Chickens are not too picky and can eat almost all of the human foods. In addition to being enjoyable, they are able to give you eggs as well as meat. Thus, you can get many benefits when you raise chickens in your home.
About the eggs, they are considered as one of the most nutrient-rich products from chickens. But are chicken eggs the same as other animals? Are eggs chicken abortions?
Are eggs chicken abortions?
Most of the eggs are not actually chicken abortions. Like other birds, chicken eggs have some differences from those of mammals. The process to make eggs for chickens is quite unique.
Chicken eggs can be fertilized or unfertilized. It does mean that hens are able to make eggs with or without any rooster. Here’s the detail of the topic:
Read more: Why do chickens lay unfertilized eggs?
How to form an egg?
A laying hen’s ovary holds a large amount of tiny ova which can become egg yolk in the future. Unlike other animals, the left ovary of chicken only matures when it needs to release eggs.
Once the yolk is ready, it comes out of the ovary and moves into the oviduct. During about 4 hours, the yolk moves through the magnum- a part of the oviduct. It is also where egg white protein is added to.
With many different protein layers from egg white, this can protect the yolk inside well and help to form the shell membrane and shell. Once the shell membrane fibers are made in the isthmus, the egg enters the shell gland which can create the shell for 20 hours.
Over the last 2 hours of the shell formation, it produces the bulk of the pigment which moves into the outer shell layers. This can not only help to protect eggs against bacteria but also keep water for their contents.
At the large end of the oviduct, the egg rotates. Then it comes out of the oviduct small end.
Does any egg white or egg yolk contain aborted chick?
Most of the commercial eggs in use are unfertilized eggs. Those eggs are made by hens only with no need for roosters. There is no sperm transferred in the process. Therefore, it is impossible to have any baby chick inside unfertilized eggs.
In contrast, when your eggs are fertilized, they have the potential to become a real baby chicken in the future. However, there is no baby chick forming until hens incubate those eggs.
After eggs come out of the hen body, the embryo stays in a special condition called suspended animation. Without a few weeks, if your hens do not incubate them, the mentioned embryo will die. Therefore, you are unable to find any dead baby chick inside any type of eggs.
Is laying an egg the same as human labor and birth?
Laying a chicken egg is totally different from human labor and birth. The process to lay any egg is very simple and fast. Until the last one or two minutes, chickens just need to stand up and push, then their eggs fall out easily.
It is possible for hens to lay one egg per day every week. The reproductive process in hens does not last too long. After a short time of laying the previous egg, they can form another egg.
Chickens do not have the ability to give multiple eggs at the same time. It takes from 24 to 26 hours for any hen to reform an egg completely. Therefore, maybe your chickens can not make eggs every day.
Can a large-size egg get stuck in your chicken?
In fact, some big eggs can get stuck inside your chicken oviduct. This is known as egg binding. There are two main reasons leading to the egg binding as belows:
- The egg is too big to pass out the oviduct of your hen
- The level of calcium in your hen is too low. With the shortage of calcium, their muscles are not strong enough to squeeze the egg out of their body.
Once this happens, it can cause a lot of pain for your chickens during laying the egg. If they can not push the egg out at that time, your chickens will eventually die.
Some questions related to the chicken abortions from eggs
Where do your chickens like to lay eggs the most?
The enclosed place is the most favorite location for hens to lay their eggs down. It is useful if you can set up a nest box in their coop so that they can feel comfortable. Some hens want to have a dark enclosure while others prefer the lighter nest for their eggs.
How to make your chickens lay eggs in the nest boxes?
- Collect all laid eggs regularly to make enough space for them
- Offer a suitable number of nest boxes
- Train your hens with any fake eggs in advance
- Keep those boxes clean and comfortable
- Block any wrong nesting spots
Final thoughts
There are two types of eggs including fertilized and unfertilized. It has no baby chick inside any type of unfertilized eggs. And your baby chickens have no chance to develop until the hens incubate the fertilized eggs.
Laying an egg in a hen has no common point with human labor and birth. Your chickens have their own way to produce and lay their eggs. The egg formation process will last from 24 or 26 hours in a normal hen.