or eggs are placed in an incubator.

 

[BantyChooks]

Do you think this response is necessary? The tone seems condescending toward someone who really just had a basic chicken question. Responses like this make it hard for a newbie to ask questions, which could lead to them not asking and potentially and unintentionally harming putting their chickens in jeopardy. Maybe we could all just use this site for what its intention is and be cordial to one another? IMHO

Sounded to me like sour was referring to the friend by saying 'somebody'.