Chickens lay eggs as part of their natural biological process. Each female chick is born with thousands of immature yolks, known as chicken ova, and for most chickens, the ova begin to develop into yolks when the hen is 18 weeks old. Once a yolk has been selected to develop, it spends the next 10 days growing. When it is time for the yolk to be released, it breaks out of its protective membrane and drops into the infundibulum or the beginning of the oviduct. This release takes about half an hour.
As the egg enters the hen’s reproductive tract, the egg white begins formation, starting with a clear, protective yolk casing called the vitelline membrane. As the yolk enters the magnum, layers of thick and thin proteins, known as the albumen, create the egg white. The biggest involvement for the hen is creating the eggshell, which defends the yolk from harmful bacteria and keeps the chick or yolk safe. Hens spend much of the egg formation process making sure the calcium-rich shell is strong and protective.
Several factors can affect a chickens egg-laying ability, including:
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Age: Hens become mature enough to lay eggs at around six months of age, and the first egg often arrives when hens are 18 weeks old, subject to breed, environment, and nutrition.
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Light: An increase in day length is a key driver to encouraging hens to lay eggs. Laying hens prefer at least 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark. If your hen reaches 18 weeks of age during the fall or winter when daylight hours are shorter, then consider adding supplemental light to the coop.
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Nutrition: Laying hens must have enough daily protein and calcium in their diets to lay eggs with hard shells. Chickens need calcium to lay eggs since the shell is made of calcium. Putting more calcium in their diet helps them to lay more eggs.
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Stress: Chickens will stop laying eggs when stressed. Stress examples are illness, injury, or predator threat.
In conclusion, chickens lay eggs as part of their natural biological process, and several factors can affect their egg-laying ability, including age, light, nutrition, and stress.
