You can tell from looking at the yolk of a cracked egg whether it is fertile or infertile. In this case, there will be a day when she does not lay an egg. As hens do not typically ovulate after 3pm, eventually she’ll lay so late in the day that she’ll delay ovulation until the following day. The release of the next ovum typically occurs between 30 and 75 minutes after the previous egg was laid. It takes around 25 – 26 hours to form a new egg. This coating seals the thousands of tiny shell pores, preventing air and bacteria from getting inside the egg and reducing moisture loss from within the egg. As the last step in the egg laying process, a thin, nearly invisible layer called the bloom is applied to the egg shell in the vagina. The vagina is made of muscle which helps to push the egg out of the hen’s body. The final part of the oviduct is the vagina which is 10 – 12.5cm (4 – 5 inches) long. Pigment deposition, if any, is also carried out in the shell gland. This process takes 20 hours or more to complete. As the name implies, it’s here that the shell, made up mainly of calcium carbonate, is placed on the egg. The fourth section of the oviduct is the shell gland or uterus and is 10 – 12.5cm (4 – 5inches) long. The developing egg remains here for around 75 minutes whilst the inner and outer shell membranes are added. The third section is the isthmus which is 10cm (4 inches) long. The ovum remains here for three hours during which time the white or albumen is added. The next section is the magnum and at 33cm (13 inches) long is the largest part of the oviduct. As the ovum remains here for 15 – 18 minutes, there’s only a short window of opportunity for fertilisation to take place. As sperm do not break through the egg shell, they instead travel up the oviduct to the infundibulum to join with the egg yolk. Sperm can remain alive and viable in these glands for up to two weeks. Following mating, sperm enters the hen’s oviduct and is stored within sperm storage glands - only sperm that can swim will be stored. If fertilisation is going to occur, it happens here in the infundibulum. The infundibulum is a 7.5 – 10cm (3 – 4inches) long muscle which engulfs the ovum from the ovary. It consists of five major sections, each of which plays an important role in the formation of an egg: the infundibulum, the magnum, the isthmus, the shell gland or uterus and the vagina. The oviduct is a long, convoluted tube typically 63 – 69cm (25 – 27inches) when fully developed. The mature yolk is released when the sac ruptures from the ovary into the second part of the hen’s reproductive system, the oviduct. The maximum number of eggs a hen can lay in her life is determined when she hatches as no new ova are added after hatching.Įach ovum (singular of ova) is enclosed in a thin-walled sac attached to the ovary. However, most of these ova will never develop.
When a female chick (pullet) hatches, her ovary is fully formed and contains up to 4,000 tiny developing yolks or ova which could theoretically be laid. To understand this phenomenon, we need to understand how a hen’s reproductive system should work and how problems can occur. Weird-looking eggs are common amongst back garden flocks and, in most cases, there is no need to worry. If you haven’t already had an odd in your nest box, it’s bound to happen at some point. We all know that chickens are strange creatures, and that sometimes they produce very strange eggs.
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